I think I just discovered something new the last few months. I got a clarasonic mia in Dec and maybe it's a placebo effect but I think my pores are somewhat smaller or at the very least the blackheads on my nose are gone. So one night I went a bit overboard and used the Clarasonic on my face several times and concentrating on my chin where I keep getting cysts on. (each cycle runs a minute. I must have done ten on my face.) I overdid it because my skin was really tight and dry the next day and I started getting 2 cystic acne in the two most common places where it always seems to appear and recycle itself.
I started getting cysts only on my chin area for some reason my senior year of college after I slowly stopped breaking out all over my face and the cysts usually come in at the same spots. It drives me crazy. Generally, when I feel a cystic spot coming on, I use a deep moisturizer and overload it on my chin. I used to spot treat it with Retin-A-Micro but one summer while I was traveling through Europe for months and ran out of medicine, I discovered over-moisturizing my chin had a better effect for me. My cystic acne usually didn't get bigger and after a day or two of being in that stage where it throbs but is only visible as a slightly raised red bump, it dies down for me but there would be a small hard bump where the cystic acne was and it would stay there for what seemed like forever (2 weeks?) before it disappeared but it would leave a dark spot on my chin when it finally went away and that dark spot would be on my chin for at least another two weeks. Sometimes after I deal with one, another will pop up so I always feel like I'm dealing with this issue.
Sorry to digress with my history with cystic acne but everyone is different and I wanted to give others who may be similar to me an idea on my background. Anyways I kept washing my face with the Clarasonic brush the 2nd day and my cystic acne kept getting bigger and bigger. I think it was on the 3rd or 4th day when I saw a white head appear on both my cystic acne for the first time ever. I tried self control and decided not to pick it but then it was driving my crazy and I don't scar on my chin so I decided to go for it. (I just squeezed it with two folded tissues gently.) Not much pus came out but it was really bleeding for both. The next day it left a raised scab but you could still feel the hard bumps underneath those scabs. The scabs looked a ugly dark color and was really raised so I picked them off and there was a little white pus underneath so I squeezed it out again. Hardly anything came out just the pus that appeared in the first place. When it scabbed over the next day, the hard bump that usually stays for weeks was gone.
The two spots on my chin healed rather fast but as it was healing another cystic acne formed right near where one just healed and I decided to use the Clarasonic brush on it too. I think I did 3 - 5 minutes just on my chin. The next day, a white head appeared for that acne - before using the clarasonic brush, my cystic acne NEVER formed white heads. Since I healed within a week from the last two, I decided to pick it and same thing. It scabbed the next day, I picked the scab and a second white pus appeared. There was hardly anything that came out. The next day, the hard spot underneath my skin was gone. The hard spot that usually stays under my skin for weeks disappeared within a few days! The pus that came out of the white head and scabs was very little. There was mainly a lot of blood. I thought I would at least get the hard root or something like that to come out but it was nothing like that. Hardly anything was there other than blood.
Every time I picked my cystic acne after there was a white head, I wash my face with just a combination of cream cleanser and cold water and give it time to harden over before I apply lots of moisturizer on my face. Overall this whole process took 4-5 days and within a week my chin only has a slightly darker spot from where the cystic acne was but it is lighter than when I let the hard spot go away naturally.
I've been dealing with cystic acne on my chin for around 4 years now. I always feel like I'm on the look out and even though I can usually manage it well enough so it looks like a slightly raised bump on the outside, (if I stuck my tongue out over that area, it's like a pea sized lump) its so painful and really does a number on my self-esteem.
It's been weeks now and my chin is clear and smooth. The 3 cystic acne that appeared after I overstimulated my chin area with the Clarasonic brush were the 3 main places where my cystic acne keeps recycling itself at. My guess is that the sonic action brought out the acne. I'm being very hopeful that with continual use of the Clarasonic brush, I can prevent my cystic acne on my chin. I've actually over stimulated my chin area a few times and nothing has appeared. Before it felt like if I accidentally touched my chin, I would get a cystic spot. I've really found the Clarasonic brush to be very helpful.
