I am officially desperate. I am a 23 year old female. I have been battling skin issues since I was 10 years old. I have seen several derms, been on every medication in the book. Sometimes, I will get relief, but give it 6 months to year, and I'll be having the same skin issues, sometimes worse than before. I have taken a few oral medications as well as topical. My skin right now might be the worst it has ever been. I am breaking out literally all over. Forehead, cheeks (big painful cysts on my cheekbone area, so you know it isn't comfortable) and my chin. I also have lots of redness all over. Scarring is a huge issue for me. When a spot finally goes away, a scar sits there right in it's place. Currently I have tried a more holistic approach. My routine as of late is cleansing with Aveeno moisturizing bar and using CeraVe moisturizer after. I also recently read about people with severe acne using organic apple cidar vinegar. Using it topically and actually ingesting it (diluted with water, of course). I went ahead and bought some, but my acne only seemed to get worse after using that. I know that everyone's skin is very different, so what might work for one may not work for another. I am just getting to the point of depression and it is actually becoming painful and extremely itchy. I mean my face itches all day non-stop and it is very frustrating. 
Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks in advance for reading my post. 
Sorry to hear of what you are going through, but I and so many others can relate.
I have had acne since school years, I finally thought I had won after my second long round of accutane at nearly 30 years old, but in the past couple of months for some reason it has come back, and worse than ever on my face. I don't seem to get any pimples, just huge swellings that come up from deep under the skin, look horrible and are really painful, and they always scar.
I registered here to talk about it as it's really getting me down as well, I just needed to let it out.
I previously had success with a saylic acid based cleanser morning and night, with the BP for the odd pimple, but my skin tends to be really oily, so I never moisturise or put anything else on. It seemed to control black heads and pimples, but the cysts I have now, wow I have no idea.
I've tried icing them, it seemed to work on one of the first bumps I tried it on, but the second it did nothing, I don't even know if it made it worse, it came up the size of a 2p piece, so I don't know if it was good / bad or a coincidence.
I'm still searching for some answers myself, but really my post was to say I know how you feel, it's effecting my life now in that I don't want to go out to eat anywhere, and I am sad when I look at the huge red lumps and scars in the mirror
I hope you find a solution soon and get it under control, I guess we just need to keep going. I was pretty much 100% clear from the age of 31-36, and I am really thankful for that, so it is possible.
If your skin is itching, I wonder if you are allergic to the products you may be using... not that this is the main cause of your acne, but acne shouldn't "itch." I have too, tried many different store brands (cetaphil, cerve, aveeno, neutrogena, etc.) and I am unable to use them -- they have a few ingredients, particularly sodium lauryl sulfate, carbomer, and other skin irritants. Although these brands claim they are "safe" and "gentle" I've found that they only worsened my skin conditions. I suggest investing in a good, quality brand...I realize not everyone can shell out big bucks, but if your like me, you're willing to do just about anything. Last year I discovered the Eminence Organic Skin Care line and I cannot rave enough about their products. They are amazing. In my signature you will see what products I use. I still get hormonal breakouts (around that time of the month), but since May of 2014 I no longer have to use BP (thank God because my skin use to be so, so dry using that stuff!)
I also suggest trying to change your diet as well -- eliminate all dairy (cheese, yogurt, everything!), limit your intake of meat (factory farmed meat are injected with hormones, and when you eat it, you are too ingesting those hormones).
If you find that you are still itching, try using 1% cortisone cream for 5 days, if the swelling and itchiness diminishes, you are more than likely suffering from an allergy, which again may not be the underlying cause of your acne but it could be causing more irritation. You can also try taking Benadryl.
Again, I really suggest trying Eminence products as well - the acne.org community does not know about these products and I hope to spread the word... check out the reviews of them on multiple different sites - you'll see that people are getting amazing results, whether you have mild, moderate, or cystic acne. My favorite go-to product is the Clear Skin Probiotic Masque https://eminenceorganics.com/us/product/clear-skin-probiotic-masque
Best of luck and keep us posted on your progress, we are here for you!
- Cristine
Have you tried getting your hormones checked? Food allergies?
Something that worked for me is birth control, but its not for everyone, and many see it as a temporary cure, but if you are desperate it may help you.
For me, i had tried everything (including AVC as well) and got my hormones checked and decided to go on birth control (kinda regret it now though!)
I would look into hormonal supplements like DIM, Vitex (balance hormones), calcium-d glucarate (eliminate toxins and excess hormones), saw palmetto (look it up, it may help if you have high androgens).
I also recommend trying supplements for 3 months. My birth control did not work for 4 months, but my skin is 90% clear now.
Its good that you use gentle products. I use cerave foaming cleanser, argan oil, and aloe vera gel. This routine is gentle but helped clear me in these months.
Definitely look into the supplements i mentioned if you think your acne is hormonal. There will always be more options! I know how depressing acne can be, but i have found that keeping a healthy mindset while sticking with a gentle routine for a few months has helped me the most.
I was in the same boat as you last week. I tried everything! I was so desperate, I ordered some vitamin a pills super cheap online after reading a bunch of reviews. My acne is virtually gone (only been a few days) after taking 3 pills a day for a few days. All i have now is scars and scabs to heal. You should try it. It cost me 2.86... And I wish I had read about it sooner. Look it up! Idk if I can link here but these are what I got. https://www.pureformulas.com/vitamin-a-10000-iu-100-softgels-by-natures-way.html