I also had terrible cystic acne which got so bad in college that I finally ended up seeing a dermatologist. I was on minocycline (I think?) for a while which did jack squat and prescribed countless topical treatments which just irritated my skin.
I was finally put on Accutane and it cleared my skin up amazingly...most of the cysts were gone over the course of a couple weeks and all of the dark spots and discoloration had faded by the end of my six month treatment...it was seriously the best six months of my life. I didn't really have to wash my face very much and I didn't have to put on makeup to attempt to cover up all of the redness and spots that once covered my face. To this day, I don't think I've gotten another painful cyst (I still get a pimple or two each month but I'll take that over my cheeks being completely covered in knots and cysts like they used to be!). Accutane is a very serious medication though and doctors tend to exhaust all other options first before prescribing it.
Like Kristin, I also switched to mild cleansers which really helped. I am the biggest fan of Cetaphil Facial Cleanser although I have been trying the Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Cleanser recently which is similar. I wash my face only once a day (at night) and apply a moisturizer. Those are the only 2 things in my facial regimen (gentle cleanser and a good moisturizer)...my mom used to get me all of these fancy cleansers and toners and astringents and spot treatments blah blah blah and my skin just got irritated and even worse. Keeping products to a minimum has made a huge difference.
I hope someone has some good advice for that cyst...they are incredibly painful and annoying. I hope the warm compresses (or anything else) does the trick. |