Elephant-Head Acne (Deep Nodular Acne): Causes, Can You Pop It, and a Dermatologist's Explanation of Treatment That Really Works Without Scarring
Elephant-head acne is a large, inflamed lump of acne that sits deep under the skin. It is painful to press, has no head to squeeze, and lasts for weeks. The medical name for this type is nodulocystic acne (also called severe nodular acne). It is classed as severe acne, the only grade with clear evidence that it can cause permanent acne scars from the very first lump.
This article answers the three questions people search for most — what causes it, how many days it takes to heal, and whether you can pop it — and explains how to tell elephant-head acne apart from four other conditions that look very similar but are treated differently, especially a skin abscess (furuncle) and hidradenitis suppurativa, which do not improve if treated as acne.
What is elephant-head acne, and how is it different from ordinary inflamed acne?
Ordinary inflamed acne is a small red bump under 5 millimeters across. It sits near the surface, shows a visible pus head, and settles within a few days. Elephant-head acne differs on every point.
Size: about 5 millimeters or more; some lumps reach 1–2 centimeters.
Depth: it sits in the deep dermis and sometimes spreads to the fat layer under the skin.
Feel: a firm lump or a soft, springy lump with poorly defined edges, very tender to the touch.
Head: usually no head, or a head that forms very late and sits too deep to drain on its own.
Duration: weeks to months, not days.
Aftermath: long-lasting dark-red marks, and a real chance of permanent acne scars.
The key point is that elephant-head acne is not “ordinary acne, only bigger.” It is a different level of severity, because the inflammation has already broken through the wall of the hair follicle. Treatment therefore has to differ from ordinary acne from the start.
What causes elephant-head acne? The four-step process under the skin
Elephant-head acne starts from the same process as ordinary acne, but goes one step further.
Clogged follicle: skin cells that should shed normally stick together with oil and form a plug that blocks the follicle opening.
Overactive oil glands: under the influence of androgen hormones, more and more oil builds up behind the plug.
Resident bacteria multiply: Cutibacterium acnes, which lives on everyone's skin, thrives in the oxygen-poor space behind the plug and stimulates the immune system.
The follicle wall ruptures: this step separates elephant-head acne from ordinary acne. When the internal pressure gets too high, the follicle wall tears and releases oil, keratin and bacteria directly into the dermis. The body treats these as foreign material, so intense inflammation spreads around the area and forms the firm lump you can feel.
The importance of the fourth step is that once the follicle wall has ruptured, topical medicines that act only on the upper skin layers cannot reach the inflamed area. This is why many patients apply a cream that worked on small pimples and feel that “it just doesn't budge” — not because the medicine is poor, but because the problem is deeper than a topical medicine can reach.
Factors that make elephant-head acne come back
Genetics carry the most weight. People whose parents or siblings had severe acne tend to have the same pattern.
Hormones: puberty, the days before a period, and high-androgen conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
Certain medicines, such as steroids, some hormonal drugs, lithium and high-dose vitamin B12. Always tell your doctor what medicines you are taking.
Squeezing and picking make the follicle wall rupture sooner and wider. This is the factor you can control the most.
Pore-clogging products: skincare, makeup and hair products that run down onto the hairline and back.
Friction and trapped moisture: helmets, backpack straps, tight clothing and sweat left on the skin.
Stress and lack of sleep are not direct causes, but they make existing acne flare more easily.
Diet is still unsettled. Current evidence only supports the idea that high-glycemic foods and cow's milk may be linked to acne severity in some people. They are not the main factor, and cutting out foods alone is not enough to treat elephant-head acne.
How many kinds of elephant-head acne are there? Telling solid nodules from cysts
Doctors divide these lesions into two main types, solid nodules and cysts, and there are two more severe forms worth knowing about, because each responds differently to treatment and has a different level of urgency.
Elephant-head acne as a firm, headless lump (Nodule)
Appearance: a firm lump, red or skin-colored, solid to the touch, does not move around, tender deep down, with no pus head.
Cause: inflammation around a ruptured follicle, without a pocket of pus having formed.
Severity/urgency: moderate to high; it usually settles slowly and leaves dark-red marks for a long time.
When to see a doctor: when you have more than 2–3 lumps at the same time, or a lump lasts more than 2 weeks without getting smaller.
