Acne Keloidalis Nuchae
Its not really acne, it does cause scars, and it happens on the back of the neck.
What is it really? A scarring hair loss (inflammation attacking hairs).
What treatments are there for AKN?
In short – mild to moderate AKN can be treated with topical creams. Severe AKN typically requires more.
Each type of AKN responds best to specific type of treatment. Trust your board-certified dermatologist to provide you with a skin regimen that fits your specific needs.
Topical treatments include:
Benzoyl Peroxide, topical antibiotics, and topical retinoids.
Topical Steroids – typically high strength such as Clobetasol (prescription only)
Topical retinoids (adapalene/tretinoin/tazarotene) to reduce inflammation. Adapalene 0.1% can be found over-the-counter. Dr. Contestable’s favorites are – Differin Gel or La Roche-Posay Effaclar Adapalene Gel. Typically applied at night.
Topical antibiotics like clindamycin or erythromycin can also help if you are getting pustules
Sometimes, oral antibiotics are used if the amount of inflammation is high or not responding to topical medications. However, long term antibiotic use is possibly associated with developing inflammatory bowel disease and inappropriate continued use has public health implications as it creates more resistant bacteria.
The topicals seem to be helping reduce the number of new bumps but what do I do about the bumps I have?
The topical medications above are mostly aimed at prevention!!! Although many will notice improvement in their bumps overall even with the topicals.
Treatment for the bumps that are already there include: Injections of steroids, cryotherapy (freezing spots), ablative fractional resurfacing with laser assisted drug delivery, surgical removal, and laser ablation. Your physician can discuss which options would be best for your particular case.
More info: (https://dermnetnz.org/topics/folliculitis-keloidalis)
For Physicians only (or patients of Dr. Contestable) – “AKN – Patient Handout”
