Hi, I'm 17 and have been suffering from mild acne since i was 13, but about a year ago it cleared up everywhere apart from my cheeks, where it seems to be really bad. I have cysts/pustules and they hurt a lot.. I take multi-vitamins, gingko biloba and drink lots of water, i eat healthy, and I exercise a little, I don't smoke, and have cut back on alcohol quite a lot since Christmas.
I have been on antibiotics (tetralysal?), they helped reduce redness for a week, then i guess my body got used to them (I also have to change the type of vitamins i take regularly, because they stop having an effect).
I sometimes have oily skin, and i sometimes have really dry and flakey skin (I use coconut oil to add moisture and tea tree oil to clear the pores).
I cleanse my face when I need to: mainly morning, sometimes after school/workout, and in the shower at night. And exfoliate once or twice a week.
I sleep well. I am farely sure it's nothing to do with my diet, as it's very well balanced, so I'm guessing it's hormornal, but then again Iam rarely stressed.
I have been researching a lot, and i'm not getting anywhere.
Can anyone give me any tips or suggestions?
I'm in the same boat as you more or less, cysts and pustules, and not much has worked for me. I know that's not what you want to hear, but a lot of us are in this together it seems.
If you're not already, aim for 8 glasses of water a day - more even. Drink green tea to help calm down your stress, as you may not realize your stressed. I honestly don't know how long one has to be stressed for to produce a pimple - it could be a minute, it could be hours, or all the time, really. It's always safest to take steps to reduce your chances. You said you work out, and that's good, so try adding things you enjoy doing on the physical side.
If you haven't already, try taking a Zinc supplement. When I took it, I saw about a 15% decrease in my acne within the first few weeks. It clears up everything for some people; it didn't for me, but it did something. If your face is dry and flakey, it probably has something to do with the tea tree oil. You don't have to stop using it, but maybe just use it lightly. Coconut oil, while it can moisturize your face, can also be drying. I slept with it on for the first time last night, and actually saw about a 5% decrease to my acne - pimples closing up, healing, redness going away slightly - but my face certainly felt super dry in the morning and for most of today. Try and incorporate lots of fruits and vegetables in your diet (I know you said it's balanced), and if you've done research, some people debate as to whether dairy is a culprit in producing acne. It could even be birth control, not to get too personal with you. Or genetic - perhaps you have a parent or even a grandfather or grandmother who had acne around your age. My mother claims she had acne at my age, but it was never terrible.
Get adequate sleep, meaning strive for 8 hours a day. I promise everything will be waiting for you the next day. Take it from someone who regrets staying up late every night, lol.
You can try home-remedies. They've never really done anything for me, but people sing praises about things like honey, baking soda, even lemon and sugar. However, do ALL the research about it, because for example - putting lemon on your face to heal pimples and scaring has reported to make some people's acne worse in some cases. EVERYONE is different.
I've tried all store-brand acne treatments and nothing has worked for me for about 4 years now. But I could just be a special case. My acne has never been this bad before, but it's because I've gotten more stressed over time and honestly I think my hormones are like "bro, you remember that thing called 'puberty?' we should totally chill again with him sometime an catch up.'" but I can't be sure. All I know is, the last straw for me is when I started getting ice-pick scars. Once your face starts scarring drastically, it's time for you to see a dermatologist if you haven't already. I myself need to go.
I'll be around if you need more advice.