Only posing this because I spent months trying all of these treatments and regimens with no success. I've had cystic acne (mild) and combination skin which gives oily acne on the nose and chin in the summer, and large cysts on my cheek bones and forehead in the winter with little improvement from anything I've tried up until a year ago.

I went to my derm and she told me I had seborrheic dermatitis and said it could be cleared up with dhs zinc. Much to my surprise, it actually worked. I figured, wow maybe any zinc products would work and decided to try head and shoulders (blue bottle not white) and the redness and flakiness was disappearing, but I still had acne.

That wouldn't deter me, however, and with a little experimenting I found something that has kept me acne free for OVER A YEAR!

The first thing you want is to make sure you keep your face relatively shaven. If you have facial hair it will be hard to get the shampoo to spread evenly on your skin. Avoid using razor blades, as this may irritate already sensitive skin. I like to use electric razors, they work quickly and you don't need shaving cream. They also prevent you from trimming your hair too short, which in turn may cause an ingrown hair.

Next, wash your face, neck, shoulders, back and chest (anywhere you get acne) with the dandruff shampoo. Let it soak in a little, and don't get overly handsy with it. As you've probably learned here, less touching is always better. Be gentle with it. Only wash ONCE A DAY!

Once. A. Day.

Over washing happens when you get desperate in order to rid yourself if acne. Don't do it, there just isn't any reward at the end of that tunnel.

the dandruff shampoo will help get rid of the dryness that is most certainly clogging you're pores.

After the cleaning, wait for your skin to dry up a bit. Apply a VERY THIN layer of BPO to problem areas (as in the chin, areas of the cheeks, any signs of forming acne, crevasses of the nose, maybe the entire forehead or face if you need to). When I say thin, I mean you want to be able to SEE your skin through the BPO. You want the product to soak in, but peroxide activatesin the air and light. You don't want it to soak for more than just a few seconds. Then just rub it in gently and try to get rid of any excess residue.

don't glob it on, you just waste BPO and your time that way. BPO didn't work UNTIL I started using it this way, so if you're having trouble with BPO this may be all you need to do. A little goes a long way.

if you feel you need more BPO then apply a second layer after the first one.

after this, apply a salicylic acid (SA) moisturizer. SA causes faster skin cell turnover, which you want especially if you have deep cysts. The ONLY product I recommend is CeraVe SA moisturizing cream. It comes in a tub, so you want to move all of the cream into a vinegrette bottle. I do this with a spatula. Don't leave it in the tub, constant exposure makes the cream susceptible to germs.

the cream also has an undesirably thick consistency. Squirting it through a
vinegrette (salad dressing) bottle (sometimes they hold ketchup or mustard) breaks it up into a perfectly consistent lotion. Use this lightly, you want to use it more over areas that get bad in dry weather, but ALWAYS use it after washing (which you'll only be doing once, in the shower) it will give back a moisture barrier to protect your skin from germs. Use only a small amount on spots that are normally oily (chin, nose, upper lip).

in the summer you may need to apply BPO a second time in the day. Do not wash your face, just apply a second regimen of BPO with the cream using clean hands.

outside if this regimen, avoid touching your face, and keep your hair away too. This should keep your skin relatively clean throughout the day. I find it best to shower at the end of the day so that you don't risk overnight acne, just get it done before you go to bed and if you really need to do it a second time, then do it when you wake up JUST DON'T WASH THAT FACE.

hope this helps someone, good luck!