Notifications
Clear all

Fighting Stubborn Pustular / Cystic Acne

 
MemberMember
17
(@wombat666)

Posted : 02/01/2016 4:45 pm

Hi all,

So for the past year or so I've been getting this stubborn pustular acne that doesn't respond to Benzoyl Peroxide very well. Ever since I started getting it, I've been applying Dan's BP generously at night, but so far I have never really succeeded at being 100% clear. The acne is extremely painful / tender, and rapidly develops into a pus-filled head. The head either dries up, or bursts (oftentimes I've been squeezing these pimples myself, because it's unprofessional to walk around with pus oozing from my face). However, when these pimples burst, they spout a lot of blood, and leave a crater-like wound - which isn't fun either. Also, if I don't squeeze really hard and get the hard "core" of the pimple out, they tend to re-form.

The really bad ones tend to form around the mouth / beard region (where the hair follicles are). When they appear, I nuke them with BP. This doesn't make them get any smaller - if anything, it just makes them bigger - but it helps peel the skin and make the pimples surface faster. Because of this, I feel like the bacteria involved is not p.acnes, but something else.

The one thing that seemed to help me, back in September, was dicloxacillin. It had been prescribed to me by a nurse practitioner, since I didn't have insurance at the time and had to go to a RediClinic. I was only on it for a week, but it basically stopped all my breakouts in their tracks. Shortly after the week ended, I began breaking out again. Around that time I also started using antibacterial soap (triclosan) to wash, and have been using it - without avail - until recently.

Recently (last Wednesday), I picked up some Hibiclens and have been using that to wash morning and night instead of the antibacterial soap. I lather it into my skin, leave it on for a while (until it dries basically), and then wash it off. After that, I apply moisturizer (if it's morning) or Dan's BP (if it's nighttime). So far, there hasn't been a crazy amount of change. I thought I was headed in a good direction up until today, since my existing pimples had continued to dry up and I hadn't gotten any terrible new breakouts. Today, however, an older one that I thought had disappeared suddenly because re-inflamed and painful. Also, I've had a crop of new, painful ones appear to the right of my beard. I'll continue with the Hibiclens but I'm really getting tired of this. As soon as my new insurance information comes, I'm going to schedule an appointment with a GP and try to get a culture test or something. These things are really unsightly and unprofessional.

 

 

Quote
MemberMember
17
(@wombat666)

Posted : 02/03/2016 2:47 pm

So an update - I've continued to use the Hibiclens. It has helped me contain / almost completely avoid folliculitis on my neck and face after a close blade razor shave on Monday.

However, I've broken out even harder since then, and got really pissed off. I have several deep, inflamed nodules around my cheek and jaw area that hurt really badly and show no signs of going away.

I've realized something though - perhaps I should stop taking supplements. I've been taking fish oil for a while now - I can't even remember when I started, and I've been taking it regularly in the last couple of months. In addition, I've been taking multivitamins. I used to take the gummy ones from Vitafusion, but those ran out, and I didn't take them or the fish oil for a week and a half when I went to Florida over winter break. My skin wasn't too bad then, although I assumed it was from the increased sunlight. When I got back, I resumed fish oil and picked up a new, even more epic multivitamin, which also contains a bunch of minerals. In addition, I started megadosing Vitamin D3. That was a couple of weeks ago. I've given up the D3 since then, but am still on fish oil + multivitamins.

I've been browsing the forums and have noticed that a lot of people have reported breakouts around the chin / jaw area, as well as on the forehead (where I've broken out recently) from fish oil and multivitamins. Perhaps that is the key to controlling the cysts... I definitely am going to stay on the Hibiclens though, I think it's doing a good job of keeping bacteria out of my hair follicles.

Quote
MemberMember
17
(@wombat666)

Posted : 02/05/2016 11:09 am

So it's only the second day after ditching the god-forsaken fish oil and multivitamin, and I haven't gotten any new deep, inflamed pimples - for the first time in weeks! In fact, I don't think I've gotten any real pimples. Too early to tell, but I think I may be on to something.

