Hi there, I am sorry that you are feeling so frustrated by cystic acne. I used to have that as well, and am able to get it down to 1 -2 per month. These lesions do take a long time to heal (2 weeks). So here is what I did (for legal purposes: I must state that you will try this at your own risk, and I am only sharing my experience on this forum).

I would do aspirin mask or ibuprofen mask every day to the affected area for 3 days. Aspirin mask recipes are all over the internet so you can download it. I use BC fast pain relief aspirin powder - which is available in all drugstores. Mix 1-2 packets of BC aspirin powder with aloe gel (or anything that doesn't clog pores), apply to the affected area for 15 minutes to let the meds sink in. Then wash off. After 3 days of consecutive use I would switch over to something milder such as Neutrogena Pore minimizing toner. I soak the cotton pad with the toner, and press against the affected area for 1-2 minutes so that skin becomes soft and slightly white (this is to really opening up the skin to allow better penetration of your medications that you will later apply).

After your asiprin mask or toner treatment, apply clindamycin gel to all affected area then let it dry (no spot treatment). Then apply 10% benzyl peroxide to all affected area. I feel that I am treating and preventing at the same time. I do the toner + clindamycin gel + benzyl peroxide regimen twice a day everyday.

I cut out all dairy products (including milk in your coffee) and iodine rich food (such as seafood, seaweed, and nori/sushi) in my diet. They trigger large cystic acne for me. If I desire cheese, I eat only goat cheese, but still keep it at a minimum.

I hope this helps! Hang in there. It usually takes me ~ 3 weeks to see results.

Hey thank you for replying OrganicLemonade.

I have read your suggestion, and I greatly appreciate your feedback. However, due to the nature of that procedure, I don't really want to risk my skin from further damage or backfires since that method seems a bit too unorthodox for me. The thing is, I have had these cysts for literally 8 months and showing no sign of fading away.

I'm currently thinking about going to skin care, dishing out $1000 to have 10 treatments of derma-stamps and such on my face in order to heal my scars, and possibly the cysts nodular. I'm not sure if this is the right way or if I should go to the dermatologist again to find another treatment, which might be more medical, but again, I really do not want to face accutane again. Anybody else have thoughts/suggestions? Please feel free to speak your mind, anything will be helpful.

To tell you the truth, I have never heard of Derma Stamp and I would advise to stay away from cosmetologists. If your dermatologist isn't good, go get a second opinion. The quickest way for these cystic nodules to flatten out is actually steroid injection, which will be significantly cheaper than that other procedure you mentioned.

Like I said, the above procedure worked for me, but may not work for everyone. So try at your own risk. But shelling out $1000 dollars on a procedure done by a cosmetologist is a bit risky, especially if it ended up not being effective. Better to seek a better dermatologist, and get the steroid injections (seriously, these nodules will flatten in less than 24 hours because I have had them before). I have insurance so I don't know how much they cost out of pocket, but I don' think they would cost more than $1000. I hope this helps and good luck!

I'm glad that I don't have as many cystic acne as I used to. I know that they take forever to disappear, and they are a pain to deal with. But do keep a food diary and stay away from foods that trigger them. Iodine and diary are the biggest offenders for me.

Would the steroid injection flatten out all my nodules or is each shot for each nodule? I do not have insurance, or rather I have college insurance which would not cover this procedure. I was wondering if one shot would be enough to flatten out all my nodules, because I would definitely consider going to the dermatologist again if that is the case. Also, is it a painful procedure?

I used to get steriod shots for really bad cysts and nodules - it was one shot per nodule, and which would flatten them out within a day (but it would still be weeks until they healed completely, and I was often left with an indent scar from the needle pick). Mine were about $10/shot.

Accutane can rarely cause secondary infections, such as gram-negative folliculitis, which is caused by a different kind of bacteria that acne vulgaris. You should definitely go back to the dermatologist, I think it might be worth the 88 dollars, just to make sure it isn't that.

The dermatologist won't be able to tell what bacteria caused the lesion, unless they take the time to culture the wound, which will be extra expenses out of pocket. The antibiotics dermotologists prescribe (usually doxycycline or clindamycin - my favorite) covers gram negative bacteria anyways so the identity of the bacteria becomes moot. Just don't use the over the counter antibiotic ointment (e.g. bacitracin) on your face - they often contain wax or mineral oil that will clog your pores.

Whatever route you take lovdatcake, I would save your hard earn money, do more research, and go see a reputable dermatology who specializes in acne treatment than to invest $1000 on a cosmetologist with no credentials or training. Seriously, if those procedures work, everyone would be doing them by now and there wouldn't be an acne website like this. The fact of the matter is - yes acne is not curable but it is treatable. The cause is multifactorial. One method works for a subgroup of people and another method may be better for others. But there is still a set of principle you can stick to.

If you are considering covering up your acne scar while you are undergoing treatment, I suggest you get BB cream (Korean brands are better). They do not cause break out for me, and they provide very good coverage. You don't need to apply all over your face if you feel it is not a manly thing to do. But whatever it takes to boost up your confidence is very important. Stress and depression can activate your adrenal cortisol axis and predispose you to more acne.