Give me your best home treatments for adult cystic & non-cystic acne

[Ameena]

I'm tired of looking like a teenager with a face {and body} full of acne! I'm 28, and it's worse now than it ever was when I was a teen. When I was a teen it was just a few cycstic ones here and there plus a bad case of normal acne, but now it's really increasing.

 

I've tried the no dairy - didn't work. Tried prescription meds {retin A, tetracycline oral, and clindamyacin gel all used together} as a teen - didn't work. Tried BC as it gets worse with my cycle - BC made it worse. Tried frequent face washing, gentle cleaners, astringent - didn't work. The only time it seems to clear is when I am SICK or have a fairly high fever - then it disappears until a few days after the fever breaks normally, and I have great skin during those few days.

 

I'm at my wits end, and I am beginning to hate my skin & appearance. I haven't made a youtube video in months because my skin has been so bad that I don't want others to see me like that.

 

I'm willing to try just about anything to get rid of this acne, or at least lessen it. Over the counter is better, as my insurance considers acne meds / treatments to be "cosmetic" and doesn't cover them at all.

[GWOB]

I too have cystic acne at age 33. I've tried every single thing available on the market. I've tried altering my diet to no avail. The only thing that clears up huge zits with their own gravitational pull is Neutrogena's Rapid Clear Acne Eliminating Spot Gel. I notice a difference within 8 hours.

[Elfknitter.#]

Water. Lots and lots and lots more of water. Regular exercise too.

[BugsMama]

Zinc :) There was a thread about Zinc a while back.

[Night Elf]

I'm assuming you've tried benzoyl peroxide? My son was given antibiotics but they didn't help him. Once we stopped those, he washes his face with a salicylic wash twice a day and applies benzoyl peroxide each time. At night, we put Retin A on one area of his face because we're trying to fade red scars but I read it can take months to work. My son always has some active zits but they are no longer all over his face. There are only about 6 at any one time. That's a huge improvement over what it used to be.

[alisonf3]

I started having acne at 30 and it was very difficult to get it under control. What finally (5 years later) works me is washing with Cerave face wash, using bragg's apple cider vinegar once a day as an astringent, and putting honey on as a mask for 30 min. twice a week. I didn't find all of these at once, but the combination has kept my skin clear for nearly 10 months. I do still get one a month from hormonal fluctuations.

 

Also, the off brand apple cider vinegar did not help. If your face seems too red from that back off to a couple of times a week. I had to stop during the winter when we also had the gas heat on, it was too drying. Cerave makes a moisturizer that I have used, too. But any extra moisture seems to be a problem for me.

[Melenie]

I have had acne since the age of 11 and have tried it all; Retin A, hormone pills, Proactive, diet change (taking things out, putting others in), antibiotics, facewashes etc. Everything works for a short while, but nothing has worked long term. The last 3 months I have tried a new route, all natural cleansers and my skin is looking much better than it has for a long time. Granted, I have only been doing it for 3 months, but so far I like the results and I am hopeful that it will work for some time.

 

Some of the causes of acne, cystic or otherwise are:

1. Overactive oil glands.

2. Excess dead skin cells that clog pores.

3. Bacteria on the skin.

 

I do the following to help combat the above naturally:

OCM – Oil Cleansing Method helps to reduce the amount of oil the skin makes. It sounds crazy, but by adding oil to your skin (the right oil), you stop the skin from over producing oil. Store bought cleansers strip the oil from the skin and the skin automatically produces more to compensate. By using the right oils on your skin, you bring the oil production down. That is number 1 taken care of on the above list. I do the OCM at night time.

 

In the mornings I take care of number 2 and 3 on the list. I exfoliate my skin with baking soda. A teaspoon on my hands and, I wet it in the shower and scrub lightly all over my face and neck where I have acne. This removes the oil from last night as well as the dead skin cells and bacteria build up. That is 2 and 3 taken care of. After I wash my face, I use Witch Hazel as an astringent. This helps to retain the skins moisture and it closes the pores.

 

I have naturally oily skin. I use no extra moisturizers. Even sunscreen is a “no-no†for me. Hats are my best friends in the sun especially since I live in South Florida.

My method might not work for those with less oily skin, but if you read up on the OCM, you will see how you can adjust the oils to suit each skin type. I use 1 part Jojoba oil and 2 parts Castor oil.

 

Along with the above, I also do plenty of water and mostly a whole food diet to help things from within.

 

ETA: I forgot to mention, I use Teatree oil on my pimples as they appear. This helps to dry them up and is both an anitseptic and anti-bacterial. This helps with number 3 on the list.