****Please note that I would not recommend picking on areas that scar easily. I've had acne on my face since 6th grade, really bad in jr high and high school but tampered off in college. Just when I thought there was light at the end of the tunnel, I get cystic acne on my chin. While my case with cystic acne is not as terrible as others, I'm not going to be apologetic about it because I've been dealing with acne for a very long time. I only picked because my chin area doesn't scar. I don't use BP or SA or medication anymore because I don't break out on my face other than my chin. I actually discovered in college that over moisturizing my face prevents me from breaking out. BP and SA makes my skin too tight and dry and I actually break out because of those dry patches. Even when I spot treat, it dries out that area and I can break out because it. My skin is oily dry and sensitive. With the right make-up it can look normal these days but since it is dry, I mainly use lot of moisturizer. I've learned through a lot of trail and error that I can only use cold water on my face, cream cleansers, and when my face is well moisturized, it doesn't get as oily and break out.
Please feel free to ask me any questions and products and habits. It's been a very long journey and I'd be happy to try and help others. I've been going to dermatologists for years who have prescribed just about every ointment under the sun, taken antibiotics for years in high school and college, gone to Chinese doctors in Taiwan, taken their medicine and ointments, tried Chinese herbal remedies, etc... I've been very depressed over my acne, been made fun of behind my back and to my face...(I've actually had so-called friends go to my mom at church in high school and ask my mom why my skin was so bad and I was crushed when church guys I grew up with made fun of my acne to my face.) Now I feel like I've reached a place where I can hopefully help others.
I bought that like 2 months ago... I can't use it though cuz my acne hurts under my skin and it will make it hurt worse.
I actually took a quick look at your previous posts and saw your pictures. Your skin shouldn't feel like its burning. The times I've felt like that is when I would go overboard on the medications. The combination of using harsh cleansers, toners, and medication - with minimal moisturizer really wrecked havoc on my skin and now that I look back, I probably broke out more as a result of treating my skin so harshly. I remember when I first tried Proactive and right after I put on the toner, my skin was hurting. I used the moisturizer which is harsh in itself and the entire combination made my face feel like a mask because it left it so tight and dry. Then I would spend days trying to get my skin feeling back to normal. I used to think using Natural oils like vitamin E was a good idea so I would put it over my face at night. All I felt was like the oil was sitting there rather than sinking in.
I used to use really harsh cleansers to make my face less oily until one summer when I was in Taiwan and my aunt recommended I use a cream cleanser. It made a difference and I've been using it since. It wasn't until freshman year while living in the dorms with a roommate that I stopped really over-treating my skin when I would get a break out because I was too embarrassed to pile on stuff in front of another person. It was around then that I discovered I hadn't been using enough moisturizer. And by putting more on, rather than my previous theory that it made my skin more oily, my skin actually became less oily when it was well moisturized. Also, my face has just gotten less oily naturally as I've gotten older. I've gone to see countless derms etc... about my skin. One thing I've realized is that each person needs to find a combination that works for them. For me, it's a cream cleanser and lots of good moisturizer. If I was still breaking out, I would spot treat it with Retin-A-Micro which wasn't as harsh on my skin.
Please take some time to let your skin rest from overdoing it and I can't emphasize enough the importance of a good silky moisturizer. With a good moisturizer, you should immediately feel like its sinking into your skin rather than just being on top of it. When your skin feels normal, I would start using your medication but use a minimal amount that feel comfortable to you. Don't jump into using a ton of products at once. Start with one and if your skin feels alright, add another one in. Don't let it get to the point where it feels like your burned your skin. I think by inflaming your skin, acne doesn't get any better when your skin condition is all over the place.