Elephant-head acne as a soft, fluid-like lump (Cyst / Pseudocyst)
Appearance: a soft, springy lump like a water balloon; it dents when pressed or feels like there is fluid inside. It may look yellowish or dark.
Cause: pus and keratin debris collect in a pocket within the dermis.
Severity/urgency: high; acne scars are more likely than with the firm type because the tissue is genuinely destroyed to form a pocket.
When to see a doctor: promptly. Do not wait for it to settle on its own, because the longer it stays, the more tissue is lost.
Several elephant-head lumps joined together (Acne conglobata)
Appearance: several lumps joined in a line or a plaque, with multiple openings connected under the skin. Squeezing one opening may release fluid from another.
Cause: severe acne that has spread and joined pockets together. It is most common in men aged 18–30, on the back, chest and neck.
Severity/urgency: the most severe form of acne; it often leaves raised scars or keloids.
When to see a doctor: immediately. It is often an indication for oral medication from the start.
Elephant-head acne with fever and joint pain (Acne fulminans)
Appearance: large acne lumps appearing very quickly within a few days, with open sores and crusts, together with fever, joint pain, bone pain and fatigue.
Cause: a severe immune reaction, common in teenage boys. Some cases occur in the first 4–8 weeks after starting isotretinoin at too high a dose for very severe acne.
Severity/urgency: a dermatological emergency.
When to see a doctor: the same day, especially when fever or joint pain is present. Treatment usually starts with oral steroids (prednisolone) at about 0.5–1 mg/kg/day, and then low-dose isotretinoin is started under a doctor's supervision.
How many days does elephant-head acne take to heal? A realistic timeline
This is the most searched question, and the answer depends on whether you treat it or not. The figures below are approximate time frames from routine clinical follow-up, not a guarantee, because every person responds differently.
Left alone: one lump usually takes about 2–6 weeks to settle. Some lumps, especially cyst-type ones, last for several months.
After an anti-inflammatory injection into the lesion by a doctor: it usually starts to shrink and hurts less within 24–72 hours, and clearly shrinks in 3–7 days.
After starting prescribed topical medicine: it works on new lumps that have not formed yet more than on existing ones. Judge the real effect at 6–8 weeks.
After starting oral medicine: clear change is usually seen at 8–12 weeks, and some patients get temporarily worse in the first month, which is expected and not a sign that treatment is failing.
Red marks after a lump settles take another 3–6 months to fade, and dark marks on darker skin can take longer.
The practical conclusion is that elephant-head acne is not measured in days but in weeks to months. Expecting a lump to shrink in 2–3 days with topical medicine alone often leads to squeezing, which is what causes acne scars.
Can you pop elephant-head acne?
You should not squeeze it, and the reason is not only infection.
Elephant-head acne has no way to drain upward to the surface, because the plug is deep and the follicle opening is blocked. When you press from outside, the pressure pushes the already fragile wall of the pocket to tear further sideways under the skin. The results are:
The inflammation spreads wider, and the lump gets bigger instead of smaller.
More of the surrounding tissue is destroyed, which is the direct cause of acne scars.
Healing takes several weeks longer.
Post-inflammatory dark marks become darker and last longer.
There is a chance of a secondary bacterial infection from hands and nails.
What you can do instead is a warm compress: hold a clean cloth soaked in warm water on it for 10–15 minutes, 2–3 times a day. This helps with pain and may help a shallow, pus-filled lesion drain by itself, without the extra damage that squeezing causes.
Draining pus is a procedure that can be done, but only by a doctor with sterile instruments, and only on suitable lesions, not every lump.
How to make elephant-head acne shrink faster — ranked from fastest
This question has a clear answer when ranked by how fast the lump you have right now shrinks.
Anti-inflammatory injection into the lump by a doctor: the fastest, usually starting to shrink and hurt less within 24–72 hours. Suitable for very painful lumps or lumps in places where scarring is a concern.
Incision and drainage of pus by a doctor: only for cyst-type lumps with clearly tense pus. It reduces pressure and pain within the same day.
Warm compress for 10–15 minutes, 2–3 times a day: helps with pain, but does not make a deep lump shrink much faster.
Topical and oral medicines do not make the existing lump shrink within a few days, but they are the only thing that stops new lumps from appearing afterwards, so they must always be started together.
Things that do not help it shrink faster and often make it worse include squeezing, piercing it yourself with a needle, dabbing on toothpaste or alcohol, and applying steroid creams yourself without a doctor's supervision.
