Hi everyone. I wanted to share my story, in case it might help others. The past 2 years have been frustrating for me, and I'm finally cured of my issue with 100% certainty of the cause. Even if only 1 person finds this post in their online research and it solves their problem, it's completely worth it.

Short story:

Symptoms: 2-5 cystic pimples per week on the neck and jawline beginning at the age of 37 and continuing for almost 2 years. My complexion completely changed in this time frame to irritated, rough and bumpy skin. The cysts would linger for a week or two, and sometimes re-flare.

Solution: Stopped using a 3 blade manual razor (Gillete Sensor 3) and switched to a foil type electric razor (Braun Series 5 5090cc). My theory is that the manual 3 blade razor I was using was cutting my beard below the skin. This would cause some of the hairs to become ingrown and trigger infection and inflammation. These weren't typical small bump "ingrown hairs". These were full on cysts. Also, use of the old razor would irritate my skin and dry it out. This would cause my skin to produce more oil.

I think it's important to point out that when I use the electric shaver, I'm careful not to push too hard, or go over the same spot too many times. This avoids all irritation. I also use a pre-shave "splash" called Lectric.

I was seeing improvement after only a few days of shaving with the electric razor. Since beginning use of the electric razor , I've had ZERO new cysts or breakouts. My skin is no longer irritated or oily. The acne marks are fading. I honestly couldn't be happier. I'm 2.5 months in and completely clear.

Long story:

So, I tried everything in the book to rid myself of cystic acne. I completely changed my diet. I cut out sugars, dairy, carbs...pretty much anything fun. It did help the situation a bit- but only the amount of inflammation. The cysts would still form, but they wouldn't be as inflamed because I was eating foods that kept inflammation at bay. If I broke down and had pizza, It was like clockwork- a cyst would become inflamed within 48 hours. It was very depressing.

I also began testing my blood sugar. All research shows that neck and jawline cysts are caused by hormones. I was pretty much in the normal range, but I stayed on a low-glycemic diet to keep my insulin and hormone levels down. It didn't improve anything.

Supplements didn't work either- I tried zinc, niacin, saw palmetto, magnesium, vitamin B...a lot of stuff. I didn't notice any difference. I was religious when taking these, btw.

Topicals: No luck here either. I tried Clindamycin, benzyl peroxide, the mario beducci stuff, face washes- everything! The only thing that seemed to help a newly formed cyst was a heat compress for about 20 minutes. It sometimes would bring it to a head, and other times would shrink the cyst. Everything else had ZERO effect.

So, after about a month of using my new shaver, I decided to re-introduce some of the trigger foods back into my diet. Pizza, rice dishes, desserts, etc. They had ZERO effect on my skin. I've actually gained a few pounds because I'm now able to eat like a normal human being without worrying about a horde of cysts appearing.

I'm in the military, so shaving is a daily necessity. I had no idea that it could suddenly cause serious skin issues. I hadn't changed anything about my routine when the cysts began to show up. I suppose my aging skin couldn't handle the irritation anymore.

Anyway, if you have some of the same symptoms, I highly recommend trying out an electric shaver and focusing in on less irritation!