Those open spots will get better if you apply a dab of antibiotic cream or ointment to a bandaid and then a bandaid on each spot. The round bandaids work nicely. Use that at night unless you don't mind going out in public with bandaids all over...even I won't go that far.
lol youve been making me laugh lately
My mom won't take me to the dermatologist because she's convinced my acne isn't that bad. In fact she says it's because I don't clean my face correctly...which is completely untrue I'm so diligent with my facial regimen. So I doubt I have anywhere to go to get a cortizone shot. Though I really want one...this cyst is so painful it's giving me a headache. It's throbbing, I swear! And now that I picked it it's blood red and huuuuuuuge. 
Particularly show her the following link:
Thanks! I'll definitely show her that. You know moms...they always have their beliefs and they're hard to sway. Should I go to the dermatologist? My mom is completely opposed to any oral medication...I was on Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo for a couple months but got a rare disease from it (erythema nodosum anyone?). But I've tried so many topical creams and gels and acne washes and nothing seems to slow these cysts down! I just don't see what the dermatologist can do for me at this point..
I have this huge cyst that I fiddled with the other day (shame on me) and really messed up the skin around it. It didn't pop and now the skin is scabbing over. It's extremely painful and I've took ibuprofen and I've been icing it on and off but it doesn't seem to be doing anything. I honestly just want it to ooze out on its own and be done with it! I just can't imagine it flattening out...it seems way too ginormous to be able to do so. The problem is I've had this cyst for over a week now and it still hasn't come to a head! It just seems to be hardening by the day, especially after I ice it. I don't understand why my cysts never come to a head...you'd think after a week of warm showers it would finally surface
Yeah... I find people with Acne on these forums have by far and beyond the best personal hygenie. Yet we are still covered in spots. Hygenie has NOTHING to do with it.
It does in some people. I mean if a person sleeps in make up and skips washing their face a lot, it will lead to acne.
Try to put an aspirin mask on it overnight as a spot treatement. Take 2 tablets of aspirin (not coated), add a drop of water and crush them with a spoon. mix it up and then put it on your cyst before bed. The water will dry up and it will become a hard white mask on your cyst. Should be better in the morning.
Best of luck.
My most recent cystic "infestation" has been comprised of cysts exactly like this. They don't ever come to a head. Thsi is hard for me cuz I'm a popper too! But I've learned that trying to squeeze these is a no-go. I also have the situation, after a while, where the clear stuff comes out and a little string-looking thing in the middle of it. This usually happens after the cyst has gone down and isn't so inflamed & angry, and it's a super-hard thing under the skin.
I've also noticed that these cysts are blister-like. Rather than coming to a white head, they fill up with clear liquid until it literally looks like a big red knot with a blister on top. They hurt SO bad that I feel like I have to press on them just a little to relieve the pressure. It does relieve the pressure, but all that comes out is clear runny stuff. And I think this habit is what has contributed to the repetitive contamination of the same area (my chin).
So, I'm back on Retin-A, and have finally (I think) got past the dry, red, itchy, flakey stage. The patch of cysts on my chin is finally diminishing and I'm not getting any new ones. But I have about 5 that are in various stages of healing. It's like the Retin A is the only thing that goes deep enough to force all the crap out from the depths of my skin.
Sorry, to ramble. Good luck! Just wanted to say "I hear you"!
I just had a cyst in the middle of my forehead a week ago, took a week to completely dissapear. I squeezed it and poked it as soon as i saw it start too form. I think i was lucky because when i did that it didnt get much bigger at all and about 2 days after the pain stopped and it started to reduce. Just try and get as much crap as you can out of it. i know it probably hurts like hell but thats how i got rid of mine
I just had a cyst in the middle of my forehead a week ago, took a week to completely dissapear. I squeezed it and poked it as soon as i saw it start too form. I think i was lucky because when i did that it didnt get much bigger at all and about 2 days after the pain stopped and it started to reduce. Just try and get as much crap as you can out of it. i know it probably hurts like hell but thats how i got rid of mine
Yes, you were lucky. Squeezing a pimple generally causes it to rupture underneath the skin, spreading the infection further around under the skin, increasing the redness, swelling, and length of time the pimple will stick around. Thus, squeezing also tends to create scarring because of the wider path of destruction that you've caused under the skin.
