Has anyone ever tried Aqua Glycolic for cystic acne? If so, did you use the facial cleaner, or the toner? Did you have any success? If so, how long? Did it work with redness as well??

I have just been put on doxycyline 100mg once a day, and I also use clindamycin phosphate 1% gel. My cysts have calmed down, but I still have some and lots of inflammed redness and also redmarks.

Im in need of suggestions and help please

Accutane has kept my skin dry for 3 years now. I would love to get some sebum back to the surface of my skin. How can i do that? If you an decrease sebum buy using oral isotretinoin, (namely: accutane) there has got to be a way to INCREASE sebum production. Somebody please help me here. Thanks

Hey Guys
I'm new to this
Infact it's my first post!
I've come on here as I need support from others who suffer like I do! As well as to give my advice to others as best I can

I have had acne since I was 15, I'm now 19, it was nothing that bothered me too much as I was never to fussed about how the world saw me.

As I grew up my acne is now sooo much worse my skin is all dry and I can red spots with heads on them when I wake up every morning, it is also very very painful!

My dermatologist has put me on the environ range which is designed to change the way the skin works (I think) but a certain chemical in it makes the skin worse before it does better (I suppose with all products you use it will) TBH I'm starting to doubt this is going to work at all but I've come this far so I'm just going to stick it out and see what happens (I'll keep you posted)

Ok down to the origional title post:

When I wash my face I use a hairdryer to dry it, as I thought using towells that have not been completely clean would make my skin worse but now I realise how a hairdryer works I'm starting to think this could be what is making me skin worse!

I know I sound silly but it seemed like a good idea at the time!

Thanks for any advice given

J xxx

Hey guys, I've been mostly clear for the past 2.5 months since starting a new regimen. My acne had been hovering around moderate for the past year and I was mostly developing cystic acne which really sucked plus was painful. I was considering accutane because I was so tired of the cysts, but I was afraid of the side effects. I decided to change my regimen when I devloped 3 of the largest cysts I have ever had right next to my nose. All three surfaced around the same time so it was extremely embarassing. Anyway this is what I do now, it's pretty simple.

Morning
Wash with Cetaphil Gentle Clenser
Moisturize with Cetaphil
Spot Treat with Clearasil Sulfer Resorcinol Acne Medication
Take 1 50mg Zinc pill
Take 1 Fish Oil Pill

Lunch/Afternoon
Drink Roibos Tea (sometimes)
Take 1 Fish Oil Pill

Night

Wash with Benzoyle Peroxide Wash (3.5%)
Take 1 50mg Zinc Pill
Take 1 Fish Oil Pill

If I have a cyst or feel one growing, I put a large amount of the Sulfer Resorcinol cream on that spot overnight. This has worked amazing for me. When I had those huge cysts 2 months ago I used this and it helped shrink them within a few days. The sulfer cream is also a lot more gentle than Benzoyle Peroxide. I have had good results and less problems with sulfer, however it does kind of smell. I also think the fish oil and zinc has helped my body get over cysts faster, they def don't get as inflamed and are a lot smaller than usual. I haven't had a new one last more than 3 days in a while and the frequency of me getting cysts is a lot less. I'm not acne free but I'm really happy with the results so far and my scars are clearing up slowly. This obviously doesnt work overnight but it's been worth it so far. Hopefully this works for others as well. Good Luck.

Out of the 7 years I've had acne.. I never broke out on my left side of my face until recently. I used to get nodules that lasted for months or years.. eventually turn into a cyst. I'm slightly overwhelmed. Half of these nodules/cysts come back.

The same spot over and over is such a pain. Using a cream can't help by it's own, right? I feel like I'm missing something.

My boyfriend has problems with nodules and I'm not sure how to help him since those rarely ever get a white head. Much larger than mine too..


I'm putting together a file full of info/products to avoid being one of the many duplicate posts. Sorry!

Hi everyone,

I believe I have a nodule on my neck..it's a big, hard lump and has been there now for over one week. There is no sign of a white head forming etc. For nodules, do you need to get an injection, or can you just put benzoyl peroxide on it etc and hope it goes away? I am a bit worried, since it's rather big and will likely dent. I have never been told about injections etc before for acne.
The other ones I have around my chin are cysts, I think, since they always come back in the same place and get whiteheads. I always used to pick and squeeze them when I was younger, so is there any hope they will clear?

