Hey guys, I'm 20 years old and have never had body acne, and when I did have facial acne it has been very mild. However, recently I've had a few cystic acne spells, but only in groups of 3 or 4 and only on my face. Today I woke up and had no acne, but as the day progressed something happened where I all of the sudden had massive cystic pimples all over my back and smaller ones on my arm. These feel like cystic acne, but I'm wondering if it could be something else like hives from an allergic reaction? And if it is cystic acne, what on earth could have caused it to appear all at once?
I would definitely get it checked out as a dermatologist will be able to physically examine the spots. It does look very similar to the cysts I get on my face and back. Interestingly, your situation sounds remarkably similar to mine, although I am much older than you (i.e. 42 years old). I can be extremely clear and have a dramatic turn-around within a couple of days. Currently, I have cysts on my face and back, and they came on suddenly (the worst flare in my life).
Unfortunately, I am also to prone to allergies and have sensitive skin. It is hard to ascertain where one condition starts and another condition stops. One thing I am trying to do is isolate triggers. For example, I noticed I have been very stressed and eating too many carbs. In the last few days, I have changed my diet and done meditation. Perhaps by coincidence, the acne on my forehead has went down. I wish you the best of with this frustrating problem.