My acne has cleared dramatically during the past couple of months. All I've done is eliminate dairy and fruit from my diet, eat more lean animal protein, and wake up at the same time each day.

I used to get big cysts, the kind where I'd be taking ibuprofen to lessen the pain and inflammation. I haven't had one of those in well over a month.

Hope that helps.

And one more thing I forgot: I've stopped washing my face at night. Instead, I just take a tissue and dab my skin to remove any excess oil. Then I apply a thin layer of 2.5% BP, as I've been doing for the past few years. At first, it's a little strange to apply BP (or any medicine) without first washing your face, but now it feels great. Less hassle. However, be sure to change your pillow sheets more often (I do 2-3 times per week), as they will absorb some of the oil that's not being washed off.

I don't know how big of a factor this change has had in the reduction of my acne. It's possible that only washing once a day in the morning is less irritating on my skin, and that is helping.

I always had a pimple here or there - nothing serious. Never bothered me much. Then shortly before I turned 20 it all changed - pretty much overnight! I woke up one day and had about 5 (cystic) pimples on my cheek. That was over 2 years ago and it never stopped. Now I am a 22 year old woman with cheeks packed full of scars and hyperpigmentation.

In the past two years I have tried EVERYTHING (except for prescription stuff... never went to the dermatologist. I don't want to go near accutane or antibiotics). It seems like nothing will ever work.

Has anyone had a similar experience? Where it just seemed to come out of no where? Any ideas or help? I am considering going to see a lady that does muscle testing. Has anyone heard of that? I am kind of skeptical of it, but why not add another thing to my list of failed attempts.

Thanks for any help you can give me

Sorry to say that nothing over the counter is going to help Cystic Acne very much. And certainely not anything to do with "muscle" testing. I would suggest going to the derm, if for nothing else, to get some topical treatments and see if they help. Antibotics can be a godsend. My daughter took them with no problems and they helped a lot. She ended up taking Sprio along with them and just gets the smallest of pimples now every once in a while. She's also been using Retin A for years, along with other topicals here and there.

Diet can help, but sounds like your acne could be caused by a hormornal issue. You need to go to a derm to find out excately what is causing you to break out so badly and then take it from there.

I agree. It could be hormonal. Though it is usually on the chin and jaw area.

A dermatologist can do far more things then just prescribe accutane.

I started getting cystic acne in my mid 20's out of nowhere.

It's trial and error unfortunately but normally for moderate to severe acne, over the counter products just won't cut it.

I've found for cysts a combination of things work.

My advice. See a dermatologist

I tried over the counter products, proactiv and murad. Then started seeing a dermatologist and trying out products he feels would be best for my skin.

Oh....

Do you still have active acne?

Or just scars and hyperpigmentation?

If the scars and marks are severe enough they won't clear up on their own.

I am right on the same page with you. For a while I refused to take Accutane but I am finally breaking. I feel so ugly due to all of the scars on my skin. I think I have gotten to the point where i know that my skin isn't going to stop scarring so I need to stop it now before I am a worse red swollen blob. I reccomend that you at least see a dermatologist. Birth control or antibiotics would be a good idea. I am on the same page as you, I know how you feel

This thread appears to have been inactive for a long time, but I'm going to post here anyway. I am an almost 50-year-old man and I've struggled with cystic acne my entire life. There were long periods where I was stable with BP morning and night and normal twice-a-day washing with dove soap. I didn't even use a moisturizer. But then I would get flareups on and off that were so huge and so demoralizing, I finally went to a doctor and got tazorac cream for the night and a topical antibiotic + 5% BP in the morning, with neutrogena moisturizers. This worked for me, but my skin looked lifeless and grey. What bothered overtime with this routine, besides the bad-looking skin, was putting all this poison on my skin every day. These can't be good for the body! So 6 months ago I decided to go the diet route. I gave up my meds and stopped eating grains and dairy. My face got super clear pretty quickly and looked really amazing for months. Also, I don't touch my face to spread the bacteria or the Demodex parasites, and I never pick or scratch -- this makes cystic acne SO much worse-looking, I've found. Anyway, things have all fallen apart now. I'm still eating just as healthy as always, but now I'm getting huge painful cysts again, just like before I went on the meds. I get one big one at a time, and as soon as that goes, a new one develops. It's like clockwork. I started taking MSM, because I've heard that works well, but boy, I'm really frustrated and really at a loss. I'm just venting and sharing my frustration here among (I presume) fellow victims who can understand. If anyone else struggles with this, you have my sympathy -- it's just such a terrible curse because it makes you feel so ugly and alone and just awful. Stress is a big factor in cystic acne, as we've all heard, and this is the big bugaboo -- How do you know when and how your stress level, and how much stress, is affecting your face? And being stressed about the cysts causes more cysts! It's enough to make you go absolutely crazy. I meditate to reduce stress something three times a day, but apparently this is not enough to control my uncontrollable skin. Thanks for listening. You are not alone.