Hi, ive been on 40mg Accutane for 4 months now and my acne started clearing up at the end of month 3. Though recently ive been having joint pains which have been gradually getting worse over the last month so I am thinking of stopping the course. Im pretty much clear now apart from red marks.

Other side effects I get are fatigue (been feeling REALLY tired both mentally and physically), dry lips, depression and feeling weak overall. I can tolerate them only if they wont become permenant.

So if I stop now I have 2 months of pills left, should I stop or carry on and hope these will go away? Maybe completeing the full course will lessen the chance of acne reappearing? If i stop now though I have a 2/4 month supply for if it does come back (I can take 1 20mg pill a day instead of 2).

I really need to know this soon as I would be starting the next month tomorrow, thanks.

Within the past month or so i have been getting cysts like crazy. i would usually only get one a month(im a guy)and that would suck. but now i have like six. they're not all noticeable but 3 are and they are horrible. Should i go to the derm? do you know how ppl even get these things?

I get zits on my face that will not stop pussing. They are itchy and I get them on my chin. They will not go away until it forms a thick yellow crust. So the first day it itches and then the next day it oozes with yellow pus and it takes a couple of hours for it to stop(this is if I don't touch it). Sometimes the pus is dripping down my face as gross as that sounds. I would love any ideas about what this could possible be. Its been going on for quite some time now.

Have any of you ever taken this course of anti-biotics in the past.

I have taken a weeks worth a few times and the temporary results are fantastic, with me my acne was reduced by 80% within a week, it was like a miracle.

The only problem was that after about two weeks, when the anti-biotic was out of the blood stream, my acne would come back almost systematically.

There are no immediate side-effects except apparently it can effect your immune system later in life.

For anyone wanting quick, temporary results for severe acne, I'd definitely recommend it. Dut to the strength of the drug you can only have a weeks worth at a time and my doctor was reluctant after a few courses to prescribe, so no longer allows me to take it.

Anyone else been down this route?

I have severe acne.

When people say they are on 80 mg of accutane, do they mean two tablets of 40 mg a day or one 80 mg tablet a day?

Also can I still use clearasil on my face whilst taking accutane?


Thanks in advance.

... the itch is killing me!!! I know I shouldn't touch them, but its making me go crazy...

Having acne is bad enough already, it sucks more when the itch constantly reminds you that you have acne...

Is it just me?

Ok i think imma start icing my face after cleansing it and before apply bp everyday at night
is this a good idea?

So i woke up this morning and there was nothing there, my neck was a little red but didn't think anything of it, no sign of a bump. The day goes on and my neck starts to inch, I take a look in the mirror and my jaw dropped. And I thought the cyst by my ear was bad enough. I've never really had anything like this. What should i do? Ice it?

okay well I kept picking and squeezing on my nose last night and put some aloe vera gel on it before sleep, and I woke up this morning and my nose was so sore.... and there is this one spot where when i gently press on it, its really painful and its red around it. Im pretty sure its a cyst thats under my skin, there's no bump or anything-yet... Im so scared this is gonna turn into a full blown cyst, I have graduation next week so I'd rather this NOT surface :/ Is there any topical I can put on it to make it go away without surfacing? I have mupirocen, cortisone, neosporin.... Right now I'm too scared to put anything on it.....

oops, wrong board sorry guys

Had a cyst on my chin for about a week and ended up with circular black scab a little bigger than the size of an eraser on a pencil after aggressively trying to squeeze the stuff out yesterday. It had a blistery thing on top of it that sort of split open after i kept applying hot water trying to get it to come to a head. I just couldn't leave it alone after that. i am thinkin of skipping class until wednesday. i gotta go to a dentist on wednesday (embarrassing.)

anyone know of anything to to do to help it look better or heal faster? I've been doing the ice/polysporin thing recommended here but i'm not really sure how often i'm supposed to apply it.

