ennui 0 Share Posted January 5, 2004 can't stop crying. there's not a second that goes by during which i don't think about my awful skin. no matter WHAT i do, i can't stop these awful cysts from forming all over my cheeks. they're HUGE. one is over an inch in diameter. it's gotten to the point that i look SEVERELY disfigured--i can't go out or people invariably stare. right now, i have five LARGE cysts on my face. i've been icing them for the past hour and am constantly applying more BP. nothing seems to help the inflammation. they're still bright red and huge. looks like little tumors all over my face. what am i supposed to do? i'm a broke college student and can't afford to see a doctor. i've been late on my last two car payments because i've spent all of my money on acne products, to no avail. right now, i have the WORST cystic breakout i've ever had in my life, and every time i smile because it seems like one of them is healing, a few hours later i find that it's enlarged to three times the size it was before. and despite all of this, i have never had a SINGLE pimple anywhere else on my body. arms, legs, back, shoulders? PERFECT skin. i would rather have spots ALL over my body and mild acne on my face than live in anxiety every second of every day because of these godawful cysts. every time i look in the mirror, i literally gag. then cry. i've been crying since i woke up this morning and still can't stop. this isn't getting better. what can i do to a) reduce the lifespan of the current cysts and B) PLEASE PLEASE prevent future cysts? i would give anything for my face to be cyst-free. last winter, i had moderate acne with NO CYSTS and wished so much for clear skin. now, i'd be HAPPY with bumps all over my face, if only i would stop getting cysts i hate this. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Backslash 0 Share Posted January 5, 2004 Eat lots of garlic Put on Hydrocortisone in big blobs Go to the Doctor for a Cortisone Injection Chill Out. Take Down all the Mirrors in your house. Wear makeup or concealer if you have to go out. Rent a funny as hell movie Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ty 0 Share Posted January 5, 2004 Ennui get a piece of paper and write down all the good qualities about yourself. I'm sure there is more to you than your skin. Your acne will go given time, don't let it control you. Go out & have fun, let people stare, you will be admired for your courage. I hope things get better for you ennui keep us updated on your situation. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SCAR 4 Share Posted January 5, 2004 i really dont' know what to say maybe u need accutane.. maybe u r allergic to certain kind of foods but u just don't know it yet ppl always say food has nothing to do with acne how can food not have anything to do with the body? don't listen to them studies have not shown a correlation between food and acne because there is too many confounding variables to take into account when doing studies like this. that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. what about your parents? did they have bad acne also? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
duluxdog 0 Share Posted January 5, 2004 i know EXACTLY what you feel like. I used to get very large cysts under my skin that stay for a long time, like there's one i've got now that has been on my face for about 3 or 4 months. Anyway, apart from that all my acne has gone... yep, I got Accutane. Is there any chance you can get your parents to pay for it? I'm in the UK so it's free. The other thing is, no amount of BP helped my cysts. The best thing for mine was to leave them alone, not touching them. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fred 0 Share Posted January 5, 2004 try using a bit of hydrogen peroxide with a q-tips on your huge cyst, it will reduce it significatly. and more than anything else DON'T TOUCH IT! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
blahblahblah 0 Share Posted January 5, 2004 you need accutane. there's no other way around it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
evan 0 Share Posted January 6, 2004 you need accutane. there's no other way around it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
blahblahblah 0 Share Posted January 6, 2004 look at his post.. anybody thats that distressed over their acne needs accutane. it's not a "want".. it's a need. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Telver 0 Share Posted January 6, 2004 I nevet got cystic acne until I started using bp, if you just started getting them after beginning the regimen you might want to take a break. B5 cured my cystic acne, took about a month of 10 grams a day to do so. Cysts are evil. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dan 571 Share Posted January 6, 2004 Accutane is a godsend for a lot of people with severe acne like yours. You don't have to live with that. If it were me I'd rack my brain to figure out a way to see a doc and get on it. Friends? Family? Second job? Whatever it took, I'd do it. -Dan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ennui 0 Author Share Posted January 6, 2004 Thanks for all of the advice! Is my acne really severe enough for Accutane? While my cysts are in fact pretty huge and inflamed, they're pretty localized--I only get them on my cheeks, but the rest of my face is completely clear. Is there any other way? Would oral antibiotics perhaps prevent cyst formation? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ennui 0 Author Share Posted January 6, 2004 hmm... come to think of it, I suppose it's possible that the BP could be contributing to the cysts. For whatever reason, I only get acne in the winter, and this is the first winter I've gotten cysts and the first winter I've used BP. The BP completely clears whiteheads overnight, but the cysts keep coming. Maybe I'm allergic? I'd much prefer whiteheads to cysts. Telver, thanks for recommending B5. I've searched it on this board and it seems that a lot of people have seen results. Anyone else have anything to say about B5? Should I try before Accutane? Right now, I'm taking a break from BP to see if it's causing cyst formation. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
frances 1 Share Posted January 6, 2004 accutane seems to be the most effective against cystic type acne. I don't think topical treatments are that great...because with cysts you are talking about inflamation that seems to occur quite deep in the tissue. Antibiotics are definitely worth a try...they will have some kind of positive effect - but it will be temporary...maybe a 12 month reprieve. But when the bacteria in your body becomes resistant to the effects they won't work. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