The wort thing you can do idI not go to a dermatologist, I had the same mindset and thought they couldn't help me at all and I had a severe breakout that caused some scarring on my cheeks. He or she may not be able to get rid of your acne but they can help you to at least manage it until they find the cause or it eventually disappeares with age. Right now I am on a round of keflex which is keeping my acne in check until we find another route to take. Long story short if you have scarring acne lesions PLEASE go to a dermatologist, it will help lessen the probability of more scarring which is something I know no one wants at all.

Same thing happened to me pretty much My skin had been the clearest it ever was in my entire life after going down the natural route (stopped taking minocycline, stopped using clindamycin and retin-a), started using honey masks and a gentle cleanser only. and pretty much overnight, I had like 8-10 cysts scattered all over my chin, cheekbones and temples which took MONTHS to clear up and scarred horribly - they still haven't faded away.. and it's been since June. Now since I started using a 10% sulfur soap and a sulfur spot treatment, I get like 3 cysts a month before my cycle (that still take weeks to leave) and scar. I'm SERIOUSLY considering accutane at this point, but I'd like to speak to my derm about spiro first.. Keep your head up everyone! Every one of us understands where the other is coming from.

Got to your dermatologist! I have been fighting cystic acne for a few years now and you name it I have tried it. The natural approach, BP, antibiotics, spiro, the pill, retin A, the list goes on and on.... Finally I succumbed to low dose accutane after my skin started scarring and.. I am still alive, well and the cysts are gone. This is not to say you should go on accutane. It is a personal decision that only you can make. Please see a doc and discuss your options. Good luck! x

I always had a pimple here or there - nothing serious. Never bothered me much. Then shortly before I turned 20 it all changed - pretty much overnight! I woke up one day and had about 5 (cystic) pimples on my cheek. That was over 2 years ago and it never stopped. Now I am a 22 year old woman with cheeks packed full of scars and hyperpigmentation.

In the past two years I have tried EVERYTHING (except for prescription stuff... never went to the dermatologist. I don't want to go near accutane or antibiotics). It seems like nothing will ever work.

Has anyone had a similar experience? Where it just seemed to come out of no where? Any ideas or help? I am considering going to see a lady that does muscle testing. Has anyone heard of that? I am kind of skeptical of it, but why not add another thing to my list of failed attempts.

Thanks for any help you can give me

Have you tried DMSO? If not, give it a try. I've only used this very recently and, man, this is by far the best thing for acne to date. I would apply a small amount of this product to where I'm breaking out, and by next morning the damn zits are practically gone. Nothing worked this quickly, not even BP or Retin-A. I suggest you read all about it online.

I have the same problem. When i turned 20 I started getting cystic acne on my cheek but only in one specific place. I have been lucky enough that I dont have horrible scaring yet and it has been two years. I went to a dermatologist and he prescribed me minocycline which is an antibiotic used commonly for cystic acne. Unfortunately I was apparently allergic to it and made my skin worse. Now I am on sulfameth but I only started this again a couple days ago.

My dermatologist did tell me to stay away from dairy products and to not use any products with SA in them but use products with at least 5% BP. I did that for a while with the sulfameth but i still had breakouts and the one cyst still continues to come back in the same spot. I started looking towards more home remedies and tried using the apple cider vinegar, glycerine, and water combo but that didn't work either. Now I am using Noxema anti-bacterial cleanser with triclosan and that was actually working for about a month. However, now my acne is worse than it has been in about a year and the cyst again has returned. I am at this point hopeless and need advice!