On a sour note, the pimples I had are still painful, oozing, and irritated. It takes me forever in the mornings to clean off the nastiness so that I can moisturize over them. Afterwards I dab a glob of BP over each one to cover it up. It's the best I can do to look semi-presentable at work, because otherwise I'd be walking around with a chin full of pus and dried blood (not cool!),

Quote
MemberMember
17
(@wombat666)

Posted : 02/08/2016 2:17 pm

So over the weekend I got some new cystic-type crap near my old pimples. That whole area is like an inflamed minefield right now. Bunch of scabs and cysts everywhere. I'm not sure why I got new cysts - maybe it takes some time to flush everything out of my system, or maybe it's because I went on a squeezing and popping spree on Friday night. I'm still convinced that fish oil / multivitamins were the root cause of my cystic acne, so I'm just going to soldier on.

Quote
MemberMember
17
(@wombat666)

Posted : 02/10/2016 10:58 am

The area in question (between my right cheek and chin) is still a nightmare. Another (albeit slightly smaller) one came up yesterday and was hurting like heck this morning. The ones that were already there are red, angry and inflamed.

On a positive note, the rest of my face hasn't been breaking out too much. I've had some new ones, but they've been pretty superficial, never got painful and were basically gone after a day. I think I just have to weather the storm. I'm positive that quitting fish oil / supplements has had a positive effect. My ears used to flake all the time, as did my scalp, now all of that is more or less gone. I think the only thing that has suffered is my libido.

Also, I haven't been using Hibiclens too much anymore. I used it as an aftershave to keep my follicles from getting infected, but I think it's too harsh to be using on a twice-daily basis.

Quote
MemberMember
17
(@wombat666)

Posted : 02/13/2016 7:31 pm

No real cysts right now, but smaller pustules keep coming up. Shaved my beard (with a clipper) today. Face looks cleaner but acne is a lot more noticeable. Between my chin and right cheek has about 8 big, red bumps clustered together in one area.

Quote
MemberMember
17
(@wombat666)

Posted : 02/16/2016 2:58 pm

So - I've gotten cysts on my jawline! Yay.

And that was after having been off fish oil / multivitamins and drinking tons of water.

I've decided to hop back on the multivitamin, since the whole time I've been off of it I've had very low energy and libido. I've immediately noticed a MAJOR improvement. Still off the fish oil though.

Quote
MemberMember
17
(@wombat666)

Posted : 02/17/2016 9:47 am

Mega cyst forming on my right cheek! And another one forming near my old cluster of pimples.

I have an appointment with my GP this Saturday. My insurance requires me to go through a primary care provider before I can see a specialist. I am going to ask him for an antibiotic and (I'm thinking) Retin-A for the cysts. Maybe Duac or Benzaclin as well. Last time I was on Retin-A, it worked really well within a couple of months. My current regimen is just not cutting it. I mean, you'd think after being on BP for over a year, there would be some results, right?

Quote
MemberMember
17
(@wombat666)

Posted : 02/19/2016 7:47 am

Well - in the 2+ weeks since I've started the topic, I've definitely been losing the fight against my pustules. I'm starting to think that going on the multivitamin again was a mistake, because my acne has gone downhill sharply since the start of this week. Looks like I need to ditch everything for at least a month to be able to know for sure. All I know is - I started this year with a breakout that was still manageable, introduced a lot of supplements, and from there everything just went downhill.

Quote
MemberMember
17
(@wombat666)

Posted : 02/20/2016 7:43 pm

Went to the doctor today and got prescribed doxycycline and Duac. He said he didn't want to put me on Bactrim since he'd never used it for acne. I've taken my first 100mg doxy pill a couple of hours ago, and am waiting until Monday to pick up my Duac. The latter is hopefully going to replace my nightly Acne.org BP.

Quote
MemberMember
17
(@wombat666)

Posted : 02/22/2016 11:46 am

Day 3 of doxy, day 4 since ditching los vitaminos.

Overall I feel a little better about my skin. Some of the old cysts have dried up and no longer hurt, although they are still raised and show no sign of going away. I have what seems to be some fresh cysts coming in under the old breakout areas, however. The top half of my face is super-clean with no new breakouts.

I think it's going to take a while to flush all the multivitamin out of my system, and even more for the doxy to work (if it's ever going to). I just need to be patient.

