our practice

contact information

Nelson Lee Novick, M.D.
500 East 85th Street
Suite P-1
New York, New York 10028
Tel: 212-772-9300
Fax: 212-772-0524
Map
Visit our other website
Email Us

other locations

cosmedispa@gmail.com
קוסמדיספא
רחוב החי"ל 49
רעננה, NA 43316
Israel
Tel: 077-2100818
Fax: 077-4811369

The From Your Doctor service powered by Vivacare

This service should not be used in place of a visit, call, consultation with or the advice of your healthcare provider.

Communicate promptly with your provider with any health related questions or concerns.

 

Acne Surgery

ACNE SURGERY

by Nelson Lee Novick, MD, FAAD, FAACS

This term is another way of describing two very important adjuncts to acne therapy: comedone extraction (the opening and removal of blackheads and whiteheads) and incision and drainage of acne cysts. In the first, the dermatologist uses the tip of a fine scalpel blade or fine needle to unroof the blackheads or whiteheads and then removes the core with a special instrument called a comedone extractor. The procedure, which is usually only minimally uncomfortable, not only makes you look better almost immediately, but also dramatically decreases the population of whiteheads before they turn into inflamed pimples and cysts. When severe inflammation and cysts have already occurred, your doctor may elect to use a fine scalpel blade to incise (open) and drain them in order to speed their healing and reduce the risk of scarring. This procedure, too, is usually only slightly uncomfortable.

THERAPEUTIC INJECTIONS

The injection of an anti-inflammatory steroid, frequently triamcinolone acetonide suspension, is the procedure of choice for shrinking inflamed acne pimples and deep cysts. Some people have reservations about the use of steroids but these concerns are usually unfounded and based on hearsay or misapprehension about the term steroid. While it is true that complications may arise in patients with conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis or systemic lupus erythematosus, who require treatment with steroids in high doses (orally or by injection) for long periods of time, they seldom occur when steroids are administered in low doses for short periods (one to three weeks).

An intralesional steroid is injected into the spot where it is needed. Moreover, only small doses need to be injected, so very little of the steroid actually gets absorbed into your system. Acne cysts usually shrink and resolve within twelve to seventy-eight hours following injection. The sooner inflammation is brought under control, the less likely it is that there will be any permanent scarring. Occasionally, a small depression may form at the injection site, but generally this will return to normal by itself within several weeks to several months.

Excerpted from Super Skin--A Leading Dermatologist's Guide to the Latest Breakthroughs in Skin Care, by Nelson Lee Novick, M.D.

Purchase Super Skin- A Leading Dermatologist's Guide to the Latest Breakthroughs in Skin Care at Amazon or Barnes & Noble

Additional Resources

Overview
Acne Basics
Treatment Summary
Acne Treatment
Risks & Complications
Acne Scars
En Espanol
Que es el acne?
This website is certified by Health On the Net Foundation. Click to verify. This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information:
verify here.
View Content Policy