[Starr]

We use Teatree oil too but vinegar would be cheaper.

[Ameena]

Drink water, moisturize, http://www.mariobade...uffering-lotion , drink water.

That buffering lotion from Mario Badescu is fantastic and lasts a very long time.

 

 

I've heard it's wonderful & even got some free samples to try, but when I looked into it I found they use peanut oil in a lot of their products, including the buffering lotion. I'm allergic to peanuts, so can't use their stuff.

 

FYI for anyone else wanting to try their stuff - they do offer free samples!

[mrs.m]

Mine went away when I started exercising regularly and using a day & night cream that I picked up at Aldi. I also switched to Everyday Minerals foundation around that time.

[mytwomonkeys]

aside from lots of water, diet, & exercise - i would also google the benefits of pure MSM (a type of sulfur) with Vitamin C. that is excellent for acne (if you google it, you will see people with cystic acne sharing their experience). i do not have breakouts, but i take this combo for my skin & hair and love it!

 

my daughter has been struggling with breakouts & she takes MSM, vitamin C, and vitamin A daily. she also moisturizes daily. her skin is oily, and she has to moisturize with oil free moisturizer for sensitive skin. this is so important. oily skin needs to be moisturized and will balance itself out this way. this has helped her tremendously.

 

we also like this aztec healing clay mask mixed with ACV & reviewers say it helped with their cystic acne. it clears up my daughter's blackheads beautifully & i love to do it once a week as well.

 

lastly, i've read good things about the acne.org regimen.

 

one other thing. when your face clears up during sickness and fever, i wonder if that has to do with the lack of food you are taking in? perhaps it is something in your diet that is causing a reaction? just a thought.

[tex-bex]

I'd go farther with the diet. If just dairy didn't make a difference, then dairy is not your issue. I'd delve further into an elimination diet. :)

[Kim in Appalachia]

I finally found a routine that is starting to work for me.

 

I was my face 2x's a day with Clearasil Daily Wash. The wash needs to stay on your face for at least 30 secs, my dh leaves it on for over 2 mins (he has always had very oily skin). At night, after the wash I use a toner by Neutrogena. I then use Cera Ve Pm moisturiser. You must use a moisturiser. Drying out your face can make it worse.

 

Once a week (up to 2x's now) I use Oil of Olay's Micorderm scrub peel system. That stuff is the best. Order it from Drugstore for the best price.

 

I am finally cutting down on they acne, especially the cystic kind. It still happens, but it's much better.

 

Good luck. It's very annoying to be getting older but still having teenage issues.

[sarah1615]

My husband has cystic acne too and he tried a lot of different remedies, but the only thing that seems to consistently work is sulfur ointment. We get this one from amazon. It's cheap and it also helps me with my rosacea. We just wash our faces at night and apply a thin layer of the sulfur and leave it on overnight. Sorry you have to deal with it! I know how difficult it is to manage. My husband used to get all kinds of comments from people about it and he was very self-conscience. It's pretty rare for him to break out anymore as long as he's consistent with the sulfur.

 

ETA: I forgot to mention that he also uses Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar as a face wash/astringent. I guess it's the combination of vinegar and sulfur that does the trick for him.

[Ameena]

one other thing. when your face clears up during sickness and fever, i wonder if that has to do with the lack of food you are taking in? perhaps it is something in your diet that is causing a reaction? just a thought.

 

 

Nope diet is pretty much the same when I'm sick as when I'm not. It seems to be tied to having a fever - my thought was maybe the heat made it too hot for the bacteria in acne to live / thrive?

 

I'd go farther with the diet. If just dairy didn't make a difference, then dairy is not your issue. I'd delve further into an elimination diet. :)

 

 

Really hoping it isn't something else dietary. We already are on a restricted foods diet due to allergies & religious reasons. I have a list of about 15 foods that we can't eat currently :(

[lavender's green]

The paleo diet cleared my skin up really nicely. I'm only paleo-ish now, but my skin is still nice unless I eat an unusually large amount of gluten (large for me that is) or drink a glass of milk, in which case I'll break into cystic acne 36 hours later.

 

What made my skin even nicer after the paleo breakthrough was getting on a good skin care regimen. I don't mean "I tried X a while back and it didn't work," I mean "X, Y, and Z twice a day every day for a few months." These things take time and you can't just skip steps. I use Clinique, but I know some people find it too harsh. Get to a department store makeup counter and ask for help! They can recommend all sorts of products from cleansing to moisturizing to concealing.