Quote
MemberMember
17
(@wombat666)

Posted : 02/23/2016 2:24 pm

The new-ish cysts are still big, red, and angry. Older ones are dying a little bit, but so far no break in the cyst cycle.
Also got some new smaller ones last night and this morning, which I'm not too worried about so far, unless they get significantly worse. One of them is getting kinda painful and looks like it might end up growing into a big, bad one.

Quote
MemberMember
17
(@wombat666)

Posted : 02/24/2016 12:54 pm

No new cysts right now, although some of the smaller ones I got recently are looking angrier and are hurting more. Old cysts are still hanging out on my face - red and angry-looking.Still have not gotten my Duac. Will probably pick it up Friday. Been taking doxy before bed on an empty stomach.

Quote
MemberMember
43
(@convinceme)

Posted : 02/24/2016 9:47 pm

Hi, I'm just curious what's your diet like. What do you eat in a typical day?

Quote
MemberMember
17
(@wombat666)

Posted : 02/25/2016 11:09 am

13 hours ago, Convinceme said:

Hi, I'm just curious what's your diet like. What do you eat in a typical day?

I'd say my diet is okay. I do consume dairy, sugar, caffeine - the works. I know those could be somewhat related to my acne, and I would probably have better skin if I completely phased those out of my diet. However, I'm not really in a position where I want to be on a strict diet. My girlfriend bakes a lot and I enjoy what she makes, and I can't function without morning coffee. In addition, I weight train and need the milk (or at least the whey protein) to put on mass. My metabolism is pretty high, so if I don't get high-calorie, fatty foods in my diet, I basically shrivel up and quickly fall below a healthy weight.

An update - the stuff from yesterday has formed into painful pustules, but luckily, they are not cysts. More like folliculitis or something. Normally this would bum me out, but I'm actually quite happy. I think it was clearly the multivitamin that caused the monster breakout - now I just need to keep drinking stuff and flushing it out of my system, then wait for the antibiotics to work (or not, at which point I'll have to try a diff antibiotic).

Quote
MemberMember
43
(@convinceme)

Posted : 02/25/2016 8:31 pm

10 hours ago, wombat666 said:
I'd say my diet is okay. I do consume dairy, sugar, caffeine - the works. I know those could be somewhat related to my acne, and I would probably have better skin if I completely phased those out of my diet. However, I'm not really in a position where I want to be on a strict diet. My girlfriend bakes a lot and I enjoy what she makes, and I can't function without morning coffee. In addition, I weight train and need the milk (or at least the whey protein) to put on mass. My metabolism is pretty high, so if I don't get high-calorie, fatty foods in my diet, I basically shrivel up and quickly fall below a healthy weight.

An update - the stuff from yesterday has formed into painful pustules, but luckily, they are not cysts. More like folliculitis or something. Normally this would bum me out, but I'm actually quite happy. I think it was clearly the multivitamin that caused the monster breakout - now I just need to keep drinking stuff and flushing it out of my system, then wait for the antibiotics to work (or not, at which point I'll have to try a diff antibiotic).

Thanks for the insight to your daily diet. Wow, just two paragraphs but there are so many points that I find in common with you:

My metabolism is pretty high, so if I don't get high-calorie, fatty foods in my diet
You know what, I tried the whole acne-free diet shenanigan for a week and I couldn't stand it already (in fact I semi-ended it yesterday). Basically, I avoided all forms of sugar except fruits. Yes, all forms of sugar, not even honey. That means no processed food or anything that comes out of a box. I also avoided grains because I heard they're bad for the gut which in turn results in acne. Consequently, I wasn't taking in any carbohydrates for a week because of that. No rice, not even the brown variety, no noodles and no oat. I went full vegetables at every meal. Then I realised that tomatoes are good because they contain lycopene (that deep red stuff) but I also heard that tomatoes belong to the nightshade family. So I cut that out. Soy products are out too because they contain estrogens. Meat? Full of hormones in them especially chickens. No way. No meat. The only meat I ate was fish for the last week and that was only on one occasion but I read that they contain high levels of mercury! Freaking hell. You know what? I was left with nothing except vegetables and fruits. Nuts? I heard they're really bad for acne. By the end of a week, I felt so shriveled like you because I too, have a high metabolism. I was wobbling slightly when I walked and felt cold when I wake up (which has never happened before). Damn this diet thing. Oh, oh, and exercise. I heard that sweating promotes the unclogging of pores and will eliminate toxins from them but I found out that oil glands and sweat glands are different so no matter how much a person sweats, it doesn't improve their acne. I started jogging again like a week ago and was severely demoralized by that. I'm already thin like a stick and if I have to do more cardio exercises that don't work a thing for the acne, it's just a wasted lifestyle investment.

