I have been off antibiotics for a 2 months after having huge allergy-related breakouts--under jaw (jaw lymph), k-filled pores from the bridge of the nose to the chin--and a course of Diflucan. It messed up my menstrual cycle for a while, actually.

I'd say between now and September I had maybe two weeks of smooth, minimally oily skin before I hit rock bottom again in the last month.

I suspect it might be diet a little--I'm do eat some white bread, but also lots of green veggies and lean protein---but the horrible thing is that there is uneven pussiness and a few huge, hard cysts that never really go away even after cortisone injections. I am free of the big golf balls on my forehead during winter, but now, for about 20 days in 31, I can actually see how the acne forms---hair springs up overnight and pus forms around it. Sideburns, cheeks, chinline, jaw, nose bridge. Hormonal cysts in old places (chin, between eyes). Little whiteheads and blackheads everywhere else, wherever there is a hair follicle.

I know diet might help, but the truth is that I would also like to heal and manage and acne apart from diet dependency, or at least get some answers.

I use ivory soap unscented (only soap that's ever worked for me) or Neutrogena make-up dissolving soap, salicylic acid astringent (diluted a little), and either 10% bp gel (useless and causes purging of late) or Mario Badescu Buffering ointment on cysts (same). Benzaclin made the cysts painfully, purple and tender.

Glycolic acid and retinoids both cause horrible, fluidless pustules, so it makes me hestiant to start Epiduo or something, but I am consider Finacea.

I know this is hormonal, though. I can time the cysts to my period; I imagine under my skin there are androgens pumping out the peach fuzz and resulting blackheads/cottage cheese texture whiteheads. I can see hairs in my temples and sideburns that spring up overnight.

What can I put on my face that will HEAL these, instead of causing more purging? I will confess to squeezing the raised bumps--little oil plugs come out.

Aldactone did not work for this. It helped with body hair and acne, but made me skin greyish and the acne marks were purple. It did not touch that-time-of-the-month breakouts and made me oily for the full 2 to 4 years I used it.

My skin is not excessively oily during the day that I can feel, and I use mild exfoliation with a wash cloth.

I do not use moisturizer anymore. No hair products. I use Suave Clarifying or Suave Oceanic Breeze shampoo and really get into the scalp--no silicone.

I basically need a good oil free non-irritating aftershave, it seems, because these are hormonal and follicular.

Any help/recs?

Do I need to stop talking to a derm and go to an endo?