Nodular acne: Huh? Never heard of it.

You may have never heard of it, but you have likely seen it. That kid that sat in the back of your high school English class and was called names like “Lumpy” had it.

Nodular acne is more than just typical teenage pimples. It is a very severe and unsightly form of acne vulgaris—acne that we have all had, only tremendously worse. The size of the nodular acne lesions can be larger than pencil erasers. The also can be very painful and long-lasting, even for weeks on end.

Nodular acne mainly shows up as large, tough bumps beneath the surface of the skin. It also may be very red, tender, and swollen. A person should not try to squeeze the lesion, as it might cause severe injury to the skin at the base. In addition, squeezing can cause healing to take weeks.

Permanent scarring often occurs with nodular acne. Medical advice should be sought as soon as possible, as leaving nodular acne untreated may make the situation worse and produce more scars, leading to the need for cosmetic scar removal.

If antibiotic treatment fails, nodular acne sufferers have Accutane as an option. This pharmaceutical drug can have serious side effects, so if you are considering using it for nodular acne, you should take time to discuss it with your prescriber. Women should be aware that Accutane may cause serious birth defects. All users of Accutane should discuss side effects with their prescribers and loved ones, because there have been incidences of suicidal thoughts associated with using the drug.

The bottom line with a serious case of nodular acne is that it is definitely not something that will simply go away on its own with time. If a lesion is lasting more than a week, do ask your doctor or dermatologist about it.

Although a nodular acne lesion is not life-threatening, it is a sign of something wrong with your skin. You need to do something about it today. Washing your face more or switching cleansers is not going to help with nodular acne; seek medical help instead to treat the underlying causes and thereby the outer symptoms.