Looks like cystic acne Accutane would get rid of, if you can afford it, i'd say give it a go. Your acne looks like so many people's acne on tumblr with Accutane blogs and they've had amazing results. There are many horror stories about accutane out there, but personally, I didn't have any health problem with it. Only the expected initial breakout, and extremely flaky skin, but at the end it was very worth it.

I feel as though we have similar skin types. Prone to cysts and easily marked, which is so much more noticeable being fair-skinned. I feel your pain 100%. The marks are SO annoying, but you do have to target your actual active acne first, so that you get those impending marks under control, and then you can focus on the existing marks. Retin-A did work for me, but I see you said you tried a retinoid. Was it prescription strength? It did take some time to achieve the results I wanted but I'd say within 6 months, I was really happy. And my dermatologist put me on a routine where I was slowly increasing how much I used it, so I never experienced TOO much sensitivity or a severe initial breakout. My skin was really improving from day one. I can tell you more about the routine, if you're interested. Retin-A is really the only topical known to help with red marks. You might also try adding a gentle toner in the morning, such as an alcohol-free salicylic acid, to aid in exfolitation, which should speed up the healing process of those marks. Good news, those marks aren't permanent. They just need time. Also, for newer marks, you might really benefit from light therapy as it speeds up the healing process. I've had great results with Neutrogena's Light Therapy Mask. I know it seems like a bit of a scam at first hahah but my dermatologist actually recommended it to me and said it's really the same technology they use in-office. Finally, it's good to remember that all acne is hormonal. You might want to try balancing your hormones, whether that be by cutting out dairy or taking birth control etc. Hope this helps!

19 hours ago, nellyleyva92 said:

Looks like cystic acne Accutane would get rid of, if you can afford it, i'd say give it a go. Your acne looks like so many people's acne on tumblr with Accutane blogs and they've had amazing results. There are many horror stories about accutane out there, but personally, I didn't have any health problem with it. Only the expected initial breakout, and extremely flaky skin, but at the end it was very worth it.

Thanks for the suggestion. I might try that, but I'm kind of worried. Isn't this an antibiotic? I don't want to end up with more acne if I go off it.

8 hours ago, lamur said:

I feel as though we have similar skin types. Prone to cysts and easily marked, which is so much more noticeable being fair-skinned. I feel your pain 100%. The marks are SO annoying, but you do have to target your actual active acne first, so that you get those impending marks under control, and then you can focus on the existing marks. Retin-A did work for me, but I see you said you tried a retinoid. Was it prescription strength? It did take some time to achieve the results I wanted but I'd say within 6 months, I was really happy. And my dermatologist put me on a routine where I was slowly increasing how much I used it, so I never experienced TOO much sensitivity or a severe initial breakout. My skin was really improving from day one. I can tell you more about the routine, if you're interested. Retin-A is really the only topical known to help with red marks. You might also try adding a gentle toner in the morning, such as an alcohol-free salicylic acid, to aid in exfolitation, which should speed up the healing process of those marks. Good news, those marks aren't permanent. They just need time. Also, for newer marks, you might really benefit from light therapy as it speeds up the healing process. I've had great results with Neutrogena's Light Therapy Mask. I know it seems like a bit of a scam at first hahah but my dermatologist actually recommended it to me and said it's really the same technology they use in-office. Finally, it's good to remember that all acne is hormonal. You might want to try balancing your hormones, whether that be by cutting out dairy or taking birth control etc. Hope this helps!

I know, I've been dealing with this for a while. I think the retinoid was prescription strength. The bottle was a Tretinoin cream 0.025%. When I used it my skin didn't seem to change in any way, but the dosage might be pretty low. 

I've used things such as apple cider vinegar, which seems to clean wounds and make then heal faster, and plain astringent, but I haven't had an alcohol free salicylic acid toner. I could try that and I also wonder if salicylic acid spot treatments could help cystic acne more than benzoyl peroxide. 

I was really afraid they were permanent, though I think have some slight indents in some places that are   (though I think one partially disappeared quickly and I don't how the heck that happened.)

I'm surprised about the light therapy mask, it seriously looks like a gimmick and it's a bit expensive so I never gave it a shot. I might check reviews and see. 

I don't agree with the all acne is hormonal part though, for some I think people it might be skin irritants or poor immune reactions to bacteria buildup, but I guess I shouldn't take what you said so literally. 

Anyways, mine might very well be hormonal, I want to try birth control but I'm scared it could make it worse. Yeah, I think this helped some and gave me some ideas of things to try, thank you. 

3 hours ago, EmilyMarie said:

I know, I've been dealing with this for a while. I think the retinoid was prescription strength. The bottle was a Tretinoin cream 0.025%. When I used it my skin didn't seem to change in any way, but the dosage might be pretty low. 

I've used things such as apple cider vinegar, which seems to clean wounds and make then heal faster, and plain astringent, but I haven't had an alcohol free salicylic acid toner. I could try that and I also wonder if salicylic acid spot treatments could help cystic acne more than benzoyl peroxide. 

I was really afraid they were permanent, though I think have some slight indents in some places that are   (though I think one partially disappeared quickly and I don't how the heck that happened.)

I'm surprised about the light therapy mask, it seriously looks like a gimmick and it's a bit expensive so I never gave it a shot. I might check reviews and see. 

I don't agree with the all acne is hormonal part though, for some I think people it might be skin irritants or poor immune reactions to bacteria buildup, but I guess I shouldn't take what you said so literally. 

Anyways, mine might very well be hormonal, I want to try birth control but I'm scared it could make it worse. Yeah, I think this helped some and gave me some ideas of things to try, thank you. 