Can acne patches be used on elephant-head acne?
Yes, but you need to understand how far they can help. A hydrocolloid patch works by absorbing fluid that seeps onto the skin, so it works well on inflamed pimples with a shallow pus head or on sores that have already opened.
Solid, headless elephant-head acne: a patch barely helps it shrink, because the inflammation sits 2–4 millimeters under the skin and there is no fluid coming up to absorb.
The real benefit is that it keeps your hands from picking, reduces friction, and covers the lump during the day, which indirectly lowers the chance of acne scars.
Microneedle patches with active ingredients deliver medicine too shallowly to reach a deep lump, so their effect on elephant-head acne is limited.
Do not put a patch over a wound with a lot of pus, spreading redness and heat, or fever, as it may be an abscess that needs drainage.
If you use a patch for 3–5 days and the lump is still the same size, that is your answer: this lump is too deep for a patch or spot treatment to reach.
Will elephant-head acne go away by itself if you do nothing?
It can go away, but the more important question is “what does it leave behind?”
Most elephant-head lumps slowly settle within a few weeks even without treatment, because the body clears the inflammation itself. But while the lump is there, enzymes from inflammatory cells are constantly breaking down the collagen in the dermis. The longer a lump stays, the more tissue is lost, and when the body repairs it back to less than the original, the result is a permanent acne scar.
This is why international clinical guidelines recommend starting treatment for severe acne early rather than watching and waiting. The aim of treatment is not only to make the lump shrink faster but to shorten the time the tissue is being damaged.
What does the location tell you?
Jawline, chin and neck are usually linked to hormonal factors, especially in adult women whose acne flares with the menstrual cycle (read more: frequent chin acne and hormonal acne).
Forehead and hairline: consider the hair products and hats you wear regularly.
Back and chest: oil glands are dense and there is often friction as well. It must always be told apart from fungal acne on the back (Malassezia folliculitis).
Armpits, groin, under the breasts and buttocks: lumps in these places are often not acne. Think of hidradenitis suppurativa first.
A single lump on the thigh, hip or back of the neck in someone who normally has no acne: think of a skin abscess rather than acne.
Four conditions often mistaken for elephant-head acne
This is the part that is often missing from general articles, and it is where a wrong diagnosis can cost months of treatment.
1. Skin abscess (Furuncle / Boil)
It is caused by a Staphylococcus aureus bacterial infection in a hair follicle. Unlike acne, it is usually a single lump that grows fast within 2–3 days, throbs, has clearly red and hot skin around it, and may come with fever. Patients usually have no history of acne. Treatment is antibiotics and drainage of pus by a doctor, not acne medicine (read more: skin abscesses and pus lumps).
2. Hidradenitis suppurativa
This is the most common and most damaging misdiagnosis, because it is a chronic inflammatory disease of hair follicles in skin-fold areas, not an acne disease. You can recognize it by:
It appears only where there is friction — armpits, groin, under the breasts and buttocks — and hardly ever on the face.
It comes and goes in the same places, repeating over months or years.
There are connecting tunnels under the skin (sinus tracts) and band-like scars that pull on the skin.
There may be double-headed blackheads, two openings side by side, which is characteristic of this disease.
Hidradenitis suppurativa has its own treatment approach that is completely different from acne. Treating it like acne will not work, and late diagnosis leads to permanent scars that are hard to correct.
3. Fungal acne (Malassezia folliculitis)
This is inflammation of the hair follicles caused by Malassezia yeast. The typical features are bumps of almost identical size, clearly itchy, with no mixed blackheads or whiteheads, appearing in clusters on the back, chest and shoulders. The key point is that antibiotics make it flare more, because they reduce the bacteria that keep the yeast in check. It must be treated with antifungal medicine.
4. Inflamed subcutaneous cyst (Inflamed epidermoid cyst)
This is an old sac that was already there and has become inflamed. The clue is that you had felt a soft, painless lump in that spot for a long time before it became swollen and red, and you can often see a tiny opening in the middle. Treatment has to deal with the sac, not the acne. If the sac wall is not removed, it will become inflamed again in the same place (read more: fatty lumps under the skin and cysts).
Basic home care, and the limits you need to know
What is safe to do
Wash your face with a gentle product twice a day without scrubbing. Washing more often does not help and irritates the skin.
