The only thing that reduced my cystic acne was using benzoyl peroxide (have to use 5-10%) during the day and a retinoid at night (I use tazorac). I also switched birth control pills. Not sure how old you are or if you're male or female.

cysts are the worst thing, I feel for you

the only thing that worked for me (and everyone is different) is diet changes...accutane did not, sadly I'm in the 5% I went through 7 months of hell for nothing

but I eliminated gluten first and it was amazing, then dairy got me almost the rest of the way there....is it hard? yes gluten and dairy are not easy to avoid, but for me those allergies materialized in cysts (I was always getting injections, always)...food allergies cause imflammation

no harm in trying the common triggers, eliminate dairy, completely for 30 days and see if that helps....

good luck, there is something going on inside, you need to be a detective and have patience to figure out what it is

Thanks

I'm a male (25-35 yrs old). I already eliminated dairy a month ago as I've been working out for over 3 years and taking whey/drinking milk like crazy. It did make things slightly better. I consume oats and so they are my only gluten source.

I feel so depressed: I maintain an extremely healthy lifestyle (diet and exercise wise). I think stress if possibly a factor as I've been a bit stressed for the past couple of weeks due to starting my new job. Could the rosacea also increase my vulnerability to cystic acne? I'm playing detective to figure this out but after years of acne I'm just losing the will- today I felt like people were staring at me because of my redness and my cysts Are there any medical spa treatments that would help? Also, would the Regimen be helpful?

Eliminating certain foods slightly helped me. Sadly, I have tried everything that is on the current market to get rid of acne short of accutane. I will be asking for a course of accutane the next time I visit my derm and hope he agree to put me on that treatment, it is my only hope left. My only advice would be to visit a dermatologist and go through the whole topical and antibiotic route. If those do not work and you have cystic or scarring acne, accutane may be your last option.

Hi guys and girls,

I'm new to this forum but I've been struggling with cystic acne on the forehead, nose, and cheeks for the past couple of weeks. I've had acne episodes (adult acne) over the past five years and it has always irritated me (not surprisingly).

I'm currently so desperate as I've got cysts on my forehead and nose and redness (I also suffer from rosacea). I'm thinking of getting injections this Friday and am scheduled for IPL treatment for rosacea on Saturday. In the meantime, I don't know what to do I don't even look at myself in the mirror and am about to start a new job in 2 weeks.

What would you recommend that I use in terms of OTC products/regiments for the cysts? Salicylic acid doesn't really do the trick and everything else I tried (BP, etc¦) doesn't work for me Should I consider Accutane? Please help me

i've been suffering from cystic acne for over 20 years and recently after supplementing with 2% Lugol's iodine at 12 drops daily in distilled water with 200mcg selenium and sea salt ............my cystic acne has improved 90% at least.

even when i started eating foods containing gluten and sugar which used to make me break out real bad, now i'll get 2 or 3 cysts..........

Retinoids helped me with my cysts.

Have you tried compresses? They are meant to help with speeding up the life cycle of the cyst.

Accutane could help, but it usually gets worse before it gets better.

I've suffered through cystic acne for 15 years, it is purgatory. I've recently had great success with a simplified diet (rice, oatmeal, potatoes, grilled chicken, turkey burgers, dates, beans...No dairy, no sweets! Sugar just seems to make everything much worse.) and 50mg of Zinc a day. Zinc really is making a huge difference.

I've also found a sulfur ointment that works wonders on cysts, I just daub the yellow ointment onto the cyst or node and leave it sit. Usually, I can clear up, or minimize, any breakouts over the weekends by keeping any inflamed areas thoroughly coated in sulfur ointment for 2 days straight.

Benzoyl Peroxide helps to keep my skin clear of regular ol' acne, but it can't help my cysts.

I personally think stress plays a HUGE factor.

I've had countless injections and IPL sessions over the years. The cortisone injections atrophied my skin, leaving me with depressed scars (just as the cysts I didn't have injected did...lucky me). I saw zero improvement with IPL. Did you follow through and get injections? Did they help you? What about the IPL? How did that go? Have you considered blue light therapy?

Ive taken accutane a year ago for 4 months. I was acne free for 6 months then I broke out in cystic acne all over again. Today I just started my second course of accutane and going to start bcp tomorrow to see if it helps. Ive been on 5 different antibiotics , retin a micro, epiduo, differin gel and countless other products. Non never work for me. But some of these products have work for others. Oh yeah ive also done . Therapy and facials. So iI'm hopeful this second course does the job. So maybe u should try accutane. It could work for you or maybe not. But u never know if u don't give it a try. I know acne sux but don't let it take over your life.

is there a reason why your derm didnt mention spiro to you instead of a 2nd course of accutane? i went on spiro last year after dealing with cystic acne for years and years its has worked so well its the first time since i was 19 that i have gone almost a year without a cyst. amazing stuff!

I wasn't a good candidate for Spiro cus is a diuretic. I'm a diabetic and she said it wasn't safe. I also taking bc pills and its suppose to take around 3 month to kick in to normalize hormones. Since cystic acne is more of a hormonal issue from what I'm told. So hopefully accutane and bc pills help this time. All I can do it wait.

i gotcha. its too bad because it works so well too! yeah hopefully the bcp and the accutane help you. for me bcp just made my acne a lot worse but for most people it helps to keep them clear even once you get off the accutane. good luck to you!!

one thing to note a good friend of mine is a diabetic (type 1) and she is on a diuretic with no issues at all. she has to take it like forever. i guess it can be hard on the kidneys but her's are fine and she has been on it for a long time.