Acne is a very common skin condition in humans.
It starts off in the hair follicles of the skin.
The main symptoms of acne include blackheads, whiteheads and pimples.
Once the follicles become blocked, a specific bacterium called Propionibacterium Acnes infects the blocked ducts, causing inflammation and damaging the surrounding skin tissue.
What we are looking at here is a feature of more severe acne.
Skin lesion is the term used to refer to any type of damage to the skin.
In mild to moderate acne, the lesions are limited to whiteheads, blackheads, papules and pustules.
These are generally small in size and short-lived in duration.
Acne nodules are much larger lesions.
They can become very painful and troublesome.
Individual acne nodules can remain for long periods, perhaps several months.
The condition is called nodular acne.
Nodular Acne Nodule acne is a severe form of acne in which nodules rather than other relatively minor lesions are present in significant numbers.
Nodular acne is not the same as cystic acne, although nodular acne is an equally challenging condition which needs to be taken seriously.
Acne nodules have the appearance of large, hard bumps under the skin's surface.
The skin over them may be pink or discoloured.
Along with the discomfort and unwelcome appearance of the initial outbreak itself, nodular acne carries with it a high risk of permanent scarring.
Avoiding Scarring It is most important to avoid attempting to squeeze or manipulate acne nodules.
Such interventions are likely to cause more skin or tissue damage.
The increased damage has a negative effect such that the lesion may remain for much longer, perhaps even months extra.
The damage also makes scarring significantly worse.
Nodular acne affects deeper skin tissue than that affected by common acne.
It is more severe and in rare cases the cysts may lead to larger, deeper lesions.
Cystic acne may be a precursor to a severe form named acne conglobata.
Acne conglobata is a chronic disease, meaning that it may persist for a long period of time.
It is a serious matter, featuring deep abscesses, severe skin damage, ulceration and keloid scarring.
For this reason, acne patients who suspect that they may in fact have nodular acne are advised to seek medical advice and commence treatment as soon as possible.
Isotretinoin-based medications such as Roaccutane (formerly called Accutane) can be quite effective in treating acne nodules.
Treatment should commence as soon as is practicable, with the intention of minimizing the scarring that results.
Roaccutane is a prescription-only medicine, so it makes sense to consult your physician for expert advice and the prescription of the most appropriate medication.
Please note that medications based on benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid and similar products are not effective for nodular acne.
Recurrence In Acne Nodules Acne nodules occur deep in the skin and underlying tissue.
Quite commonly, they do not resolve completely but tend to flare up repeatedly.
We are unable to give further specific guidance here, so expert advice should be sought from a dermatologist or other qualified medical practitioner.