Use a warm compress 2–3 times a day to ease the pain.
Choose products labeled non-comedogenic, and stop any product you started just before the acne appeared.
Apply sunscreen every day, because sunlight makes post-acne dark marks darker and longer-lasting.
Blot sweat and shower after exercise; do not leave wet clothes on the skin.
What to stop doing
Squeezing, pressing, picking or piercing it yourself with a needle.
Putting toothpaste, alcohol or essential oils on the lump, which irritates it and increases inflammation.
Using leftover oral antibiotics from someone else or from a previous illness, which is a major reason for antibiotic resistance.
Applying steroid-containing creams on acne yourself, because the lump shrinks quickly at first and then comes back worse.
The limit you have to accept is that all the home care above helps comfort and stops things getting worse, but cannot deal with inflammation deep in the dermis. Elephant-head acne is a condition where seeing a doctor is advisable from the first few lumps.
Topical medicines doctors use, their strengths and how long to use them
Topical medicine is still necessary, even though it is not the star in severe acne, because its main job is to prevent new lumps, not dissolve existing ones, and it must be applied over the whole acne-prone area, not dabbed on individual lumps.
Adapalene 0.1% or 0.3% gel or tretinoin 0.025–0.05% cream — topical vitamin A derivatives that treat the root cause, which is follicle blockage. Apply a thin, pea-sized amount over the whole face at night. In the first 2–4 weeks you may get dryness, peeling and stinging, which usually improve as the skin adjusts. Do not use during pregnancy.
Benzoyl peroxide 2.5–5% — reduces bacteria without causing resistance. Concentrations above 5% irritate more without working significantly better. It can bleach towels and pillowcases.
Clindamycin 1% topical — reduces inflammation, but must not be used alone; it must always be paired with benzoyl peroxide to prevent resistance.
Salicylic acid 0.5–2% and azelaic acid 15–20% — a supporting role for clogged pores and dark marks, but limited effect on deep inflamed lumps.
Assess the result at 8–12 weeks, not at 3–4 days. If after 12 weeks new lumps still appear every month, that is a sign topical medicine alone is not enough and oral medicine needs to be added.
Oral medicines, when topical is not enough
When acne is deep and nodular or covers a wide area, clinical guidelines recommend considering oral medicine together with topical treatment from the start, not after topical treatment has failed for several months.
Doxycycline 100 mg once daily or minocycline 50–100 mg/day — tetracycline-class antibiotics that work more by reducing inflammation than by killing bacteria. Use them for a limited period of about 3–4 months, then the doctor reassesses. They must always be used together with benzoyl peroxide and a topical vitamin A drug. Take doxycycline with a full glass of water and do not lie down within 30 minutes because of the risk of esophagitis; it also makes skin sensitive to sunlight. Do not use in pregnant women or children under 8 years.
Combined oral contraceptives — an option for women whose acne flares with the menstrual cycle, with clear results at about 3–6 months. Contraindications must be assessed, such as migraine with aura, a history of blood clots, or smoking in people over 35.
Spironolactone 50–100 mg/day — an anti-androgen for women with hormonal acne along the jaw and chin, usually started at a low dose and then adjusted. Assess the result at about 3 months. Do not use in pregnancy, and it is not used in men.
What shows it is working: new lumps per month drop by at least half within 8–12 weeks. What shows it is not enough: new lumps still appear every month, or scars begin to show, which is when the doctor will consider isotretinoin.
Every medicine in this section must be prescribed by a doctor, after assessing underlying conditions, current medicines and pregnancy plans before starting.
Isotretinoin: when it is an indication from the start
Isotretinoin is an oral vitamin A derivative and the only drug that acts on all four steps of acne formation described above. International clinical guidelines classify it as an early treatment, not a last resort in the following cases.
Severe nodular and cystic acne.
Acne that is already leaving scars or pits.
Acne that has not responded to adequate antibiotics plus topical medicine for long enough.
Acne that comes back quickly every time treatment stops.
Acne that significantly affects mental well-being.
What patients should know before deciding
Dose and duration: usually started at about 0.5 mg/kg/day and adjusted up to 1 mg/kg/day depending on response. For very severe nodular acne, doctors often start lower in the first month to reduce the chance of a severe flare. A whole course generally lasts about 5–8 months. Take it with a fatty meal for good absorption.
