Hi all, I used to have cystic acne but its been gone for over 10 years. I got a new cyst around Valentines Day (yay) and at first it was inflamed and seemed normal but it was so deep it didnt ever drain. I tried everything as soon as I felt the acne coming I religiously applied benzoyl peroxide which usually kicks it out. When the cyst got bigger I did hot compresses. Never came to a head. Ever. Two weeks later and the cyst is hardening and it doesnt even hurt as bad but its so big. It looks really weird. Has anybody ever experienced a cyst that died but didnt drain? Its just stuck on my face now like a darkened bump the size of a dime, and its hardening. Any advice?
I had one of those, horrible buggars.
I put an ice cube on it, 3 or 4 times daily which helped alot to reduce the swelling. Then at night put a pimple patch on it. After 5 or 6 days it finally went down, but I actually still have the scar from it as this was a couple of months ago. Waiting for some sunshine to make the mark disappear.
I know it will sound weird, but for me, a combination of ice directly on the swollen area combined with sleeping with toothpaste on the area overnight worked. Don't know if the toothpaste actually had an effect, but I got the advice from someone else who dealtwith acne cysts.
Thank you for the advice. I purchased some of those zit stickers. Im about to put ice on it right now.I went to a new Derm yesterday, (my old Derm retired) and the new Derm injected it but they did it differently and it really didnt go down, so Im going to go to somebody else in a couple of days and see what they can do. I did get prescribed tretinoin so excited yet worried about starting that. Not looking forward to the purging stage.
Hope you can update as I have a similar issue.
I asked my derm about it and she suggested that sometimes after the trauma (and esp when cysts are so big) there is "fibrosis" in the skin, meaning it's a bunch of extra cells that gathered and will now remain inflamed/together for a few weeks :(. She was hesitant to inject me and said my body will resolve it.
I had the cyst on Christmas eve and only now do I see it diminishing, but I'm very impatient and worry even the smaller bump will remain.
Im so sorry you have had the cyst that long. I had to go to another derm and they finally injected it correctly! It wentdown by 80 percent. The derm had no problem injecting me. I know there arerisks of scarring from injections, but it was better than having the cyst so big.I have been mixing witch hazel with a few drops of tea tree oil and putting it in the remaining part of the cyst a couple of time a day and it helps sooth it and diminish it even more. If you can I would try another derm maybe if you can.