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[acne_problem12345]

Hello, all.

I am a 37 year old male. I have always had some acne (genes, I guess), but in the last 1 1/2 years, it has changed for the worse.

Until about 1 1/2 years ago, my acne problem was small to moderate. Zits would appear in randomly on most areas of my face, with very occasional ones on my body, but not enough to worry about. They would manifest as a combination of blackheads, whiteheads, and occasionally more cystic ones.

I still have the same symptoms to a degree, but about 1 1/2 years ago, something changed. Since then, I have developed large, cyst-type zits that occur only on my inner cheeks around my nose. They occur as 1-3 at a time, and are more often than not present, but will occasionally go away all together for roughly 2-5 weeks. The newest is next to my nose, quite close under my left eye, and it's huge, red, and a little painful. They rarely, if ever, come to a head, and take weeks to go away. As well, my skin always seems to be quite red in that area, and seems dry, thicker, and tough. I'm nearly always peeling.

I do smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol some. I take a multi-vitamin and fish oil 5-6 days per week. I don't get enough exercise, but am not in horrible shape. I have NOT changed anything significantly in my lifestyle in the last 10 years or so.

I do not have medical insurance, and cannot afford to pay a doctor out of pocket. But I HAVE to do SOMETHING!!!

I need to know what could be the cause. Other infections that lead to these symptoms? What do I do next?