It is treated as a course. The doctor plans around the cumulative dose over the whole course (often in the range of 120–150 mg/kg), not just taking it until the acne clears. Stopping early on your own is linked to relapse.
Common side effects: very dry lips, dry skin, dry eyes, nosebleeds, muscle aches and sun sensitivity. Most can be managed with supportive care.
Blood tests are needed to monitor liver function and blood lipids, before starting and about 1–2 months after starting, or as often as your doctor sets.
Absolutely must not be used in pregnancy, because it causes severe birth defects. Anyone who could become pregnant must use reliable contraception from 1 month before starting, throughout treatment, and for at least 1 month after stopping, and must not donate blood during the same period.
It may flare temporarily in the first month, which doctors expect and have ways to manage. It is not a reason to stop the medicine on your own.
Results vary from person to person. Some patients need more than one course.
This medicine must be prescribed and monitored by a doctor only. Buying it to take on your own is a risk you should not accept.
Injecting anti-inflammatory medicine into the lesion: how fast it works and the risks
Injecting a low-concentration steroid directly into the acne lump (intralesional corticosteroid injection) is a procedure patients often hear about but rarely have fully explained.
The medicine used is triamcinolone acetonide diluted to a low concentration, generally about 2.5 mg/mL for the face (a doctor may use higher in some locations), injected in a very small amount of roughly 0.05–0.25 mL per lump.
Its real role is to quickly reduce inflammation in that one lump. It suits lumps that are very painful, or cases where you want to shorten the time the tissue is being damaged. Generally the lump starts to shrink and hurt less within 24–72 hours.
What you need to understand clearly
It treats only the lump, it does not prevent new lumps, so it must always be done alongside the main treatment, not instead of it.
The most important risk is a dent from thinning of the skin and the fat under the skin, which is related to the concentration and amount injected. Most dents like this improve on their own over several months, but some last a long time.
Lighter skin color at the injection site can occur, and is more noticeable on darker skin.
It is not suitable to inject often in the same spot, or to inject dozens of points at a time on a regular basis.
For these reasons, the injection should be done by a doctor who has judged the lesion suitable and chosen a concentration that fits the location and skin type.
Other procedures used together in some cases
Incision and drainage of pus by a doctor for a lesion with clearly collected, very tense, painful pus, done with sterile technique, not squeezing.
Extraction of clogged pores is used for blackheads and whiteheads that coexist, not for deep inflamed lumps.
Treatment of scars and acne pits, such as stimulating collagen production with various procedures. The key principle is that the active inflammation must be brought under control first. Treating acne pits while new acne keeps appearing does not work as well as it should.
Every procedure carries a risk of not working as expected and may cause side effects. Results vary from person to person, and you should always be assessed by a doctor first.
Acne pits and scars: why you need to treat early
Acne pits do not form when the acne heals, but while the acne is still inflamed. After enzymes from inflammatory cells have broken down the collagen in the dermis, the body repairs it to less than the original, leaving a permanent dent that is hard to treat and takes a long time.
The factors that most increase the chance of acne pits are:
The severity of the acne, especially nodular and cystic types.
The length of time it is left inflamed before treatment starts.
Squeezing and picking.
A family history of acne scars.
The first two are the strongest medical reasons why elephant-head acne should not be left to “wait and see.”
You should clearly separate red and dark marks after acne, which are about pigment and blood vessels and can fade on their own over several months, from acne pits, which are real tissue loss and do not fade by themselves. The two are treated in different ways.
Skin care during treatment
Use a gentle cleanser without scrub beads.
Moisturize regularly, especially when using topical vitamin A derivatives or oral medicine. Skin that is dry to the point of cracking makes it hard to keep using your medicine.
Use sunscreen every day, because many acne medicines make skin sensitive to light and sun makes dark marks last longer.
If it is on the back or chest, shower and change shirts right after sweating, and choose breathable clothing.
Be patient with the time frames, and attend your appointments so the doctor can adjust the plan promptly when the response is not as expected.
Signs to see a doctor without waiting
A lump growing unusually fast within 1–2 days, with widespread red, hot skin.
Fever, chills, joint pain or bone pain together with acne that flares quickly.
Lumps in the armpits, groin, under the breasts or buttocks that keep coming back in the same place.
You are already starting to see dents or scars.
