I know that it is frustrating but don't give up!

You are really lucky to have cleared up in less than two months. My daughter is on the Regimen and she was having breakouts until the fourth month and now she is clear, so stay with it because it doesn't mean that it is not going to work in the end.

Sometimes stress can be a factor as you release a hormone(not sure what it is called!) that makes you produce more oil.

Good luck.

I know this feeling all too well. Mind if I rant alongside your rant?

I've been on spiro, bcp, and Tazorac 0.05% for six weeks. Add in some Cefdinir (antibiotic) for two. I just started showing signs of improvement three days ago. I have a friend coming in from out of town this weekend, so I got really excited that he'll get to see me relatively acne free- minus a healing cyst and some scars, but still a major improvement! Today after work I get home and look in the mirror to take off my makeup, and there it is... THE BUMP. The bump that takes up shop in the middle of my cheek right under my cheekbone and overnight spawns four cysts around it. It's just not fair. I could bang my head against a wall I'm so frustrated. I've been doing so well! I even changed my diet.. no sugar, low carb, no crap food, lots of veggies. And this is my reward? A nice new patch of cysts to greet my friend with.

I know this feeling all too well. Mind if I rant alongside your rant?

I've been on spiro, bcp, and Tazorac 0.05% for six weeks. Add in some Cefdinir (antibiotic) for two. I just started showing signs of improvement three days ago. I have a friend coming in from out of town this weekend, so I got really excited that he'll get to see me relatively acne free- minus a healing cyst and some scars, but still a major improvement! Today after work I get home and look in the mirror to take off my makeup, and there it is... THE BUMP. The bump that takes up shop in the middle of my cheek right under my cheekbone and overnight spawns four cysts around it. It's just not fair. I could bang my head against a wall I'm so frustrated. I've been doing so well! I even changed my diet.. no sugar, low carb, no crap food, lots of veggies. And this is my reward? A nice new patch of cysts to greet my friend with.

SO freaking frustrating, Sinderella! Those cheekbone cysts... is there really anything worse? They take forever and a day to go away and then they just come back later. My problem area is my chin but the sides near my cheekbones come in @ 2nd place.

All you want to do is have them see you with clear skin... for one day. I'd even settle for breaking out right after they leave. But no, it has to happen the day they're coming. Isn't it so embarrassing? All the hard work we put in to our faces!

Maybe you were stressing out a little about seeing your parents? Like maybe you worried that you might break out before you see them and as the date approaches it just builds and builds until it results in a break out? I find that's what happens with me. I only see my dad once every couple of years but every time I do my skin is DISGUSTING. And it's worse because of how big the time gap is between when I've last seen him so 2 years will have passed or something and he'll just be like 'your skin still looks like that?' And I just want to be like ADJFALSDKF NO JUST TODAY I SWEAR. Then when he leaves it's like oh nice skin that my dad will never see or believe cause he's never seen it.

Maybe next time you have clear skin you should take some selfies and email it to your parents to prove that your skin has actually been improving

Maybe you were stressing out a little about seeing your parents? Like maybe you worried that you might break out before you see them and as the date approaches it just builds and builds until it results in a break out? I find that's what happens with me. I only see my dad once every couple of years but every time I do my skin is DISGUSTING. And it's worse because of how big the time gap is between when I've last seen him so 2 years will have passed or something and he'll just be like 'your skin still looks like that?' And I just want to be like ADJFALSDKF NO JUST TODAY I SWEAR. Then when he leaves it's like oh nice skin that my dad will never see or believe cause he's never seen it.

Maybe next time you have clear skin you should take some selfies and email it to your parents to prove that your skin has actually been improving

very good points! and great idea about taking selfies, haha!

I think you're right that it's the anticipation and stress that causes it. I've always joked that all I have to do is look at my face wrong, or think about it, and I get more acne. Also, I think I'm just generally more aware of every bump when I'm visiting family and I'm definitely harder on my acne. I think I blow it up out of proportion. It just seems like everyone else has effortless crystal clear skin that has never had one spot on it.