The advice I would give is already covered, but I just wanted to say that many of my cysts have never come to a head. They grow for a couple weeks--when they're at their the most painful--and then shrink over a few months until they disappear. They do heal eventually, though.
just wanted to offer up my support too. My cysts never come to a head but I totally understand that painful urge to try to squeeze them to relieve the pressure. It never works, yet I do it every time.
I say all this as I sit with 2 nasties on my chin, both which I picked to death, and now both which look like big gaping nasty open sores, and to add insult to injury, they still hurt.
so as I type, I wonder if anyone has ever tried behavior modification tools when they want to pick? Like putting a big rubber band on your wrist and snapping it every time you have the urge to lean in close to the mirror.....
I just had a cyst in the middle of my forehead a week ago, took a week to completely dissapear. I squeezed it and poked it as soon as i saw it start too form. I think i was lucky because when i did that it didnt get much bigger at all and about 2 days after the pain stopped and it started to reduce. Just try and get as much crap as you can out of it. i know it probably hurts like hell but thats how i got rid of mineYes, you were lucky. Squeezing a pimple generally causes it to rupture underneath the skin, spreading the infection further around under the skin, increasing the redness, swelling, and length of time the pimple will stick around. Thus, squeezing also tends to create scarring because of the wider path of destruction that you've caused under the skin.
I read something simmilar to this that Wynne wrote in another thread. The day I read that was the last day I touched a cyst on my face. I always wondered why the cyst got worse after you played with it or tried to squeeze it, and after Wynne said that the infection is pushed further into the skin, I just can't see why somebody would want to chance that. BUT it is tempting when you see a whitehead form, and you just want to get all the junk out. The only time I have popped a cyst was after icing it for a few days until it was completely non inflamed, but just a small bump with a little whitehead left over. I then prick with a (disinfected) pin and gently press the sides with two q tips. The pus and blood usually come out with LITTLE effort, and then shrink immedietly (I ice again after until the area is totally flat). I never try to pop if it takes more than a tiny amount of pressure. All that being said, I can't recommend anyone popping a cyst because I have no idea what state your cyst is in, I can only vouche for myself.
Cysts such, period. But one thing I always do, is ICE that baby with an ice cube wrapped in a thin towel (like a car wash towel). I believe it's better than doing nothing at all.
I've been dealing with cystic pimples for a long time now, and of all the treatments i've tried, the best thing for me has been to apply salicylic acid cream on it (Clean & Clear) and then 10% Benzyl Peroxide on top. Somehow, the salicylic acid makes the BP much more effective and able to penetrate the thicker layers of a cyst. Be aware that this is a powerful treatment and may really irritate the surrounding skin if you spread it too much. This treatment basically dries the cyst to death in a few days at most. Sometimes it will shed skin until a whitehead is revealed, sometimes it just dries down to nothing. Hope this helps.
I don't know 'bout you guys, but I've figured that popping it is actually the worst thing I can do. As I'm a perfectionist in many ways, I find it really really really hard not to touch a cystic pimple. I somehow just cannot believe that I can't do something to make it go away and that only time can heal it. It annoys me so much!
But I can also see that every time I 'treat' one, a tiny hole remains in my skin. They're so small only I can see them but they're there and I hate the feeling that I've ruined my skin so. So now I'm experimenting with a new method that works on my psyche as well as my face. I only apply products (tea tree oil, salicylic acid and a good moisturizer work wonders on my skin in general) and DON'T TOUCH IT in any other way. Oh, and I'll also stop going to the bathroom just to look at my pimples. It's the worst temptation 
AND, if I succeed, I'll treat myself to some juicy makeup product. So that's motivation enough. I'll keep on buying makeup dream stuff for every pimple I don't touch as long as I have to. I really want to stop this obsession of mine. Because at the end of the day my skin doesn't improve if I 'treat' it my own way.
Good luck, guys! 
Hope you'll also find a way to get rid of these monsters...
yeah.. i hate that.. all my friends have perfect skin, and i have these damn pimples over my face.. even worse for whatever reason all of my pimples big or scar.. popped or not are leaving little dark spots over my face.. and before i read this forum, and signed up for acne.org, i had, what i didnt know was a cyst and tried popping it and popping it and now it left this HUGE scar on my cheek and it wont go away for the life of.. i just try my hardest to stay positive..