Try vicks vapo rub overnight. I found a video on utube specifying it for cysts. I used it immidiately and honestly it flatened 3 cysts i had for many days!

Vicks didn't work for me. Just throwing it out there so don't assume it will automatically work for everyone.

I always had a pimple here or there - nothing serious. Never bothered me much. Then shortly before I turned 20 it all changed - pretty much overnight! I woke up one day and had about 5 (cystic) pimples on my cheek. That was over 2 years ago and it never stopped. Now I am a 22 year old woman with cheeks packed full of scars and hyperpigmentation.

In the past two years I have tried EVERYTHING (except for prescription stuff... never went to the dermatologist. I don't want to go near accutane or antibiotics). It seems like nothing will ever work.

Has anyone had a similar experience? Where it just seemed to come out of no where? Any ideas or help? I am considering going to see a lady that does muscle testing. Has anyone heard of that? I am kind of skeptical of it, but why not add another thing to my list of failed attempts.

Thanks for any help you can give me

Hiya I am 16 I started getting cystic acne around 8 months ago - cystic acne tends to be due to a food intolerance look into the hypoallergenic food list and then slowly start to introduce new foods every 4 days. I have found that citrus, nightshades, deep fried foods and caffeine were major triggers of my facial and body cystic acne.

I agree with many posts about visiting a dermatologist and looking into diet changes (to see if food intolerances are a factor). Cystic acne doesn't just go away on its own so if anyone is struggling, don't blame yourself and do seek outside help. The scars that can about from this type of acne can last for years if not longer. Diet changes are the simplest changes to make so cut back on the usual triggers for a few months and go from there. Hoping the OP found some relief.

i share your experience: had a few pimples here and there during highschool ( at the time i thougt it was HORRIBLE,because none of my friends had acne,they all had beautiful skin), and when i turned 21 i started getting cystic acne. i have no idea what triggered them, but i remember switching from a max factor to a catrice foundation and i primarily thought that was what broke me out. i immediately switched back, but the state of my skin was the same. later on i thought it might have been the brewer's yeast tablets i was using to try and gain weight because i'm very skinny. so i discontinued that, since they didn't even help me gain, but my skin still didn't change. a whole year passed with me constantly having a huge red bump or scab on my skin and it was very depressing and lowered my self-esteem very much. you all probably know the feeling when you know the acne is there and when you talk to people you just can't help but think they're staring at it (although the probably aren't, at least as much as yourself). i haven't found a cure during that year, but i did find some remedies that helped me.
first of all,toothpaste does nothing for my cystic acne.

secondly,cystic acne is too deep under the skin to pick, so the best you can do is try to calm down the irritated skin-for me sudocrem helped (if it's unavailable from where you live, try any other antiseptic healing cream).the cyst is instantly less red and inflamed.

i've found that if i cut the smallest edge off a vitamin c effervescent tablet and crush it, applying it to the skin with a wet finger can make the bump temporarily smaller. idk why or how i came to this idea, but when i do this, the powder frizzes up and it feels as if it absorbes the gunk from underneath the skin making the bump smaller.

i've tried the icing method but it didn't work for me.

actually i tried tons of stuff that didn't work and that often discouraged me. at one period i used to wear adhesive plasters while at home just so i wouldn't have to look at those ugly cysts and scabs (i'm a dedicated picker unfortunately,bc sometimes picking did manage to take some of the pimple out).

during the last year i came to more revelations that helped me a lot more and now i have less cystic acne.

1. green tea-i noticed my skin healthier and i feel a lot better drinking it. it also gives me a boost since i don't drink coffee.

2. excercising- i don't do it everyday, but 3 times a week and my skin is literally glowy afterwards. i know, it's sweat but hey, at least some of the toxins are out and my pores are breathing.

3. steaming- twice a week, gets rid of clogged pores

4. i stopped using strictly acne products- before acne.org, i always bought everything for acne prone skin,from cleanser to moisturizer.

unfortunately it's very tricky for me to buy original acne.org products (even most of the others dan recommended) to croatia, so i have to settle with what i can find: just a gentle cleanser without sls, BP 2,5% in gel form and a non-comedogenic moisturizer.

