I've had some pretty bad acne over the past few years (cystic, whiteheads, blackheads, etc) and never benefitted much from dermatologist-prescribed meds (antibiotic pillsand retinoids). I use cosRX pimple patches overnight from Amazon when I have zits close to the surface and they contain the infection as well as help them heal faster. I use antibiotic ointment on open ones as well.
My best tip though and what worked the most for me is cutting certain things out of my diet to see what my body reacted badly too. It turns out that dairy is an acne trigger for me, so when I cut that out, it helped tremendously. I'm still dairy free and not planning on going back to eating it anytime soon, it's not as bad as it sounds.I never went on Accutane although my acne was quite severe for a while and I'm glad I didn't because of the possible side effects- dairy free life has no side effects and I feel better overall as well!