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Hi All,
I am currently 21 and have developed what I think is Cystic Acne, I have painful red bumps on both my cheeks which eventually form big pus filled inflamed zits. I also get this on my forehead and around my mouth however, on my cheeks they are constantly there and there is more than 10 red marks on both of my cheeks but some of these are flat red blemish like marks. Throughout my teens I got the odd pimple here and there but nothing too serious that a blob of toothpaste over night couldn't sort out. In November last year I started going to the gym and started having protein shakes which definitely started this acne i have and cannot get rid of. I then started having them with water thinking it might be that I have milk with them which I thought could have been the problem in relation to hormones and such. After a couple of months I stopped having the shakes all together hoping my acne would go away. It has now been three months and there has been no improvement. I have tried cutting out dairy and the acne still has not gone away, but i have a hard time believing it could be dairy as I have always drank milk and had cheese and ice cream with no problems before. It is only since I had whey protein that the bad acne has started. I have tried various kinds of face washes and even took an holistic approach which did nothing for my skin. I am now only using mild cleansers and using a bha chemical exfoliator which does make my skin smoother. I guess I'm just wondering if anyone has experienced this the same and whether anyone thinks it is dairy that is my problem or whether my pores got too clogged up and it's taking them a long time to clear. I get a new inflamed red bump on my face at least twice per week.
Any comment would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you very much.
Sounds like cystic acne...I would see a dermatologist about this who can diagnose your acne and make some treatment recommendations. A course of antibiotics and a retinoid may be just the thing for you. Or, you could try the Acne.Org Regimen, which works great when used as directed and needs no prescription. My son is actually using all 3--antibiotics, retinoid, and the Acne.Org Regimen, and this cleared all his severe cystic acne and blackheads in about 3 months. Now we're just dealing with the red marks and PIH. Things like dairy can aggravate acne and drive inflammation but aren't really what causes it...acne is caused by a bacteria...but sounds like you've already tried dairy elimination to see if things calmed down. In the meantime, you could try adding 30-40 mgs of zinc gluconate and some Omega 3 fish oil to your diet. Both have powerful anti-inflammatory properties with a lot of research backing their efficacy for calming inflamed acne. I wouldn't wait to get a treatment plan in place...cystic acne has the potential to scar. Hope this is helpful! 