The stuff from yesterday has formed into painful pustules,
The pustules I have currently are somewhat similar to yours in intensity and are also located around the same region. One of them could even be a cyst which has been draining pus everyday no matter how gently I wash my face. I just wonder how much more pus it has. It does seem to calm down a lot these days though and seems to have dried up a bit, so.

I think it was clearly the multivitamin that caused the monster breakout -
This. Always tempted to try vitamins like zinc and what-nots because of all the rave reviews but I guess our bodies are just not designed by nature to absorb something so artificial in large quantities. I don't think I will be touching them anytime soon.

That was long, thanks for reading. And do share any tips with me that you might have in making those pustules better. I don't know but the 3 of them just seem to have sprung up on my chin and jawline recently. My chin has been crystal clear all along. Actually, I find so much in common in with you, especially the pustules and their location. The rest of my face is pretty much clear (like yours) so I think we may have more to talk about if you don't mind a protracted conversation.

PS: Please bear with my English; it's not my first language.

Quote
MemberMember
17
(@wombat666)

Posted : 02/28/2016 9:29 am

On 02/26/2016 at 8:31 PM, Convinceme said:
Thanks for the insight to your daily diet. Wow, just two paragraphs but there are so many points that I find in common with you:

My metabolism is pretty high, so if I don't get high-calorie, fatty foods in my diet
You know what, I tried the whole acne-free diet shenanigan for a week and I couldn't stand it already (in fact I semi-ended it yesterday). Basically, I avoided all forms of sugar except fruits. Yes, all forms of sugar, not even honey. That means no processed food or anything that comes out of a box. I also avoided grains because I heard they're bad for the gut which in turn results in acne. Consequently, I wasn't taking in any carbohydrates for a week because of that. No rice, not even the brown variety, no noodles and no oat. I went full vegetables at every meal. Then I realised that tomatoes are good because they contain lycopene (that deep red stuff) but I also heard that tomatoes belong to the nightshade family. So I cut that out. Soy products are out too because they contain estrogens. Meat? Full of hormones in them especially chickens. No way. No meat. The only meat I ate was fish for the last week and that was only on one occasion but I read that they contain high levels of mercury! Freaking hell. You know what? I was left with nothing except vegetables and fruits. Nuts? I heard they're really bad for acne. By the end of a week, I felt so shriveled like you because I too, have a high metabolism. I was wobbling slightly when I walked and felt cold when I wake up (which has never happened before). Damn this diet thing. Oh, oh, and exercise. I heard that sweating promotes the unclogging of pores and will eliminate toxins from them but I found out that oil glands and sweat glands are different so no matter how much a person sweats, it doesn't improve their acne. I started jogging again like a week ago and was severely demoralized by that. I'm already thin like a stick and if I have to do more cardio exercises that don't work a thing for the acne, it's just a wasted lifestyle investment.

The stuff from yesterday has formed into painful pustules,
The pustules I have currently are somewhat similar to yours in intensity and are also located around the same region. One of them could even be a cyst which has been draining pus everyday no matter how gently I wash my face. I just wonder how much more pus it has. It does seem to calm down a lot these days though and seems to have dried up a bit, so.

I think it was clearly the multivitamin that caused the monster breakout -
This. Always tempted to try vitamins like zinc and what-nots because of all the rave reviews but I guess our bodies are just not designed by nature to absorb something so artificial in large quantities. I don't think I will be touching them anytime soon.

