Painful Acne Only On Chin

[harlequin_eyes]

I'm 22 years old, and the only one of three children who never suffered a stage of extremely severe acne during my teens (my siblings' doctor determined their outbreaks probably had to do in part with a recent discovery of overactive thyroid in both of them). Usually I get a pimple here and there, nothing too bad, and I manage fine with OtC treatments.

However, once every few weeks, maybe even months (it's hard to remember), I will get one (maybe 2 on extremely rare occasions) huge, pressured, painful bump on my chin. It's not like a regular pimple; it feels like it's embedded deep within the skin, has no visible head, is shiny but not overly-oily, and the only way I can ever get it to open to relieve pressure is by stabbing a (sterilized) needle a few millimeters into my flesh until I "break through," in which case a mix of blood and oil will come out only to eventually seal up and become pressurized again, usually with blood being visibly trapped under the skin. It honestly feels like there's half an extremely pressurized pea embedded under my skin when I get one of these things.

They only show up on the very front of my chin, either below the corners of my lip or towards the bottom on either side of the cleft (never in the middle). I usually end up stabbing them as I said, and eventually after a few days of this the drama will reach its climax when the sucker finally produces a large white head which I squeeze with hopeless abandon. Needless to say my chin is pretty red with scars.

Aside from that, my skin is fine. My chin (like the rest of my face) gets it's random blackheads and the occasional blemish, but nothing out of the ordinary (or painful). I wonder:
A) Whether these things are actually acne or something unrelated, considering how deep under the skin they are
B) Why this happens only on my chin, only once every few weeks/months
C) What I can do to prevent/treat/relieve the pain associated with this
D) What I can do to try and reduce the reddening from previous ones (I've tried scar gel before and it seemed to make me break out more)

Thanks in advance!

[Jasmine205]

I think they are called "boils" and are acne related. Are caused from clogged hair follicles, not sure being they are chin related.

Here read this:

Boils are painful, pus-filled, irritated bumps on the skin. Boils are quite common. Many boils are called carbuncles. Boils can be caused by staph infection (staphylococcus bacteria). When staphylococcus infection gets inside the hair follicle, the infection can spread into root of the follicle and the surrounding soft-tissues. As the staph infection works its way to the surface of the skin, the boil develops. Boils can be found almost anywhere on the body. Boils are most frequently found on the neck, face, underarms, thighs, and buttocks.

The one important thing to remember is that boils are most commonly related to low immune system functioning. By boosting the immune system, you’ll be able to prevent boils and recurrent infections.

Home Treatment
Skin boil treatment administered by self-care is usually the only treatment needed, as these boils generally heal by themselves within 4 to 10 days. Healing can be expedited by applying a warm cloth to the area or soaking the boil in warm water. This should help to relieve some of the pain and encourage the pus to surface. Once the boil has drained, the area should be washed with antibacterial soap and kept bandaged and sterile, as the open wound may be susceptible to further infection. Special care should also be taken to prevent the spreading of the bacteria, which can be transmitted to other areas of the skin or to other people through the pus. You should not squeeze or attempt to pop a boil if it is hard and firm, as boils should only be drained once they have become soft or once a head has formed. It is recommended to leave the boil to burst on its own to reduce the spread of infection to other areas.

Medical treatment
If the boil requires some medical intervention, your doctor may drain it by making a small incision on the tip of the boil. This will help speed up the recovery, reduce pressure and pain, and it helps to lessen scarring. If the infection is especially deep, a small amount of gauze can be placed over the boil so that it can continue to drain. In addition, a course of oral or topical antibiotics may be prescribed to help rid you of severe or recurrent infections. If boils are a recurrent problem, your doctor may also suggest vitamin supplements (especially vitamin A and E) and tests may be done to determine if you have an underlying condition that may be compromising your immune system.

[loiloi]

Hi. Cystic, papular or pustular acne should never be popped. This will spread bacteria under the skin leading to more spots and possibily a secondary infection and permanent scarring.
See your doctor for a topical synthetic retinoid called Differin. It is very effective and well tolerated with few side effects such as peeling or dryness. Differin contains 0.1% adapalene which is effective against the abnormal skin processes associated with acne. It will relieve the inflammation, soreness and irritation you feel.
Acne is caused when androgens (hormones) stimulate the sebaceous (oil) glands. It commonly occurs on the chin as the T-zone is likely to be more oily than other areas.
Eloise.