Like I mentioned in my post, I was mainly using the brush to hopefully minimize my pores more. Don't use it if it feels too harsh for you skin at this time. My face is pretty much clear except the one or two cysts that pop up in my chin area. Perhaps my post is recommended for people who keep getting recurring cysts in the same place. I'm really hopeful that it will stay gone because before, I've only managed to minimize it but nothing has ever come out before. The last few weeks where I've been clear of cysts, I've actually been testing the area out by touching my chin with my hand - something that used to guarantee a cyst inflammation along with using the clarasonic brush over my chin 3-5 mins a night and nothing has sprung out since then.
Good luck on your journey!
Hi! did you have cystic acne on your cheeks too?
I'm contemplating whether or not I should risk getting the clarisonic.. but I've heard search terrible stories about it but also many raves (most from people with good skin, though 
)
I really feel for you... about people talking behind your back, in your face...
I've had random people on the bus or on the street come up to me and talk about how disgusting my acne was... including people at church, family friends, family all asking me why I got uglier (I have severe acne, scarring (all the types), and I gained a few pounds... D:)
It really depresses me...
The weight I can lose.. but the acne.. the scars... HELP :'(
Hi! did you have cystic acne on your cheeks too?
I'm contemplating whether or not I should risk getting the clarisonic.. but I've heard search terrible stories about it but also many raves (most from people with good skin, though
I really feel for you... about people talking behind your back, in your face...
I've had random people on the bus or on the street come up to me and talk about how disgusting my acne was... including people at church, family friends, family all asking me why I got uglier (I have severe acne, scarring (all the types), and I gained a few pounds... D:)
It really depresses me...
The weight I can lose.. but the acne.. the scars... HELP :'(
No, for some unknown reason it was only concentrated on my chin. I waited a while before I shared my results. In fact, I'm still amazed at how the cystic acne I had on my chin disappeared after the process I mentioned previously. Before, I swear if I touched my chin area or my chin area wasn't well moisturized, the slightest provocation would bring out one or two cystic acne. Once that happened I would over-moisturize that area and I had a very strict policy that nothing touched my chin- no scarves during winter etc... and it would be managed well enough that it didn't get any bigger. But the same areas kept inflaming over and over again - really driving my nuts. I never got a cortisone shot because I usually managed it well enough that it wasn't too noticeable.
Btw, when I first got them, one night before my college graduation I had clear skin but I had an inflammation on my chin. I was desperate since I really wanted to be clear for graduation so out of desperation I tried to gently squeeze it etc... Touching it only made it worse and it got a lot bigger. I was really desperate so when my friend recommended I put some toothpaste on it, I put some minty toothpaste on the spot. NEVER again! The toothpaste burned off a layer on skin on top of the cystic acne making it look even worse. Ugh! Anyways the skin took forever to heal and left a dark spot on my chin that took months to go away. The best thing really is to not touch your cystic acne. I know some people put cold stuff on it or heat it up etc but in my opinion if you don't want your cystic acne to get any bigger, just don't touch it or provoke it in any way. The clarasonic brush was by fluke. It was over break so I had some time off. When I used the brush on my cystic acne, I could see the stimulation was making it bigger than I ever let it get but I wanted to see what would happen if I kept using the brush on it. So far the cystic acne on my chin is gone. I've actually tested my chin by resting it on my hand when I'm on the computer (something I never did before) and so far so clear! My diet hasn't changed and I'm not taking any supplements. The only thing different is that I'm using the Clarasonic brush once or twice a day depending how dry my skin feels. I haven't been clear on my chin for so long!
I'd really recommend the brush to you. I debated about it too but bought it because I heard it would tighten up and really clean pores. Clearing my cystic acne was just a huge bonus!
I'm sorry people are so rude to you too. It's so painful. Please keep your chin up! If you have any other questions please feel free to ask.
Hi! did you have cystic acne on your cheeks too?