That was long, thanks for reading. And do share any tips with me that you might have in making those pustules better. I don't know but the 3 of them just seem to have sprung up on my chin and jawline recently. My chin has been crystal clear all along. Actually, I find so much in common in with you, especially the pustules and their location. The rest of my face is pretty much clear (like yours) so I think we may have more to talk about if you don't mind a protracted conversation.

PS: Please bear with my English; it's not my first language.

Hi, thanks for responding! Your English is fine - it's like a native's. My pustules are still going strong, and a couple of even smaller ones have formed. Tried Duac for the first time last night, basically just applied it to the beard, jaw and chin area. The rest of the face, I just used Dan's BP.

Some things I know don't work for the pustules, from experience:

> Acne.org BP. I have been applying it generously every night for over a year, and it has done nothing to prevent new ones from coming up.
> Triclosan-based antibacterial soap. I'd been using this since September and it hasn't prevented new ones from appearing.
> Hibiclens. To be fair, I didn't try it longer than a week, but from what I've read, Hibiclens (if it is going to work) is supposed to start working within a day or two since it is antibacterial and antiseptic. I was using it 2x a day, and it did nothing. I was afraid of eye damage, so I stopped.
> "Doing nothing". At one point I thought it was moisturizer clogging my pores, or benzoyl peroxide irritating my skin. I began using only water, and while that worked for a little under a week, my skin slowly started going downhill, and eventually I broke out with a lot of pustules near my chin.
> Supplementing multivitamins / fish oil. I have been on gummy multivitamins for over a year, and fish oil for about half of that time. They never made anything better. In fact, they may have worsened it - I need to stay off multivitamins longer to know for sure.

The fact that BP does not do anything for them makes me think that the bacteria is something other than p.acnes, something that is BP-resistant. I have considered that it could be staph bacteria (the kind that causes folliculitis) or maybe even a fungal infection. However, the pustules don't itch and don't match the spread pattern of fungus, so I'm almost positive it's not that.

I was put on dicloxicillin last year in September by a nurse practitioner for about a week. I didn't have insurance at the time but was desperate for a medical professional's opinion. She didn't do any culture tests, but interestingly enough, the dicloxicillin worked quickly. For about a week and a half I had no new breakouts, and then they came back. The time frame for the antibiotic was short, so maybe it was just a freak coincidence.

I'll keep you updated. Right now, I am almost positive about three things:
1) Multivitamins make it way, way worse.
2) Diet elimination is not the answer. I've tried eliminating certain foods (sugar, caffeine, dairy) but all I got from that was a headache.
3) An oral antibiotic (or a topical) is the key.

Quote
MemberMember
43
(@convinceme)

Posted : 02/28/2016 9:39 pm

11 hours ago, wombat666 said:

Thanks for your reply, too. I'm going to dissect point by point some of the stuff you mentioned and let's see if we can derive at a common understanding of what's happening to our skin -- the pustules -- in particular, since we are so similar.

Acne.org BP.
I knew long ago that BP only exacerbates sensitive, acne-prone skin so it was never in my consideration. In fact, I'm currently using salicylic acid on my acne (including the pustules provided they don't rupture because applying that over an open wound is sheer hell), and it's showing neat progress. My skin doesn't react immediately to topical treatments and take very long to heal so I know if I persist at using the salicylic acid, it will work (and it has). Damn this thing about my face: I realised that when my friends get that odd pimple, they would heal quickly in a few days without leaving a trace. Mine? they take forever to clear up and by then, a new one would inevitably have sprung up near it. And oh, pigmentation that lasts.

Triclosan-based antibacterial soap.
Hibiclens.
I have no idea what these are because I'm not in the States and they are not readily available to the general public. I have been using Cetaphil to cleanse my face for the longest of time and it has been good so far. It's gentle to my skin but I suspect it's so overwhelmingly gentle that it's not cleansing properly enough but I'm not willing to switch to a stronger, cream-based facial wash. My skin was 90% clear for a few years while using Cetaphil so I will continue that.

Doing nothing
I will never try this despite some of the claims here that it works wonders. I believe that our faces are meant to be cleansed whether it has acne or not. Acne is basically aggravated by the presence of bacteria and they rejoice at feeding off dead skin and other bacteria on our skin so not washing it is akin to creating a paradise for them. No way, man.

