What is nodular acne? Nodular acne is a severe type of acne. It causes hard lumps or knots (nodules) to develop deep under your skin. The nodules start below the surface and appear on the skin as red bumps. These bumps usually don't have a whitehead or blackhead at the center.
Nodules are a type of hard pimple that can be large and painful. They form when an infected skin pore or follicle is located deep below the skin surface. Cysts are found deep below the skin when a pus-filled membrane forms around the infection. They are likely to scar.
Nodular acne is severe acne that causes hard, painful lumps deep within the skin that often scar. Several factors contribute to nodular acne, including overactive oil glands, an increase in androgen hormones, a buildup of dead skin cells, and high amounts of acne-related bacteria on the skin.
If you have small pebble-like bumps beneath the surface of your skin that will not extract, you likely have what's called maturation arrest acne, or closed comedones trapped under the skin.
Pores in the skin can clog with excess oil and dead skin cells, causing pimples. Bacteria can enter the skin pores and get trapped along with the oil and skin cells. The skin reaction causes swelling deep in the skin's middle layer (the dermis). This infected, red, swollen lump is an acne cyst.
Although many people use the term "cystic" to describe any type of severely inflamed acne, only those who develop acne cysts truly have cystic acne. Acne cysts are the most serious kind of acne blemish. They feel like soft, fluid-filled lumps under the skin's surface. Acne cysts are painful.
Type of lesion: Bacterial acne is more likely to present as inflamed pimples, pustules, and cysts that are frequently red and tender to the touch, whereas hormonal acne is more likely to manifest as deep, painful cysts.
Those disagreeable-looking white, round things are milia. Also called milium cysts, milk spots, oilseeds, or pearl acne, no matter what you call them, milia are decidedly unattractive, small or moderate-sized, round or dome-shaped, white or yellow bumps that are easily visible beneath the skin.
Resist the Urge to Pop Your Pimple
Popping pimples is risky and ill-advised at the best of times, but cystic breakouts are on a whole different level. Because cysts form so deep within the layers of your skin, they are nearly impossible to drain by squeezing.
Nodular acne generally appears as hard, painful acne lesions deep under the skin. It often affects the face, chest, or back. Unlike regular pimples that often heal within a few days, acne nodules may last for weeks or months. They tend not to develop a white head and may remain as hard knots under the skin.
Types of pimple
Pustules may last for a few weeks, but if they last longer than 6–8 weeks and do not respond to treatment, it might be a good idea to see a doctor or dermatologist. Cystic acne causes swollen, red bumps to form. These also tend to develop on the upper body, particularly the face.
"It's best to let a pimple run through its life span," Rice says. Left alone, a blemish will heal itself in 3 to 7 days. Popped improperly, it can linger for weeks or lead to scarring.
Larger pimples that are deep under the skin can take longer to heal. Picking or trying to pop pimples will only make them bigger, more painful, and more difficult to get rid of. Instead of messing with the pimple, try using a spot treatment or applying a warm compress a few times a day.
Pustules are a type of pimple that contains yellowish pus. They are larger than whiteheads and blackheads. Pustules appear either as red bumps with white centers or as white bumps that are hard and often tender to the touch. In many cases, the skin around the pustules is red or inflamed.
Keratosis pilaris is a common condition where small bumps develop on your skin, especially your arms, legs or butt. Excess keratin in your skin causes bumps to form. This condition is harmless and typically doesn't need treatment, and usually fades by age 30. Treating dry skin with a gentle skin care routine can help.
Acne conglobata (AC) is a rare but severe form of nodulocystic acne. It usually presents with tender, disfiguring, double or triple interconnecting comedones, cysts, inflammatory nodules, and deep burrowing abscesses on the face, shoulders, back, chest, upper arms, buttocks, and thighs.
Steatocystomas are noncancerous cysts that grow in the skin's sebaceous glands and contain an overload sebum, an oil that naturally moisturizes the hair and skin. In this particular patient, Dr. Lee says the sebum looks like butter, thanks to the yellow hue of the substance.
When a pore becomes blocked with a plug of dead skin cells and sebum, it creates a favorable environment for C. acnes to thrive. The bacteria proliferate and begin to irritate the lining of the pore or hair follicle, causing redness and inflammation.
Stress pimples will usually pop up in the oiliest areas of the face, like the forehead, nose and chin. Your T-zone might look greasier and more congested too. Doctors say that if you're getting clusters of pimples all at once, stress can be a factor—hormonal pimples happen one at a time.
An acne cyst can look like a red bump under the skin, crusty, or oozing pus from a white-yellow bump. These cysts vary in size; they can be as small as a pea or as large as a dime. In general, they tend to be painful and tender to touch.