I'm male and 26 and have had acne since i was younger. However last few years it gotten much better until i broke out a lot again.

I have cystic acne and its usually in a few problem spots on my face. I usually get 2-3 of them at a time and the only way for them to go away is when i wash my face such as using gentle purpose cleanser, it then sort of pops a bit and then it bleeds. I then continue clean my face with it as thats my cleanser. So it takes 1 week of it before those cysts are bleeding and thus its gone. Problem is of course there are red marks and brown marks because of it. Then a few days later, i get more of these in different parts of my face.

If i dont do this, then the cyst doesn't pop and thus that cyst will look very red and you will still see it on the face. I know you are not suppose to pop a pimple but this isn't a pimple, its a cyst. However, is it possible to actually heal the cystic pimple like this in those spots where it doesn't pop and bleed but then have it grow smaller? The other thing is these cystic pimple im talking about has a head. So does that mean it has to bleed in order for it to thus go away? The thing is everytime the cyst gets popped when washing my face, it leaves hyperpigmenation and its huge... like dime size. Thing is i have tons of these all over my face because of it. So basically i have hyperpigmention/red marks everywhere b/c of this.

Is there a solution to these cystic pimples on my face? Its those that are painful and thus once it breaks whether you pop it or use a cleanser and wash your face, it bleeds a bit and then after a while you no longer have a cyst there. These are not those regular pimples you get. When i get those, i don't pop them, i just put a salycid acid cream on it and it does okay usually.

I currently use neutrogena acne defense lotion that has 2 percent salycic acid and its good to put on for pimples that are not cysts. However if i put them on a cyst, it doesn't really do that much. So whenever i wash my face in the morning and evening with my cleanser, it increases the chance of the cyst bleeding.

So everytime i have these, i would cleanse my face hard using a glycolic acid cleanser or the regular gentle cleanser and it would pop. My questions are, are we never suppose to pop these cysts? The thing is even if you don't, aren't you going to eventually when you cleanse your face? Last time i tried to make sure i dont cleanse my face hard and thus make the cyst pop and bleed but eventually it did. It seems like it would be impossible to not make the cyst pop and bleed.

 

Does that mean if i have to pop the cyst since it already has a head, is it absoulute must to use polysporin on it so it won't have a red mark or scar? What about aloe vera gel?

So if it pops and bleeds and you dont put anything on it as oppose to putting something, that increases the chance of the hyperpigmentation?

Again, i know ppl say dont pop a cyst but this is those disgusting cystic pimples on the face and i feel like the only way for it to not pop is if you have to gently wash your face everytime where you cant even put any pressure on that cystic pimple. I tried this and eventually after a week it started to bleed and thus it popped.

Thing is i just find it impossible for this type of cystic pimple to get smaller if you dont make it bleed somehow? Or am i incorrect here?

The majority of the acne I used to and still get from time to time was cystic acne. And I have to admit I was a picker. I would pick at it especially if it felt like there was something in there that had to come out. Doing that would make the hyperpigmentation worse but I did it anyway. It is not impossible to make it smaller w/o popping it. I used tretinoin before to spot treat my cysts and it worked pretty well in making the pimple go away faster and it also helped with hyperpigmentation. I guess the downside was just that it didn't prevent acne.

If you do give tretinoin a try, use SPF as well when you need to be under the sun because it makes your skin a bit sensitive.

after accutane and ointments like (faceclin,bp etc) i still had a sudden breakout of bad big pus-filled pustules (a few of them in different places of my face like one on forehead,few on extreme side of my face etc) about 1 mnth ago. i've never had such huge cystic ones btw.one on my jaw was so big n the swelling was kinda spread.they were very painful too.

i had suspected that may be it was because i've using salicylic acid for a week then.

so i went to my derma & she said no,it's not.they were always there and are just coming out now.

she gave me azithral-500.

(its azithromycin tablets which is suppose to lessen the bacteria(p.acnes).i was given 5 the 1st time and then 5(i had only 4 though) after 3 weeks as a full course).

plus,i have been maintaining a less-oily(mostly),less spicy(mostly) and low sugar diet(excpt for fruits and lil' sugar in curries n digestive biscuits.mostly) for a lil' more than 2 mnths now.

i dnt have big acne or too many small zits now.

i do have whiteheads on my nose which refuse to budge,also i do get tiny sharp reddish heads on my cheeks sometimes.also one or two zits sometimes(whch i suspect happens before my period.am not sure.i noticed last mnth.i'll keep a track this mnth too).

i skin otherwise in places where's there no spot/blemishes is smoother i feel.

i dnt know whether it's for the antibiotic or because of the diet i'm maintaining!

as for what i did then,i dint pick them.

i dnt pick actually.

those stayed just as they were for days and i continued following my daily routine as usual.after many days they popped themselves,pus+blood came so all i did is use clean it with a cotton swab n water...(as my derma had mentioned)..because the secretion dry up and block the way.

it took its time n finally they are gone(the swelling took much longer to go away actually..although am not sure u have such huge swellings)

and the marks are really light even though the acne themselves were so dangerous.

also,i feel they are fading fast.