Like you, I was on oral antibiotics a few years ago on an irregular basis but have never tried Accutane (and never will, no matter how bad my skin becomes). I was initially put on Tetracycline for a few months and it was a miracle. The acne cleared up in less than 2 weeks. I wasn't even having a 'healthy' diet to go along with. It came back again after a year or so and I was given Doxycycline, and it worked wonders again. This time, I was on that antibiotics for a longer stretch, probably 6 to 8 months and it provided relief for an even longer period, far longer than I could possibly imagine. I even forgot that I had acne, or was prone to acne! My life was carefree for that long. I just led my life with gusto. A few weeks ago, I broke out on the chin (and a big cyst on the nose) and this time they were more inflammed. I have never seen pustules this angry before in my life. I was given Clindamycin for only 2 weeks and it only cleared up like 60% of the mess. I'm attributing that to the short dosage. The mess is still there and other spots (not pustules) have started to become inflammed.

1) Multivitamins make it way, way worse.
2) Diet elimination is not the answer. I've tried eliminating certain foods (sugar, caffeine, dairy) but all I got from that was a headache.
3) An oral antibiotic (or a topical) is the key.

I agree with all 3 points above, wholeheartedly, especially point 3. For people like us with such persistent and aggressive pustules, I think oral antibiotics are our only saviour. We can't achieve the same effect as those people with very mild acne who have fun playing with lemon juice, honey, apple cider vinegar or fairy dust. No, those are too weak for our skin and our problem goes much deeper down. It's not just the surface of our skin that we are dealing with here. It's a much bigger problem that can only be tackled by medical intervention in the form of oral antibiotics.

Quote
MemberMember
17
(@wombat666)

Posted : 02/29/2016 1:07 pm

15 hours ago, Convinceme said:
Thanks for your reply, too. I'm going to dissect point by point some of the stuff you mentioned and let's see if we can derive at a common understanding of what's happening to our skin -- the pustules -- in particular, since we are so similar.

Acne.org BP.
I knew long ago that BP only exacerbates sensitive, acne-prone skin so it was never in my consideration. In fact, I'm currently using salicylic acid on my acne (including the pustules provided they don't rupture because applying that over an open wound is sheer hell), and it's showing neat progress. My skin doesn't react immediately to topical treatments and take very long to heal so I know if I persist at using the salicylic acid, it will work (and it has). Damn this thing about my face: I realised that when my friends get that odd pimple, they would heal quickly in a few days without leaving a trace. Mine? they take forever to clear up and by then, a new one would inevitably have sprung up near it. And oh, pigmentation that lasts.

Triclosan-based antibacterial soap.
Hibiclens.
I have no idea what these are because I'm not in the States and they are not readily available to the general public. I have been using Cetaphil to cleanse my face for the longest of time and it has been good so far. It's gentle to my skin but I suspect it's so overwhelmingly gentle that it's not cleansing properly enough but I'm not willing to switch to a stronger, cream-based facial wash. My skin was 90% clear for a few years while using Cetaphil so I will continue that.

Doing nothing
I will never try this despite some of the claims here that it works wonders. I believe that our faces are meant to be cleansed whether it has acne or not. Acne is basically aggravated by the presence of bacteria and they rejoice at feeding off dead skin and other bacteria on our skin so not washing it is akin to creating a paradise for them. No way, man.

Like you, I was on oral antibiotics a few years ago on an irregular basis but have never tried Accutane (and never will, no matter how bad my skin becomes). I was initially put on Tetracycline for a few months and it was a miracle. The acne cleared up in less than 2 weeks. I wasn't even having a 'healthy' diet to go along with. It came back again after a year or so and I was given Doxycycline, and it worked wonders again. This time, I was on that antibiotics for a longer stretch, probably 6 to 8 months and it provided relief for an even longer period, far longer than I could possibly imagine. I even forgot that I had acne, or was prone to acne! My life was carefree for that long. I just led my life with gusto. A few weeks ago, I broke out on the chin (and a big cyst on the nose) and this time they were more inflammed. I have never seen pustules this angry before in my life. I was given Clindamycin for only 2 weeks and it only cleared up like 60% of the mess. I'm attributing that to the short dosage. The mess is still there and other spots (not pustules) have started to become inflammed.