I feel everyone's pain. I was so proud of myself for not picking in a long time, but then I got a cold last week, and my nose broke out. I have zits on my nose, but the main problem I have is a cyst in the crease of my nose. I thought I saw a white head the other day, so I tried to pick it. Huge mistake, of course. Now I'm left with a penny-sized tomato-red mark that's more swollen than ever. It's hard to imagine that this will ever be normal-sized or my skin tone ever again. It feels pretty hopeless at times, and I skipped class yesterday because I felt so bad about my face. My skin is so sensitive that about the only things I can use on it are Neosporin and hydrocortisone cream. Nothing heals quickly enough...
Last summer, when my acne became very severe, I had a trail of giant cysts along the right side of my jaw, basically covering the area around the ear to near the chin. It was horrible, and I made it worse by constantly touching it and spending months squeezing and poking needles into it. It's now gone after many months, but it has left quite a scar.
Always leave your acne alone, unless it's begging to come out when you can see the pus. I know it's very hard to just leave the skin alone, because especially cysts are incredibly frustrating, but please do yourself a favor and leave them alone.
I posted a different reply/comment about this, but after stumbling on this specific thread - I'd thought I put my experience in:
Right now - I have absolutely 99.99% clear skin - except - a patch of skin on my left cheekbone. Over the past (almost) 3 months - I have gotten almost 9 cysts in this small confined area. NINE. The reason I say *almost* nine is because I just got a new one yesterday - after finally stopping the cycle for 2 weeks. However, the new (9th) one I got - isn't truly a cyst - or at least - it doesn't look like the ones I have gotten in that area (or the 8 other ones).
At this point - besides the small new one I have gotten - I have one cyst that has finally scabbed over and is clean ( meaning no infection) and then I have one that that everyone seems to have described - a gaping hole with pus/infection still in it - that will not heal. It does scab up and dry over - but each time I get my face wet - it gets soft - and you know how that works. Infection spreads with moisture - it feeds it.
What got me into this horrible place in the beginning - was I wouldn't leave the first ones alone. If I could go back 3 months ago - and just tell myself to leave it alone - I would. I have lots of scarring on my cheekbone - dark - including 3 scabs (one the big pore that keeps being infected.)
What I have found to be working (for me) is after I wash my face (or after a shower) - I soak the infected area (my cheekbone) with isopropyl alcohol. I let that completely dry (to the point that the skin over and around is flaking) an then only put my BP on over it. When I started doing this (every time) 2 weeks ago - it was the first time in 3 months - that I hadn't gotten another new cyst in the next couple of days.
During this whole treatment time - I tried everything. Poking, squeezing, warm compress, ice - you name it. I even used an antibiotic topical like Neosporin - and after using it for a week - I had to stop because I ended up getting 2 more cysts while using it?! So if you think a topical antibiotic works - no way. Not in my case, at least. It left my cysts too moisturized - and they weren't able to *dry out* properly.
So - here I am - trying to get this area to clear up. It's sort of odd - because I have this completely clear face - except for this raging infection on my cheekbone. What I am thinking happened - is by squeezing mine the first time - it spread the infection under the skin - to all the surrounding pores - and that is exactly where all the other cysts have popped up. Even the new small one I got yesterday - is right below the one that will not heal.
As hard as it sounds - and trust me - i know - don't mess with a cyst. Cysts are nodules under the skin - sometimes they aren't meant to surface. At least - I swear mine weren't. I just ended up making my own sores. And then spreading it.
Even at this point - isopropyl alcohol is working - but I still got another small one. You have to really make sure you let the area dry out. I think I was slacking off on that - and then that was all it took for another one to bloom.
After 3 months - it's getting a little depressing, and a little tiring. So I know how hard it is - I know what it's like - but man - when things get like this - it's better to just let nature take it's course. I almost do exactly what some others said they do - I don't even try to look in the mirror anymore - so that I'm not tempted to pick/scratch the area. I avoid it like it's not there - and we'll see if it works. I'm *this* close to getting there.
It's hard, though.
The best way to get rid of a cystic acne cyst is to get a shot of cortisone at your dermatologist. It'll dry it up within the day, and if not, it will definitely be gone by the end of the day. Exfoliation really doesn't help. At the end of the day, figure out WHY you're getting cysts - hormones, bacterial infections/inflammation
Hey Guys - I wanted to come back on here and update from my previous post (since I hate it when people don't come back and tell us how things went!!!)
I am glad to say that last night - my last big scab from the last 8th cyst I've had on my face - fell off. I have completely healed scars now (now I can just wait for them to fade?!) but this is the first time that I have my cheekbone back from this horrible infection that spread like wildfire almost *3 months ago*.