SO freaking frustrating, Sinderella! Those cheekbone cysts... is there really anything worse? They take forever and a day to go away and then they just come back later. My problem area is my chin but the sides near my cheekbones come in @ 2nd place.

All you want to do is have them see you with clear skin... for one day. I'd even settle for breaking out right after they leave. But no, it has to happen the day they're coming. Isn't it so embarrassing? All the hard work we put in to our faces!

I KNOW. They're so prominent and painful. Impossible to hide. My problem areas are firstly my cheeks, secondly my chin. I get them in the same spots over and over.. it's just like an endless cycle of them healing, then as soon as the red mark starts to fade, it pops back up again. Le sigh. I defintiely agree with settling for a breakout after they leave, haha. I'd rather have a worse breakout after they leave than have a patch of cysts on my cheek when I greet them. At least then I could pretend I have good skin. Bumps just suck the confidence right out of you. If only we could barter with acne!

Oh, I can totally relate. Just when I allow myself to relish in the fact that I've been inflamed bump free for a week or two, I'm rewarded with a huge one - usually in an awkward/painful place, like between my eyes/eyebrows or under my nose or the middle of my chin. And then you just get this terrible feeling that whenever you're talking to someone, they're looking there. And that you almost have to make excuses for it - "I'm PMSing!" (which is usually actually true, but it just seems like a pathetic, desperate excuse).

However, I've come to realise that friends or family that actually judge you or feel disappointed by your skin are ridiculously superficial and shallow. And I've realised that the happier you seem with yourself, the less your exterior "flaws" for lack of a better word, are associated with you.

And hey, even though I'm really trying to get clear, I think I'll be forever thankful for having had bad skin at some point. It really has given me a different perspective on things, and I'm less complacent

Let me start off with this, this will be a short rant. I'm not so much looking for advice as just getting out my frustrations. If rants aren't your thing I won't be offended if you don't respond...

OH MY GOSH I am SSSOOOOOO annoyed.

I've been on the regimen now for about 2 full months, maybe a little longer. It took almost the full time but as of these last 2 weeks I've been totally and completely clear, it got rid of my tons of bumps and pimples. I've felt so free and happy and stress-free. I absolutely love the feeling. I still have my scars but I seriously don't even care about those, if I don't have the bumps I'm GOOD.

Well the problem began today, I'm seeing my parents this weekend for the first time in months and I would love for them to see me with my clear skin. So tell me why today, out of nowhere, after the last 2 weeks of clear, healthy skin, my bumps start cropping up again in my problem areas.

WHY?????? Why EVERY TIME i see my family I have to be all broken out and I'm always the one with acne. It's not freaking fair. It never fails, either. Every single time.

All I want is to be seen healthy and not with a bunch of bumps all over my face where people have to leave feeling bad for me. I had told them it was looking really good and under control thanks to the regimen and now I'm gonna have the spots back again.

I REALLY don't know what happened but I wish I could just have the past two weeks back again. I haven't felt my skin that smooth and clear since I was probably 10. But it just seems like I can never hold on to it.

This was 100% a rant, I'm sorry guys there's no one in person or anything that could understand. They just don't get it. If anyone else ever notices their acne gets worse right before something important feel free to chime in. This is very frustrating.

It's okay to rant. It's therapeutic.

I greatly sympathize with anyone dealing with cysts and nodules. They must really hurt and wake you up in the middle of the night because you turned your head. Then, if it's around your mouth, it takes even longer to heal. I get very problematic cold sores on my face where it's difficult eating, speaking, and blinking, and I can't imagine something like that all over my face!

Thanks for your answers and support everyone!

I wanted to write a little update and say that when I saw my parents last weekend, they told me my skin was looking better than it ever has without me bringing it up! It felt so good to hear! I guess I was all worried over nothing