1) Multivitamins make it way, way worse.
2) Diet elimination is not the answer. I've tried eliminating certain foods (sugar, caffeine, dairy) but all I got from that was a headache.
3) An oral antibiotic (or a topical) is the key.

I agree with all 3 points above, wholeheartedly, especially point 3. For people like us with such persistent and aggressive pustules, I think oral antibiotics are our only saviour. We can't achieve the same effect as those people with very mild acne who have fun playing with lemon juice, honey, apple cider vinegar or fairy dust. No, those are too weak for our skin and our problem goes much deeper down. It's not just the surface of our skin that we are dealing with here. It's a much bigger problem that can only be tackled by medical intervention in the form of oral antibiotics.

Interesting point about the BP. Unfortunately, I cannot rely solely on SA, as I have other pimples that will surface if I stop using BP.
BP has been successful at keeping the upper part of my face clear - but the pustular types seem to be immune.

An update - last night got frustrated and "popped" two of them. One didn't drain all the way, but popping it relieved some of the pain. I know I shouldn't be squeezing them, but it's almost impossible when they already start oozing and emptying on their own. I'd rather drain them out than have pus running down my face later in the day (sorry for the nastiness!).

Overall, breakouts seem to have slowed, but the ones that I already had are still showing no signs of leaving. They are still red and tender, although a little bit drier (might be the combination of BP and Duac). It's been about 9 days on doxy now, 2 on Duac.

Quote
MemberMember
17
(@wombat666)

Posted : 03/01/2016 12:19 pm

Another update. Things haven't been looking up. Basically, none of my old cysts are going away, they're just staying there, red, swollen and painful. I've had some other small ones come up in the past couple days, and those have slowly grown to larger proportions. The top half of my face is staying more or less clear with some tiny comedonal stuff, but right now I am not feeling optimistic at all.

Quote
MemberMember
70
(@jensweetone)

Posted : 03/01/2016 12:36 pm

13 minutes ago, wombat666 said:

Another update. Things haven't been looking up. Basically, none of my old cysts are going away, they're just staying there, red, swollen and painful. I've had some other small ones come up in the past couple days, and those have slowly grown to larger proportions. The top half of my face is staying more or less clear with some tiny comedonal stuff, but right now I am not feeling optimistic at all.

I realize I am a little late in the game here, but I would just like to say that even though I know your acne bothers you, it genuinely isn't very noticeable to me at all. Don't get down about it. I totally get that it's painful, but don't get down about how it looks. It doesn't take away from your looks at all. (Random opinion I know)

Quote
MemberMember
17
(@wombat666)

Posted : 03/01/2016 7:51 pm

6 hours ago, jensweetone said:
I realize I am a little late in the game here, but I would just like to say that even though I know your acne bothers you, it genuinely isn't very noticeable to me at all. Don't get down about it. I totally get that it's painful, but don't get down about how it looks. It doesn't take away from your looks at all. (Random opinion I know)

Thank you for the encouragement! Although I have to say those pictures are a little outdated - right now my cysts have gotten bigger and are basically covering my cheeks. But, I always dab BP on each pimple before work - once the BP dries, it kinda masks the redness, so the acne isn't as noticeable.

I think a bigger problem for me is the fact that it takes so long to treat, de-flake, and moisturize my skin - and when I shave, it takes forever to navigate around the pustules. I guess because I've been on Accutane and had a rigorous skincare regimen ever since, I feel like I should be done with acne, but I'm not - and no matter what I try, it never goes away.

Quote
MemberMember
43
(@convinceme)

Posted : 03/01/2016 8:46 pm

Quick question: you mentioned being on Accutane; how long did you remain clear after getting off it? I'm currently on Doxy but the doctor is only willing to prescribe a month's worth. He said he's not into the practice of dispensing long-term antibiotics anymore. I just feel that one month isn't enough to clear up the mess. I was on Doxy in the past (with the same doctor) and I had it for like 8 months? It kept me clear for over a year after getting off it.