 

If, once you've worked on diet and a daily regimen, your skin tone isn't as even as you'd like, get a good tinted moisturizer. I'm never going to have perfect Snow White skin, but with a tinted moisturizer I come close!

[Kalmia]

Tried antibiotics, Retin-A, sulfur wash, benzoyl peroxide alone. Nothing worked except Proactive and specific types of b/c pills which I don't want to take at my advanced age. But I have to be religious about following the Proactive directions and need to order an extra bottle of their cleanser (step one) as there is not enough in the regular order. There literature says it either works or it doesn't, so it might be worth trying a sample pack of some kind. There are drugstore brands that copy the three-part formula of Proactive. I haven't tried them. They are definitely cheaper.

[wapiti]

zinc (chelated)

 

LCHF way of eating

[Guest mikemantle]

I had cystic acne from when I was a teenager until I was 32. I thought I would grow out of it but there seemed no end in sight. I tried everything, medication, home remedies, diet, washing nothing seemed to help. The problem with cystic acne is it grows form the inside so washing your face a thousand times a day was pointless. Anyway I've been acne free for the last 6 month! I don't know why I have not seen this remedy posted anywhere else but since it worked so well for me I thought I should spead the word and hopefully if it works for you then everyone should spread the word!

 

It's cheap and easy. Cayenne pepper!

 

Everyday when you first wake up before you brush your teeth before you do anything get a glass warm / room temperature water, put a pinch about a quarter tea spoon of cayenne pepper in it and chug it down. Thats it.

 

I guess my body was holding on to toxins which would cause my acne. Cayenne pepper is a super food. It has a lot of health benefits and besides my acne going away I have also had more energy (I guess with the toxins out of my body)

 

A jar of cayenne pepper cost like $2 and will last for months. You should see results in less then a week. I think the 2nd day I noticed my skin was not as red. Anyway I hope it works for you. Everyone should try it. Google the benefits of cayenne pepper.

[Guest amari7987]

I suffered with cystic acne for 10 years before I found anything that worked. I tried everything short of oral medications and injections. Turns out what worked for me was in my kitchen cabinets the whole time.

The routine was based on my daily routine, it can be tweaked as needed. Everyone's skin responds differently to different things.

 

AM: Was face with equal parts apple cider vinegar and hot water. Liberally apply pure aloe.

PM: (Right before showering) Wash face with hot water and an organic oatmeal based facial soap, I use Grandma's Acne Bar. Mix equal parts honey and turmeric, I use a table spoon of each. Apply to face. Then I jump in the shower and let the steam do it's thing while I wash, washing my face last with hot water and a wash cloth. Pat face dry, rinse again with vinegar/water. Liberally apply aloe.

 

I always started both the am and pm treatments by laying a hot wet washcloth on my face for about 5 minutes. Don't know whether that makes a difference, though.

 

I seen a reduction in the size and soreness of bumps the first morning after I tried this, the redness persisted for a few weeks. I found that my skin was a little sensitive at the end of the first week just from the vinegar, only slightly though, nothing compared to the painful bumps. I pureed a cucumber and mixed it with a little green tea and left this on my face for about 20 minutes. Made a world of difference.

 

You may have to adjust the frequency of treatment depending on your skin's sensitivity to vinegar and the soap. Also, turmeric will stain clothes and skin. Supposedly the turmeric stain can be removed from your face with a mild toner but I never leave it on long enough to find out, usually just the 15 minutes or so that I'm in the shower. I would suggest starting the honey and turmeric on a weekend so the stain goes away if it happens. Everyone's skin will absorb the color at different speeds, so just be cautious at first.

[LibraryLover]

I'd consider Retin A again. Your skin may have changed since you were a teen. Retin A is good for all sorts of skin concerns (with few downsides). You do need to protect from the sun, however.

[Amy in NH]

My doctor gave me a prescription for oral Doxycycline to take when the cysts start each month.  I only have to take it for a day or two and they clear right up.

 

Apple cider vinegar helps some, but using an antifungal/yeast cream helps more.

[Alenee]

I've had great success with Mary Kay products.  The Timewise Beauty Bar for face wash and then the Blemish Control Toner 3.  I only use these once a day.  For make-up, I use Bare Essentials foundation and I notice on days that I don't wear it, I start to get breakouts. 

[kbutton]

Big mondo probiotics. I take Renew Life with 50 billion cultures. Or try lacto-fermented food. I have regular acne, not cystic, but when I went GF (as a result of an elimination diet), and I started taking a probiotic, my acne got a lot better. I can tell when I'm not taking my probiotic. My brother has cystic acne, and I think clean eating helped him a great deal--if you already eat well, you may need some "offensive" maneuvers in the form of supplements, etc. I would consider the idea that gut problems are at the root and possibly yeast/fungus. I would also consider the clay masks and oil cleansing routines too. I have oily skin, and if I take too much oil off, my body just goes into overdrive.