The last 2-3 days really - really worked. What I ended up doing (and this really isn't a bad routine if you are having problems with some zits that will not dry out to heal/scab over) - after I completely wash my face and dry it - I will soak some isopropyl alcohol on a tissue - and just HOLD it on the area/zits/infection. DON'T RUB. Just hold/press the tissue with alcohol on the infected area. After about a minute - I take the tissue off, throw it away - and get a new (clean) tissue - and do it again. I repeat this process until I'm ready to put BP on the rest of my face (the 5-10 minutes you wait between washing and applying BP). Then, when I'm ready to put BP on my face - I actually hold the tissue with alcohol on the bad area - WHILE applying BP (one-handed) to the rest of my face. Sounds tricky - I know. But I did this so that the alcohol could really absorb on the infected area.
When I get to the side of my face that's a problem area - I actually remove the tissue with alcohol - and *this is the important part* - do NOT put BP on the problem area. YET. I repeat - do not put BP on the area. After taking off the alcohol tissue - let the area breathe and dry out. DO NOT wash the alcohol off. Just let it breathe. Meanwhile - finish applying BP on your face - BUT AVOID THE PROBLEM AREAS.
I put BP on my face normally - just avoiding my cheekbone. You just have to be really careful. Why?? Because you want your problem area to REALLY REALLY DRY OUT before you put the BP on it. THIS - I found - WAS THE KEY.
After applying BP to all parts of my face but the bad area - I will go and do something for about 5 to 10 minutes - to really let the bad area dry out. Go check your email. Watch TV. What I would wait for is the bad area to start flaking. You want it to be really really dry.
What happened to me is I wasn't waiting long enough (after the alcohol soak) and I was putting BP on too quickly - and the bad areas still wasn't drying out. This is how I got my 9th cyst.
If you have a really bad/weepy area - you can wait as long as you need to (until the area really dries up or scabs over a bit.) THEN - and only then - put the rest of your BP on that bad area. A good layer. Then just leave it be. Like normal.
This extra "drying time" - I did this for 2-3 days- and this worked faster on my bad area - than it did for the 2 weeks I had been using alcohol. It really helps to let the area dry out - and apply your BP to it LAST - after an extra 10-20 minutes of drying. Wow.
Plus - for me - I had a really bad infection (from squeezing - and it spread) and the extra use of isopropyl alcohol really helped kill the infection and dry it out (since BP wasn't doing it alone.)
If you have a resistant area - this really - really helped me. After 3 months of solid cysts - I am finally - clear.
UPDATE:
GUYS!
This is unbelievable! I don't know if it works for everyone but I've found a really really simple cure.
A week ago I woke up with a huge red bump on my chin. No head just a bump. As the last time I'd touched a pimple it left a scar I'd promised myself never to touch one again. So I was kind of lost and started searching the web like crazy. Then I found this forum and saw I was not alone with this. Since you guys posted a lot about scars as well, this made me super determined not to touch it. But I felt awful not being able to DO SOMETHING about it. So what could I actually DO?
I took a MICROFIBRE pad (supersoft and so cute!^^) and softly, gently washed the area using some cleanser. But I guess it's the pad that did the work. I put on some SALICYLIC ACID right afterward (Clean&Clear little violet tube) and let it dry. I did this like three times a day, any time I felt like touching it. (It did keep my hands off the thing and put my mind to rest.)
And in 4 days, off it went. I must admit the spot treatment cream felt as if it was burning my skin but I guess it was just the pad that really exfoliated the area (no rubbing, mind!) and this way the gel could penetrate. So after 2 days the skin felt rough (nothing was visible only that the patch was much less red) and started to flake. 2 more days and my twice a day routine got rid of the flaking skin completely and now my chin is so soft! It's a bit sensitive but come on, it's fresh skin! And the infection's gone with the flakes!
Seriously! This is a miracle!
What really kept me going was that my ... now fiance asked me to marry him that very Monday. So I couldn't just go and ruin my skin as he was constantly looking at me and smile. I didn't want him to start thinking his future wife's a skin picking maniac (which I guess I acted like some times). Also, as I was seeing results from day one, I really wanted to keep my promise, make a beautiful bride AND get the makeup product I'd set as a reward. Now I have all three, makeup, clear skin and a wonderful husband-to-be!