I'm contemplating whether or not I should risk getting the clarisonic.. but I've heard search terrible stories about it but also many raves (most from people with good skin, though
I really feel for you... about people talking behind your back, in your face...
I've had random people on the bus or on the street come up to me and talk about how disgusting my acne was... including people at church, family friends, family all asking me why I got uglier (I have severe acne, scarring (all the types), and I gained a few pounds... D:)
It really depresses me...
The weight I can lose.. but the acne.. the scars... HELP :'(
No, for some unknown reason it was only concentrated on my chin. I waited a while before I shared my results. In fact, I'm still amazed at how the cystic acne I had on my chin disappeared after the process I mentioned previously. Before, I swear if I touched my chin area or my chin area wasn't well moisturized, the slightest provocation would bring out one or two cystic acne. Once that happened I would over-moisturize that area and I had a very strict policy that nothing touched my chin- no scarves during winter etc... and it would be managed well enough that it didn't get any bigger. But the same areas kept inflaming over and over again - really driving my nuts. I never got a cortisone shot because I usually managed it well enough that it wasn't too noticeable.
Btw, when I first got them, one night before my college graduation I had clear skin but I had an inflammation on my chin. I was desperate since I really wanted to be clear for graduation so out of desperation I tried to gently squeeze it etc... Touching it only made it worse and it got a lot bigger. I was really desperate so when my friend recommended I put some toothpaste on it, I put some minty toothpaste on the spot. NEVER again! The toothpaste burned off a layer on skin on top of the cystic acne making it look even worse. Ugh! Anyways the skin took forever to heal and left a dark spot on my chin that took months to go away. The best thing really is to not touch your cystic acne. I know some people put cold stuff on it or heat it up etc but in my opinion if you don't want your cystic acne to get any bigger, just don't touch it or provoke it in any way. The clarasonic brush was by fluke. It was over break so I had some time off. When I used the brush on my cystic acne, I could see the stimulation was making it bigger than I ever let it get but I wanted to see what would happen if I kept using the brush on it. So far the cystic acne on my chin is gone. I've actually tested my chin by resting it on my hand when I'm on the computer (something I never did before) and so far so clear! My diet hasn't changed and I'm not taking any supplements. The only thing different is that I'm using the Clarasonic brush once or twice a day depending how dry my skin feels. I haven't been clear on my chin for so long!
I'd really recommend the brush to you. I debated about it too but bought it because I heard it would tighten up and really clean pores. Clearing my cystic acne was just a huge bonus!
I'm sorry people are so rude to you too. It's so painful. Please keep your chin up! If you have any other questions please feel free to ask.
Thanks! I'll definitely try to convince myself or give myself a strong enough urge to buy it. I'm just a student.. so it's a big deal... the money for it, I mean 
Or... hopefully I can just beg for it as a birthday gift! hehe
Hmm. I may try this because I have two cysts on my chin. How long did the whole process take from start to finish with the brush. Like for the cyst to come to a head and then drain and the come to a head again etc... Was it several days, weeks, months? Thanks in advance!
I have suffered from Cystic Acne for nearly 8 years, I am posting what cured my problem on the hope it will help someone else. I tried many antibiotics over the years, all the creams you can get, I went vegetarian for one year, and I went without diary for 6 months. I tried taking all the health supplements you can think of. I did all the "natural stuff" - the cleaning, the cleansing, avoiding this/that, everything (yes even EVERYTHING posted above). I took outrageous amounts of vitamin A. I watched my diet like crazy, and chugged water everyday. I had tried EVERYTHING!!! Seriously everything! Finally, I tried one more drug before I would take Accutane (way too scary, dont take it, its essentially chemotherapy). My Derm prescribed Spironolacto - he told me I have to be patient with it. I take 50mg twice per day. After two months of being on it my face was CLEAR - since then, its been 6 months, I have had NO BREAKOUTS!!!! (I used to have a new breakout every week) I am over the moon and I wanted to share my success!!