samael 0 Share Posted January 6, 2004 U HAVE to try B5 for a couple of months, I'm pretty sure it will get rid of your cysts as it did for me. if that doesnt work im sorry but u will need to get on accutane which is pretty strong. clear skin is worth it, tho. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Thunderbolt 0 Share Posted January 6, 2004 I've got cystic acne( moderate to severe), officially diagnoses by a dermotologist. I have been struggling with it for a while and as i have already said the regime is very good for ridding yourself of smaller spots and helps to prevent their outbreak. Cystic acne is another matter however. My cysts dont go unless they are emptied, which is not easy seen as they are blind (have no head). Antiseptic can help keep them under control to a degree, but BP does little to help them at all(i've tried that on them for ages with no affect). I found to drain a cyst in my experience, is best done only when they are ready. I found squeezing when not ready makes them worse(i do have large ones and they went massive), in fact squeezing cysts is bad new. By steralising a needle carefully( the needle must be totally sterilised). it is possible to nick the tiny head on sum cysts and ease out the stuff. If the cyst has no kind of head or slight nick on it, do not pierce with a needle! When piercing stay shallow, dont stab it, u should feel the needle slide in a tad if u have hit the chamber. I must stress that i use this technique but do not nessisarily advise people to do so, they may like to try if they feel it could work for them - it does for me. If u hit the jackpot and the cysts can be gentley emptied stop when u get blood. There will often be a plug that comes out)if his comes out u hit the nail on the head), if a plug doesnt come out, chances are the cysts will remain but smaller in size. The plug is like a large blackhead that, i think causes the cysts. Some cysts will not develop these heads and i know i siad that mine didnt go unless they were drained, well they may do but the last one that i left to dissapear on its own took a loooonnggg time. I am going on ro-accutane 2morrow as my derm advised me to. Cystic ance is hard to handle and often it is hard to care for. i advise goin to see a dermatologist if possible, and with cysts dont make rash moves, have patience and do this sterily andsensibly. Good luck from one thats suffered! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wondergirl 0 Share Posted January 6, 2004 I know exactly how you feel Ennui.... I look horrible too and I keep on wishing I just had acne on my back or chest where you can hide them instead of the face... I noticed though that my cysts get bigger and angrier when I put Benzoyl peroxide on them. Maybe we're not one of the lucky ones who do good with BP. Why dont you try and rest your face from the BP for a couple of days and see??? I've started B5 too.... I'll tell you if it works... I havent noticed any difference so far. Good luck to both of us! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ennui 0 Author Share Posted January 7, 2004 thanks again, everyone, for the sympathy and advice. It's good to know I'm not alone, even though it really really feels that way. NONE of my friends have acne. I feel so self-conscious going out with them because I know that people look at me and think that I'm the ugliest in the group (without acne I've been told I'm actually quite pretty, but my acne is bad enough right now to SEVERELY compromise my appearance. ) As an update, I haven't used BP for two days, and though my cheeks are now full of whiteheads, I haven't developed any new cysts. Good sign? The old ones have been drying up and are coming to their heads and don't hurt anymore. Don't want to try popping them yet, though, for fear that I might scar. wondergirl, it seems like our situations are quite similar. How long have you been on the b5? Keep me updated about any improvement - I'm definitely considering buying some. Maybe we could e-mail/IM and compare results? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
capped_it 0 Share Posted January 7, 2004 hey ennui... i use to suffer from severe cystic acne. i went on roaccutane, gave myself a "trial period" of 2 months, and it did absolutely nothing. i was then advised to go on a gluten free diet, which i did, and it cleared it up by about 95%. i would still very ocassionally get one now and again, but now i have been completely free of them for around two years. i highly recommend you try a gluten free diet. it's could possibly be the key to ridding yourself of the acne scourge. good luck with whatever you choose to do. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
monkyfunky 1 Share Posted January 8, 2004 Get yourself on accutane You definately have bad enough acne for it. Cysts over 1" in diameter?! That is bad People take accutane for far less. You are suffering because of this skin problem. Accutane is designed to relieve your suffering. Yes, accutane has side effects, but I highly doubt you will get anything nearly as bad as the pain you are going through right now, and it's only short term. Get yourself on a relatively high dose of accutane for at least 4 months. Then, if they return, repeat. This is your life, you only get one. Don't waste time with other alternatives that quite frankly are unlikely to help you much. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ennui 0 Author Share Posted January 8, 2004 well, actually, I don't think the cyst itself was over 1'' in diameter, but the inflammation around it was. The cyst went from relatively small to gargantuan overnight, and this was after I (naively) put gobs and gobs (i.e., half a tube) of BP directly on it (without really rubbing it in), hoping that this would help. I've come to think that I'm allergic to BP--it's been several days since I stopped using it, and not only have I not developed any more cysts, but the one that was inflamed to over 1'' in diameter has become no more than a small red spot. I'm going to wait another week or so before I decide on Accutane. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
duluxdog 0 Share Posted January 8, 2004 thanks again, everyone, for the sympathy and advice. NONE of my friends have acne. I feel so self-conscious going out with them because I know that people look at me and think that I'm the ugliest in the group (without acne I've been told I'm actually quite pretty, but my acne is bad enough right now to SEVERELY compromise my appearance. ) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Share Posted December 4, 2005 i had a 1inch cyst once. it only got that big because i tried to squeeze. very bad idea. i looked awful. just dont squeeze them whatever you do. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PITHY QUILL PALADIN 0 Share Posted December 4, 2005 U HAVE to try B5 for a couple of months, I'm pretty sure it will get rid of your cysts as it did for me. if that doesnt work im sorry but u will need to get on accutane which is pretty strong. clear skin is worth it, tho. B5... Thought about it, bought it, used it, hated it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
o_Adam_o 12 Share Posted December 4, 2005 ive had alot of cysts (thats what my scars are from ) they go with time whatever you do is dont pick at it...good luck on clearing up from them and i hope u dont scar like i did Quote Link to post Share on other sites