Quote
MemberMember
17
(@wombat666)

Posted : 03/02/2016 11:29 pm

On March 2, 2016 at 8:46 PM, Convinceme said:

Quick question: you mentioned being on Accutane; how long did you remain clear after getting off it? I'm currently on Doxy but the doctor is only willing to prescribe a month's worth. He said he's not into the practice of dispensing long-term antibiotics anymore. I just feel that one month isn't enough to clear up the mess. I was on Doxy in the past (with the same doctor) and I had it for like 8 months? It kept me clear for over a year after getting off it.

A month definitely doesn't seem enough, especially for doxy. I can imagine a month being enough for a strong antibiotic like Bactrim, but I know doxy can take as long as 4-6 weeks (or even a couple months) before the results finally become visible. Is this a GP or a dermatologist? Have you considered switching doctors?

Accutane kept me "clear" for a couple of months after I finished, and then I started getting the odd pustule (but it was still manageable). Then, about 6 months after finishing accutane, the acne started getting worse and worse. About a month and a half ago it got worse than it ever had, that's what inspired me to start logging my acne progress (or lack thereof) again.

Are you considering accutane? I would definitely recommend it, because it actually did manage to clear up my back and all the "weird" acne I got (pimples behind the ears, in the ears, on the neck, etc) that I couldn't reach with topicals. The acne on my back never returned. Unfortunately, like I mentioned, my face acne came back pretty quickly (although I have to say, my acne is a LOT better now than it was pre-accutane). The side effects were annoying but manageable, and I don't have any lasting damage that I know of.

 

Quote
MemberMember
43
(@convinceme)

Posted : 03/03/2016 8:50 pm

21 hours ago, wombat666 said:
A month definitely doesn't seem enough, especially for doxy. I can imagine a month being enough for a strong antibiotic like Bactrim, but I know doxy can take as long as 4-6 weeks (or even a couple months) before the results finally become visible. Is this a GP or a dermatologist? Have you considered switching doctors?

Accutane kept me "clear" for a couple of months after I finished, and then I started getting the odd pustule (but it was still manageable). Then, about 6 months after finishing accutane, the acne started getting worse and worse. About a month and a half ago it got worse than it ever had, that's what inspired me to start logging my acne progress (or lack thereof) again.

Are you considering accutane? I would definitely recommend it, because it actually did manage to clear up my back and all the "weird" acne I got (pimples behind the ears, in the ears, on the neck, etc) that I couldn't reach with topicals. The acne on my back never returned. Unfortunately, like I mentioned, my face acne came back pretty quickly (although I have to say, my acne is a LOT better now than it was pre-accutane). The side effects were annoying but manageable, and I don't have any lasting damage that I know of.

Yeah, that's what I thought too; a month on Doxy definitely won't cut it. The best experience I had on that drug was when I took it for 8 months and the results were consistent. I had smooth, blemish free skin. It even seemed to lighten the existing scars. Dang.

Anyway, that doctor is trained in dermatology so he doubles up as a dermatologist and in fact, more patients consult him for skin problems than for the common flu. I've had great success with that doctor in the past but it sucks that he's not going to prescribe long-term antibiotics anymore. As for switching doctor, I've thought of that before but it means I would have to start on a clean slate because the new doctor wouldn't be that familiar with my condition and may have to tinkle with the treatment possibilities until they fit my skin.

Sigh, accutane. Yes, I've considered that but objectively, I wouldn't say my skin condition warrants it. I get a couple of inflamed pimples and my face looks somewhat blotchy from all that pigmented scarring but I don't think I should take accutane (yet) as I've heard all kinds of horror stories. Also, accutane is like the last line of defense for people with acne so if that fails, there's practically no hope left. I'm leaving accutane as my final, miracle resort. That said, I would really like to give accutane a try by conscientiously ignoring the well-documented side effects because I just can't stand my skin anymore. I've never gotten cysts in my life and in the past two months or so, I've gotten 3. The first on my nose subsided after a cortisone injection, the second on my chin healed naturally after multiple days of pus drainage and is now scabbing. The most recent one is on my right temple and I hope Doxy will take care of that. Phuck this sheet. What's up with cysts? I've never gotten them in my life before and they just seem to magnify my skin problems because they are so obtrusive! Sorry for the rant. Looking forward to more of your updates here.

Quote