I'm on the 0.1%, so definitely much stronger. Maybe something to consider? I've also had some shallow indentations that healed over time! That is possible! When they're very shallow and not clear-cut. Sometimes the collagen just needs time to build back up. And yes, people do get skin reactions that cause breakouts but as my dermatologist explained it, that's more of an irritation than acne. All acne that is forming under the skin is due to some internal imbalance. It's almost like your body's way of saying something isn't right. That's why it's always a good idea to think about the root cause. Topicals are good for management, but to really stop the growth of acne, you should consider thinking of treatment from the inside-out. Talk to a doctor about birth control! There are low dosages that help acne and even if they don't work as well as you hoped, a low dose shouldn't affect you in a severely negative way. Find a good doctor you can trust. Also, if your lifestyle allows for dietary changes, that's also something to think about, specifically dairy. Unless completely organic, dairy can affect hormones as I'm sure you know. Cutting out dairy helped my cystic acne by over 50%.

20 hours ago, lamur said:

I'm on the 0.1%, so definitely much stronger. Maybe something to consider? I've also had some shallow indentations that healed over time! That is possible! When they're very shallow and not clear-cut. Sometimes the collagen just needs time to build back up. And yes, people do get skin reactions that cause breakouts but as my dermatologist explained it, that's more of an irritation than acne. All acne that is forming under the skin is due to some internal imbalance. It's almost like your body's way of saying something isn't right. That's why it's always a good idea to think about the root cause. Topicals are good for management, but to really stop the growth of acne, you should consider thinking of treatment from the inside-out. Talk to a doctor about birth control! There are low dosages that help acne and even if they don't work as well as you hoped, a low dose shouldn't affect you in a severely negative way. Find a good doctor you can trust. Also, if your lifestyle allows for dietary changes, that's also something to think about, specifically dairy. Unless completely organic, dairy can affect hormones as I'm sure you know. Cutting out dairy helped my cystic acne by over 50%

That might be the reason, that's a lot stronger, did you start on something higher than me too? Maybe I can ask to start with something stronger. I hope my indentations heal, and what I'm afraid of is getting breakout irritation from the retinoids but not getting rid of my acne enough from it. I think I've also read that it can make indented scars worse, but I'm not sure how true that is.

I think I might try giving birth control a shot first if it can regulate hormones. That is, if my doctor wouldn't disagree for some reason. I suspect it is hormones because my acne goes through odd cycles of being worse and better.

Well, I cut out milk a long time ago but not cheese and yogurt and it's only seemed to get worse since then, but then again I still have those two.

I've had a blood test before to check in case something was off inside, and nothing really came from it. However, my calcium levels were too high once, but the next test they were fine.

14 hours ago, EmilyMarie said:

That might be the reason, that's a lot stronger, did you start on something higher than me too? Maybe I can ask to start with something stronger. I hope my indentations heal, and what I'm afraid of is getting breakout irritation from the retinoids but not getting rid of my acne enough from it. I think I've also read that it can make indented scars worse, but I'm not sure how true that is.

I think I might try giving birth control a shot first if it can regulate hormones. That is, if my doctor wouldn't disagree for some reason. I suspect it is hormones because my acne goes through odd cycles of being worse and better.

Well, I cut out milk a long time ago but not cheese and yogurt and it's only seemed to get worse since then, but then again I still have those two.

I've had a blood test before to check in case something was off inside, and nothing really came from it. However, my calcium levels were too high once, but the next test they were fine.

Yes, I began with the 0.1% (specifically Tretinoin Micro Gel) and that's what I'm still on. It is the strongest, so also the most effective for acne. It can obviously be drying, which is why I like to apply a moisturizer first and wait for it to set in for about 10 minutes before applying the topical. My dermatologist suggested that when starting, work your skin up to nightly application. In other words, apply it every 3rd night for a few weeks, then every other, then eventually nightly. This helps with sensitivity and irritation and initial breakout (which I barely experienced). My acne has cleared up a lot now, so I mainly use it for maintenance about twice a week, which keeps my skin clear and glowy. It has improved my texture tremendously. As for scars, it should really only help. I've never heard of it making scars worse. The only thing I can think of is that perhaps this person was applying it too generously and caused bad irritation, making the appearance of it look worse. You need barely a pea-sized amount for your whole face. And again, prepping with a moisturizer has prevented irritation for me. And I have SUCH sensitive, fair skin. It has only improved my marks and shallow scars, as intended. As for dairy, cutting out cheese helped me the most.

On 7/27/2017 at 8:37 AM, lamur said:

Yes, I began with the 0.1% (specifically Tretinoin Micro Gel) and that's what I'm still on. It is the strongest, so also the most effective for acne. It can obviously be drying, which is why I like to apply a moisturizer first and wait for it to set in for about 10 minutes before applying the topical. My dermatologist suggested that when starting, work your skin up to nightly application. In other words, apply it every 3rd night for a few weeks, then every other, then eventually nightly. This helps with sensitivity and irritation and initial breakout (which I barely experienced). My acne has cleared up a lot now, so I mainly use it for maintenance about twice a week, which keeps my skin clear and glowy. It has improved my texture tremendously. As for scars, it should really only help. I've never heard of it making scars worse. The only thing I can think of is that perhaps this person was applying it too generously and caused bad irritation, making the appearance of it look worse. You need barely a pea-sized amount for your whole face. And again, prepping with a moisturizer has prevented irritation for me. And I have SUCH sensitive, fair skin. It has only improved my marks and shallow scars, as intended. As for dairy, cutting out cheese helped me the most

That could have been why I got no results then, not even side effects. I think I'll try some of these things, namely maybe a stronger retinoid, the light therapy mask, or birth control. I'll probably look into birth control if I'm going to try to fix the root cause, or anything else that could help hormone problems for that matter. I don't think I have anything left to say, except thank you so much for replying so often! It helps to talk to people who've had similar problems.