You have used topical medicine continuously for 8 weeks and it is not getting better.
Acne is clearly affecting your mood, social life or daily life — this is a genuine medical indication, not only a cosmetic matter.
Quick summary
Elephant-head acne = nodulocystic acne: large lumps of 5 mm or more, deep, headless and tender to the touch.
Untreated it takes 2–6 weeks per lump. A doctor's injection into the lump starts shrinking it in 24–72 hours.
Do not squeeze, because the pressure makes the pocket wall tear further under the skin, the lump gets bigger and the risk of acne pits rises.
Topical medicine prevents new lumps and does not dissolve existing ones. Assess at 8–12 weeks. Acne with many lumps usually needs oral medicine from the start.
Lumps in the armpits, groin or buttocks, or a single lump that grows fast with fever, are often not acne. Think of hidradenitis suppurativa or a skin abscess.
What to do — see a dermatologist from the first few lumps, because the damage happens while the lump is still inflamed.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get elephant-head acne to shrink?
The fastest way to shrink the lump you have now is an anti-inflammatory injection into the lump by a doctor, which usually starts shrinking in 24–72 hours. For cyst-type lumps with tense pus, a doctor may drain the pus with sterile instruments. At home you can only use a warm compress for 10–15 minutes, 2–3 times a day, to ease the pain. Topical and oral medicines do not make an existing lump shrink within a few days, but they are needed to stop new lumps. What not to do is squeeze, pierce it yourself or dab on toothpaste, because that makes the inflammation wider.
Can elephant-head acne go away by itself?
Yes. Most lumps settle within 2–6 weeks even without treatment, but the important point is what they leave behind. For as long as a lump is inflamed, enzymes from inflammatory cells are breaking down collagen in the dermis. The longer it is left, the more tissue is lost and it turns into permanent acne pits that are much harder to treat than the pimple itself. Clinical guidelines therefore recommend starting treatment for severe acne early, to shorten the time the tissue is being damaged, not just to make lumps shrink faster.
How many days does headless elephant-head acne take to heal?
A headless lump is deep inflammation in the dermis. Untreated it usually takes about 2–6 weeks to settle, and cyst-type lumps can last a month or more. If a doctor injects anti-inflammatory medicine into the lump, it usually starts to shrink and hurt less within 24–72 hours and clearly shrinks in 3–7 days. After the lump settles, red or dark marks take another 3–6 months to fade. You should not wait for a headless lump to “come to a head” and then squeeze it, because most never form a head.
Can I use an acne patch on elephant-head acne?
Yes, but it helps little to shrink the lump. Hydrocolloid patches absorb fluid that seeps up onto the skin, so they work on pimples with a shallow pus head or open sores. With headless elephant-head acne, the inflammation sits several millimeters under the skin, out of the patch's reach. The real benefit is keeping your hands from picking and reducing friction, which indirectly lowers the chance of acne pits. If the lump is still the same after 3–5 days of a patch, or you have spreading redness and heat or fever, see a doctor.
Can you pop elephant-head acne?
You should not, and squeezing makes healing slower, not faster. Elephant-head acne has no way to drain upward, so outside pressure pushes the fragile pocket wall to tear further sideways under the skin. The lump gets bigger, inflammation gets wider, more tissue is destroyed, which is the direct cause of acne pits, and there is a risk of secondary infection from hands. Draining pus can be done, but it should be done by a doctor with sterile instruments, only on suitable lumps.
Will I get a dent after an injection into elephant-head acne?
It is possible, and it is the main risk of this procedure. A dent comes from thinning of the skin and the fat under the skin at the injection site, which is related to the concentration and amount of medicine used. That is why doctors usually use diluted medicine of about 2.5 mg/mL in a small amount per lump. Most dents improve on their own over several months, but some last a long time, and there may be lighter skin color at the injection site that shows more on darker skin, so it should not be injected often in the same spot.
Read more on related topics — inflamed acne: causes and which topical to use · frequent chin acne and hormonal acne · acne spot treatments: which really work · acne pits: can they really be filled in · acne: types, causes and treatment · all skin conditions
The information in this article is for general education only and cannot replace diagnosis and treatment by a doctor. The choice of medicine, dose and procedure is the doctor's decision after assessing each person individually. Treatment results vary from person to person.
Written by Dr. Patara Voravutinon, Dermatologist · Last reviewed September 26, 2026
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