(i use saslic salicylic face wash 1% as cleanser twice a day).

is this my story.

i hope u have got a general idea.

u can ask me anything u like.i hope i'll be able to help.

aana

Heres the thing. I have these big nasty cystic acne but its always in a few areas of my face. Thing is i dont have it all over my face. Like for example, if you look at me, you would say i have some pretty nasty cystic spots on my face but its not considered severe unless you only look at those spots. Problem is those spots are huge. I usually have between 2-3 of them at a time but sometimes its more than that.

My question that i want someone to answer is, does the cystic pimple have to break/bleed no matter what? The thing if i dont cleanse my face hard enough... then it would not break and thus that huge cystic pimple redness would still be there.

So i should cleanse my face very lightly so it won't bleed but if i do this, then wouldnt the cystic pimple still stay there? Thing is i tried this but eventually it would bleed after cleansing my face.

I see people say dont pop the pimple etc but its a cystic pimple so if i dont do this, then how would it heal? Its not a normal pimple where you put cream on it, then it goes away. Someone says popping it would infect it but if i dont... then it would always be there...

Heres the thing. I have these big nasty cystic acne but its always in a few areas of my face. Thing is i dont have it all over my face. Like for example, if you look at me, you would say i have some pretty nasty cystic spots on my face but its not considered severe unless you only look at those spots. Problem is those spots are huge. I usually have between 2-3 of them at a time but sometimes its more than that.

My question that i want someone to answer is, does the cystic pimple have to break/bleed no matter what? The thing if i dont cleanse my face hard enough... then it would not break and thus that huge cystic pimple redness would still be there.

So i should cleanse my face very lightly so it won't bleed but if i do this, then wouldnt the cystic pimple still stay there? Thing is i tried this but eventually it would bleed after cleansing my face.

I see people say dont pop the pimple etc but its a cystic pimple so if i dont do this, then how would it heal? Its not a normal pimple where you put cream on it, then it goes away. Someone says popping it would infect it but if i dont... then it would always be there...

In my experience with cystic acne, I've always tried to treat it as gently as possible when washing it. I use Olay for Sensitive skin and it's never made my cysts bleed or get larger, which means it's non-irritating (a good thing). I also don't scrub my face. Ever. I don't believe in stripping your skin when it's already at it's weakest (makes your skin more vulnerable to scarring and more acne). When my cysts are ready to heal, they never bleed out, they simply flatten out and get kind of...crusty, and eventually that falls away revealing fresh pink skin underneath.

I've found that it helps to use an AHA at night before bed (my favorite is Alpha Hydrox Enhanced Lotion 10% Glycolic AHA). The low percentage is safe enough for everyday use and helps to constantly renew your skin, thus pushing out dirt, bacteria, infection, etc. It's similar to tretinoin, but I believe it makes your skin less oily while using it. Though cystic acne takes FOR-EVER to show it's face entirely, so once a week I use a baking soda mask to kind of speed it along. Sulphur or mud masks can do the same thing (I prefer anything without fragrance or fillers).

Honestly, any time one of my cysts broke and bled I'd have a big ol' ugly gaping wound on my face that looked worse than the actual zit. So, no, in my estimation it's not worth picking or popping it. Using the correct products for your skin should ensure that your cysts will heal with little to no trauma left on your face. Just remember, all that is Good takes patience and thorough planning. I wish you well.

Heres the thing. I have these big nasty cystic acne but its always in a few areas of my face. Thing is i dont have it all over my face. Like for example, if you look at me, you would say i have some pretty nasty cystic spots on my face but its not considered severe unless you only look at those spots. Problem is those spots are huge. I usually have between 2-3 of them at a time but sometimes its more than that.

My question that i want someone to answer is, does the cystic pimple have to break/bleed no matter what? The thing if i dont cleanse my face hard enough... then it would not break and thus that huge cystic pimple redness would still be there.

So i should cleanse my face very lightly so it won't bleed but if i do this, then wouldnt the cystic pimple still stay there? Thing is i tried this but eventually it would bleed after cleansing my face.

I see people say dont pop the pimple etc but its a cystic pimple so if i dont do this, then how would it heal? Its not a normal pimple where you put cream on it, then it goes away. Someone says popping it would infect it but if i dont... then it would always be there...

hey!

cystic acne (whether or not anything is applied topically) will pop and atleast give away the topmost part and a lil' pus.

thats what i know happens and thats what happened to me.

for i dint use any extra effort or hard cleansing to pop it.

such acnes grow may be slowly for 2 days..then comes a point when they pop.

just wash ur face like u usually do.dont overdo it.

infact although i had been using AHA wash for a week..i'd stopped using it when i had those cystic acne.(thinking that it caused the acne in the 1st place).

i used a mild cleanser for 2-3 days and even then they pop'd.

after which i went to my derma n she said i will be continuing with the aha wash.

aana