5. BLACK DRAWING SALVE- this turned the game around for me. it does work on most of my under the skin acne, but not for the more stubborn ones. all in all,i'm satisfied.

oh and i quit dairy, but i don't think it was of great importance for me,since i hate milk and rarely drank it anyway. i'm now stearing away from yogurts and cheese as well.

all of this has helped my skin a lot. the BP helped my overall complexion and i rarely get whiteheads anymore. the black drawing salve is my go to for cystic acne, and when that doesn't work, i just wait for it to go away

my problem area is my chin,around the mouth and rarely around the nose and temples.
most breakouts come right before my period.

I'd highly recommend using apple cider vinegar with the "mother". You can dilute it if you want but I prefer using it undiluted. Also, i heard putting a tbsp or two in a water bottle and drinking it can also help.

I AM HEALED. AT AGE 58. I have suffered with horrible disfiguring cystic acne since my first period. I have had only the best dermatologists across the world. Literally. I joined the AirForce at 18 and always under a derm's care. From accutane to the regular crap they hand out in little bags. Cleaners, moisturizers, etc. I had it all, There is NO acne treatment, home remedy or otherwise that I have not tried.... But after 2 months of taking SPIRONOLACTONE. I am healed.

I am uber healthy, workout, fit, cleanest organic diet, organic makeup, even installed a halo water filter system, no perfumes, no dyes, no dryer sheets, organic shampoo, creme rinse, all the best you can have,. No drugs, no alcohol, no junk food, no , no , no only water, etc. get the picture. NO CHANGE in all this time. Until i came to this site and read, literally, hundreds of testimonials about the SPIRONOLACTONE and wonderful change in their skin.

I never thought i would be writing these words. but I love the skin on my face and now im crying. My dermatologist KNEW about my history and about this drug being on the market for over 20 years and I, ME MYSELF AND I had to ask her for it as well as the dosage. min of 100 mg a day to cure me. If i work out, i take an extra 25 or i get a pimple. it's all about the Aldosterone: levels in your body, which makes perfect sense because this drug is for high blood pressure and that is exactly what it controls, the potassium and sodium in your body~!!.

Over the miserable course of my life, I have been asked to not come back to work as a waitress in college. lost jobs, can't go to work; my face is a wreck. call in sick.....my self esteem so low and stay in side, take online courses to avoid being seen by people, avoid direct eye contact. thank gawd for makeup sticks.. If you have cystic acne, you know the pain.

GO NOW GET YOUR PHYSICIAN TO CONSIDER THIS DRUG FOR YOU. IF YOU HAVE NO HEALTH PROBLEMS, BEG THEM TO LET YOU TRY IT FOR 2 MONTHS... some people longer if necessary, according to the posts i read.

I AM HEALED, OMYGOSH I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!!. AND I HAD TO ASK FOR THE MEDICATION. LITERALLY 20 TO 30 PHYSICIANS NEVER OFFERED THIS TO ME,. And when I asked her if she knew about it, she said, oh yes, its been out about 20 years now used for cystic acne. WTF? and I had to ask her for it.

and i have had everything, pill, cream, wacko treatments, vitamins, minerals, so much pain so much misery and now i'm finally free.

I AM HEALED. AT AGE 58.

I'm telling you all if you have cystic acne look at what you're eating in your diet, my problem was oatmeal and Bagels soon as I stopped eating them my cystic acne went away no dermatologist would believe me but dr. Perricone that mentions it in one of his books which made me stop and think about what could be affecting me. Without thinking a fewyears ago I atean oatmeal cookie and within a week had cystic acne I've never touched it since and never got another one. as far as treating red and painful ones research turmeric and Omega 3 both huge anti-inflammatory you can take them both internally but also use tumeric as a maskwatching out for staining cuz it is yellow but leave it on as long as you can. Im not saying the food you're eating is causing the acne i am saying an ingredient your eating is aggravating it to a cystic point, find out what it is !read what Dr Perricone says about it don't get caught up in using his products it's not necessary. Just find the best pure cleanser you can I happened to use Tata harper then let turmeric and Omega 3 help with the rest.

