Acne Inversa
• Painful, rounded deep-rooted inflamed lumps. These sores heal slowly
or not at all, causing scarring. They can also chronically seep fluid,
leading to the development of sinus tracts, or tunnels under the skin.
This, in turn can lead to further inflammation and lumps. Bacterial
infection is also possible.
There is no known cure for acne inversa, but the symptoms can be
lessoned with various treatments. Several options have been found to be
helpful in some cases. These are some relieve for acne inversa:
• Reduce the presence of bacteria on the skin by applying topical
antibiotics, antiseptics or acne preparations.
• Wear loose clothing to prevent skin irritation.
• Loose weight to reduce the number of areas where there is skin-to-skin
contact.
• Oral antibiotics, such as flucloxacillin, dicloxacillin, clindamycin
or rifampicin, which may be prescribed to reduce bacterial infection.
• Tetracycline or metronidazole, which may be prescribed to reduce
inflammation.
• Sometimes surgery is necessary to drain infected areas or remove
scarred tissue. Surgery is reserved for only very severe cases.
In only the United States there is a conservative estimation of one million people who suffer from acne inversa; the actual number can be a lot higher.