Well, basically after reading Wynne's post regarding treatment for cyst after getting 1 myself after a longgg time, I decided to try it out, ala icing, etc etc. Sadly though, icing didnt do anything for me, it only seemed to make my cyst bigger. After 1 week, it got worse...

Then I got another cyst... For this cyst, I didnt try to ice it. Instead, I decided to use the hear treatment. Basically I would boil some water, dip a towel into the water and apply it on the cyst. My reasoning was that heat can bring down the swelling, and i remembered reading some where on this forum about people applying hot compress.

It worked well for me. It has been about 1 week now for the new cyst and it is going down nicely. I foresee it will be gone after another week. This is just my take on how to treat my cyst, and I hope it may work for those whom icing doesnt help.

Hello I'm new to acne.org forums

I have had cysts for several years. They started in my ear lobs and gradually have spread pretty much all over my face (mostly near my temples and around my hair line)

Naturally I researched sebaceous cyst's online when I was told by my doctor that I had them.

I found this: http:// www.mitamins.com/disease/Sebaceous-Cyst.html

Has anyone ever heard of it?

Ok this might sound a little dramatic. Just keep in mind I'm 100 percent serious if this sounds a little "far out".


This acne thing has almost killed me many times. I need professional help, I get to feeling so ugly that I no longer want to live. I want to die. I've seriously considered suicide lots of times and if I wasn't too chicken, I would have done it already. Literally. I can't stand feeling like this anymore. My friends think it's gross when they see like one zit on my neck. They don't hardly even know the extent of it because I haven't taken my shirt off in front of people for the last 10 years of my life. I get to feeling that if they knew what I looked like, they wouldn't talk to me. They would think I was totally gross. I'm about to start dating a girl that I really like, but I am holding back, because of these feelings.. it's ruining my life, it's drained my self confidence, and self esteem is a thing of the past. I'm 21. I've had severe acne since I was 12. Mostly on the back, chest and arms. Nobody seems to get how much it affects me, they think I'm kidding around when I say I'm really depressed. I can't tell them why. I'm too embarrassed. They simply can't understand. They won't. I'll be doing fine, then see myself in the mirror and not want to talk to anyone the rest of day. I can't help it, I don't want anyone to see me even if they can't see underneath my shirt, the over powering feeling of ugliness takes over when someone else is in the room. I can't stand to even be near myself, but that's obviously not going to be helped.


Probably sounds completely ridiculous.

That's where I'm at, where I've been, and where I seemingly will always be. This has got to stop.

I've been using BP 10% followed up by pronexin and I'm starting to see improvement. What I'm seeing is that the BP is fighting acne while the pronexin keeps my face from drying out. Can't guarantee it'll work but anyone who is willing to try anything it's worth a shot.

*In the morning while in the shower and before bed*

1. Wet face with warm water
2. Gently apply and massage BP on face
3. Wash throughly with warm water but don't dry (need face to be wet for pronexin so no need to dry yet)
4. Apply pronexin and gently massage
5. Wash throughly and pat dry with clean towel



Thorpedo

I can't find a liquid foundation that will work while using Retin A, the ones I've tried will not go on my skin, they bind up and glob now.... I'm starting a new job Monday, and really need a liquid foundation that will still smooth on my skin with its new texture.

Any ideas?

HELP!!! Please! So my acne really began 1 year ago, it got pretty severe so i tried some simple stuff, no results. I got onto this thing called "Clean and clear 3 step program" wellll it made my skin worse actually. It was awful. So after hating the look of myself i built up some courage to go to a derma, the derma put me on Aczone and epiduo which i do one in the morning and one at night. and also a pill that is 50 mg. So my derma promised me the stuff wouldn't make it worse. Well my face is awful. My chin is a wreck and i thing it's because i'm so young (13) the harsh chemicals are just too strong on my face. Please i need help, i don't know what to do and i hate the look. it's awful. Also i have been doing this for about 6 weeks, no results whatsoever!

Hey, I am about 3 months into the accutane regimen, and recently i started to view video diaries.
What these are, are people recording there process on accutane.
I have decided to start one to help out other people who are either starting, or have started accutane
.
I insist, if you have ANY questions about accutane, i will try to answer them.

