Intralesional sclerotherapy for the treatment of acne cysts: A case series

Abstract

Acne cysts are a common dermatological problem that often leads to scarring and a significant negative impact on patients' psyche. The aim of the study was to evaluate the usefulness of intralesional foam sclerotherapy for the treatment of cystic acne. Patients with cystic acne treated with intralesional foam sclerotherapy between June 2018 and May 2019 were identified. Treatment response and adverse effects were assessed during follow-up. Twelve patients (10 men and 2 women) with cystic acne with a median age of 21 years were treated during the study period. Of these 12 patients, eight (66.7%) showed complete resolution within 48 hours and two (16.7%) experienced complete resolution within 1 week. Two patients failed treatment at the end of the 4-week follow-up. Of the two patients with more than one acne cyst, response was noted only at the treated site. All patients who showed improvement sustained the effects at the 12-week follow-up. No adverse effects were observed and the treated sites healed with good cosmesis and minimal scarring. To conclude, single-session percutaneous polidocanol sclerotherapy is useful for the treatment of acne cysts. Future controlled studies are required to compare the efficacy of intralesional sclerotherapy with intralesional corticosteroids.

Treatment of milk of calcium cysts with sclerotherapy in a dermatomyositis patient

“…1,2 Sclerotherapy, a treatment originally approved for varicose veins, has been successfully used in limited settings for resolution of cysts in the skin, subcutaneous tissues, and internal organs. [3][4][5] Detergent sclerosants, such as STS, damage the endothelium and leave residual fibrosis, which in the case of a cyst can collapse the cyst structure and prevent further fluid reaccumulation. 6 Structure and location of the cyst are important determinants of whether this treatment is an option as the potential adverse effects relate to nontargeted distribution of the sclerosant with resulting skin, nerve, or vascular injury.…”

“…Sclerotherapy, a treatment originally approved for varicose veins, has been successfully used in limited settings for resolution of cysts in the skin, subcutaneous tissues, and internal organs. [3][4][5] Detergent sclerosants, such as STS, damage the endothelium and leave residual fibrosis, which in the case of a cyst can collapse the cyst structure and prevent further fluid reaccumulation. 6…”

Polidocanol: A Review of Off-Label Dermatologic Uses

“…The follow-up time ranged from 6 to 26 mo. 53 Two cases of lip venous lake were successfully treated with 1% polidocanol with no relapse seen at the 6 mo follow-up. 42 4…”

“…Bhattacharjee and colleagues 53 reported 12 patients with acne cysts treated with intralesional foam sclerotherapy using 0.3% polidocanol (3% polidocanol diluted with normal saline). Foam was prepared with 1 mL of the diluted sclerosant and 4 mL of air.…”

“…All these patients had no recurrence at the 12-wk follow-up. 53 Twelve patients with postoperative lymphoceles were successfully treated with polidocanol foam sclerotherapy at follow-up which ranged from 1 to 55 mo. 54 Two patients with complicated dissecting cellulitis were successfully treated with 1%-3% STS and 1%-3% polidocanol foam sclerotherapy.…”