I have been suffering from cystic acne since 3-4 years.I am currently 22 and have tried almost everything (not accutane) I have tried benzoyl peroxide ,salicylic acid,prescription antibiotics and many other products . but the only success I can see coming is from the natural ayurvedic treatment. Trust me this has been the best treatment and its only been 4 weeks and the acne is 75% better ...I did not create an I'd on any forum when I was suffering from severe acne but now coz I want to tell people what actually works .am from India so here the ayurvedic treatments are easily available but the products can be purchased even on the internet . the most beneficial thing has been the divya kantilep..its a face pack that has to be applied overnight...besides I have been given tablets containing natural acne fighting ingredients like neem and turmeric ,these are very safe compared to anything else...and I would request everybody suffering from cystic acne to try it...even if u r considering taking accutane u can give it a try because we all know what havoc acne treatments can bring on our body ...
currently am taking a syrup khadiraristha and four tablets namely arogyavardini,kaishore guggul,neem ghanvatghanvati and kayakalpvati all containing natural ingredients and my acne is 70% better in 4 weeks and I have not experienced any side effects whatsoever

I dealt with cystic for YEARS and just recently found relief. My problem areas were my jawline, neck, and upper cheek bone area near my hairline. My face is now completely clear and has been for over a month now. I had one pimple right before my last period but that was it. I started taking coconut oil supplements and Vitex (chasteberry) supplement every night. I'm not sure if just one of those cured my acne or the combination but I haven't had skin this smooth since before puberty. I dont even have whiteheads or anything anymore. I do wash my face daily in the shower.. I wash my hair and face with Classic Head and Shoulders because the zinc in it is supposed to be good for your skin. I have also noticed a huge reduction in oil on my face. It doesn'tget nearly as shiney anymore. I hope this helps someone who is struggling with hormonal acne like I did for so many years!

On August 13, 2016 at 8:49 PM, 236963_1443947256 said:

I dealt with cystic for YEARS and just recently found relief. My problem areas were my jawline, neck, and upper cheek bone area near my hairline. My face is now completely clear and has been for over a month now. I had one pimple right before my last period but that was it. I started taking coconut oil supplements and Vitex (chasteberry) supplement every night. I'm not sure if just one of those cured my acne or the combination but I haven't had skin this smooth since before puberty. I dont even have whiteheads or anything anymore. I do wash my face daily in the shower.. I wash my hair and face with Classic Head and Shoulders because the zinc in it is supposed to be good for your skin. I have also noticed a huge reduction in oil on my face. It doesn'tget nearly as shiney anymore. I hope this helps someone who is struggling with hormonal acne like I did for so many years!

What prompted you to use Vitex? Did you ever try saw palmetto and is it still working for you? Are you female?

I have oily skin and used to have uncontrollablecystic acne breakouts. I'm in my late 20s! I thought that was a teenage worry! Anyways, I've been using the Made from Earth Beetroot Mask and it drys out my oily skin to perfection and is reducing the inflamed angry look of my acne. My skin is also softer. I'm using this at least 2-3 times a week right now but once I've stopped breaking out I would do it once a week for oil control and rejuvenation.

Hi Everyone! I joined this forum because I had fought cystic acne for years and have finally found a routine that works! I want to share it and hope that it works for others. I am 39 and started to develop adult acne in my 20s. I have dry, sensitive skin that breaks out really easy. A few years ago, someone gave me this soap:
[Basin Bamboo Charcoal Soap]
I started using it on my face and noticed my acne cleared up a lot, but not 100%. I have literally tried everything over the last 19 years and using this soap was the first time I noticed the product working. One of my friends suggested trying retin A creams since I'm in my 30s. I have been using the charcoal soap, along with LilyAna retin A cream:
[LilyAna Naturals Retinol Cream]
I have finally been acne free for the last few years. I rarely ever get even a small pimple anymore. I would never guess these two things would work for me, but it has been a lifesaver. I still have horrible scarring, but it seems to be slowly fading now that I have breakouts under control. I really hope this can help others!!!