I just got done uploading my first video, and i hope you guys enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/impatspence

I'm posting this b/c I know I can't even look at myself in the mirror anymore. That's how bad my acne has gotten.
So I was wondering if anyone reading this felt the same.

Acne sure is a social/mental killer.

Hello,
I was wondering, anyone use vinegar as internal treatment for acne and if so, does it get worse before it gets better? I just started and I wonder if because of the detoxification of liver that my skin suddenly got three few cystic type pimples, but I was able to "drain" them by poking the center with a needle, because they hurt so bad. I was just curious. It may not be that, but I just wondered. Thanks.

Hey, first off, thanks for looking. I really appreciate the help. I know there are many threads similar to this, but I ask for your help all the same.

My name is Keith. I am 19 years old, a few months from turning 20. I had no acne problems until I was a sophomore in high school, when I began to get a little minor acne accompanied by a few cysts on my face, usually in the area of my nose or jawline. I chalked the minor acne up to puberty, sweat (I joined the cross country team that year), lack of adequate sleep, and other causes. It did not really bother me very much. The cysts were a bigger problem. In the area of my eyes, they caused my glasses (get contacts…much better!) to sit funny and looked disgusting. I won’t go into great detail on the cysts with you all, you know enough about them.

Looking back on it, my condition was not too bad at the time, but the cysts made me miserable. I saw a dermatologist, who prescribed ampicillin (I think…it was a while ago) as well as benzaclin and Retin-A Micro. My condition improved, but never really was fixed. I don’t think the medications really were the cause for improvement.

I stayed on those meds until part way through my freshman year of college. About half way through the year, my face suddenly started breaking out. I could not account for the sudden change in my condition. I saw my dermatologist again, who prescribed another antibiotic (I don’t remember what. I can find out if necessary). This did not help at all. I went back to see him again a couple months later, and he prescribed Accutane.

I got the first of the blood work done at my school’s health services center, and my mom (bless her!) went to the store to get my prescription filled. When she tried to do this, she found out that neither accutane, nor any of its generic alternatives were covered by my insurance plan.
I went to see another dermatologist, who had successfully treated my brother, who had a similar, but less extreme condition. He told me that he wanted to prescribe accutane as well, but would try a strong antibiotic accompanied by cetaphil and differin gel. So far, six weeks later, this has not helped.

Currently, my face is disgusting. I hate what the acne has done to my face, and I hate how it continues to get worse, despite my attempts to treat it. I have cysts surrounding my mouth, especially bad at the sides, as well as along my jaw line, below my chin, on my forehead, along the sideburn areas, and even on my neck. The redness also heightens the condition, making the skin look even worse.

I know there are hundreds of threads like this one, but I wonder if my case might be different due to the long term antibiotic usage. If you have any advice, any help at all, please let me know. There is no way I could afford to pay for accutane, so that is out of the question. I am willing to try just about anything, so if something has helped you or a friend, please let me know.

Thanks so much, Keith

P.S. I don't have any pictures of my face on my computer, but I could take some if it would help.

UGH! I have a cyst on my cheek, up near my nose. It has been 3months since it developed. It is the size of a quarter and RED. I have had my derm shoot it with cortisone 3 times. The first time was within a few days of it developing, then 2 weeks later, then maybe a month after that. It keeps going down and then bubbling up in a new pore. Sometimes it just bleeds when I wash it. Lots of blood/puss is coming out of it. I have NEVER experienced anything like this before, even though i have suffered from cysts for about 10yrs now. It is miserable and I cry...

what are the thoughts about putting Hydro-Cortizone on a cyst? I have a cyst that is slowly getting bigger. So far ive been putting duac on it ... so BP every morning. Then i tried to combine that at night by putting Tea tree oil before i go to sleep... turned out it was too much for my skin as it got blood red so i washed it off and now im back to normal color. SO! has anyone use cortizone or whatever its called on a cyst? (not the injection but the cream) i know i know the injection is supposed to be good but im at school and my derm is 4 hrs away lol.
any suggestions? ideas? im open to whatever. Im on minocycline btw and so far so good ...except for this one thing that came out about a week and a half ago. anyways im getting off topic. so any suggestions? cortisone bad good?

any reply greatly appreciated even to make me feel better =)