[Katy]

If you have really oily skin, ProActive or its knockoffs work well.

 

If your skin is dry with pimples and oiliness underneath a layer of very dry skin, this will work.

 

First, stop drinking soda.  Switch to water, but for the purposes of quick rehydration and your skin looking better by morning, use gatorade first.  Go to a store like Walmart.  Get two of those scrubby exfoliating bath gloves from the aisle with the bubble bath, a bottle of non-coated aspirin, a small container of cheap white vinegar, Ivory soap, a new tube of neosporin or other antibiotic treatment in vaseline, and a good exfoliating moisturizer (St. Ives Naturally smooth lotion with alpha hydroxy acid will be the cheapest option, Olay Regenerist night cream is a pricier one), and four liter size bottles of gatorade. 

 

Drink two bottles of gatorade over the course of the rest of the day.

 

After the kiddos are in bed for the night, wash your face using the scrubby gloves and ivory soap.  Take an aspirin and dissolve it in a tablespoon of water.  Use a cotton ball and rub it all over your face.  When it dries it will feel tight.  Rinse it off with water and use a cotton ball soaked in vinegar as a toner.  If your skin is sensitive, start with 25% vinegar and 75% water.  It will burn a little, but in the end it will reset the correct acid balance on your skin so that good bacteria can grow and bad bacteria will die. It will also strip a little of the dead skin cells off - the cells that are stopping up your pores and causing the acne. Next, for this night only, put on a mask of neosporin.  Thick.  It will seem so wrong to put something greasy on your face, but trust me you will see a difference by morning.  Finally, drink two more liters of gatorade before bed.  Yes, you'll get up two or three times to pee.

 

In the morning your skin will look better.  Wash the remnants of neosporin off with your fingers and ivory soap.  Use vinegar mixture as a toner and your lotion OR regenerist cream as your moisturizer.  This is your new skincare routine.  Wash your face, use vinegar as toner and use heavy moisturizer twice a day.  Avoid chemical sunscreens AND the sun for a while. You can do that initial scrub routine again if you want, but don't do it more often than once a week.

 

Drink more water. 2-4 liters per day.  Always have an extra glass before bed.

 

If you have dry skin with acne and you follow my routine exactly you will have visibly better skin by morning and people will be asking why you are glowing in less than a week.

 

ETA: I use distilled white vinegar, and sometimes I add lavender and rose essential oil to make it smell better.

 

ETA2:  I've recommended this to several friends with dry skin and adult acne, and it cleared up every single person's skin that tried it.

[solascriptura]

Cystic acne is a beast, isn't it? Before pursing prescription meds again, I suggest checking out Paulaschioce.com and her products.

[Mergath]

I tried all the home remedies and they did exactly nothing. ;)  For me, it wasn't just a matter of going on the pill, but finding the right one.  I tried a few different kinds, but when I went on Ocella (a generic of Yazmin) it cleared right up.  

[arnold]

I had the same problem. I tried EVERYTHING, diet, over the counter products, birth control, tea tree oil, changing my pillow case everyday, blah, blah, blah. Nothing worked. I finally went to my dermatologist. I'm in my mid 30 ' s and mine was specifically related to hormones, it was concentrated around my chin and mouth. Anyway, my Dr prescribed Spironolactone, and really it's been like a miracle. It's an off label use for the drug, and it's been wonderful.

[rmtzc2009]

Sorry your suffering, I have it too and it stinks!! My dermatologist said Proactive was a good OTC product. It didn't work for me. I used Spirnolactin (sp?) and it was only mildly effective. I now use a sulphur wash, a script topical cream (finacea) and a topical sulphur ointment. It's been a pretty effective. I know for me pop gives me bad flare ups. I've been gluten & dairy free with no improvement. I've also tried topical aspirin & topical tumeric with no improvement as well as ACV for a toner. I think it's trial & error unfortunately. Good luck!

[Liz CA]

Zinc There was a thread about Zinc a while back.

 

I remember someone recommended 90mg of chelated zinc a day. Perhaps worth trying.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

I had the same problem. I tried EVERYTHING, diet, over the counter products, birth control, tea tree oil, changing my pillow case everyday, blah, blah, blah. Nothing worked. I finally went to my dermatologist. I'm in my mid 30 ' s and mine was specifically related to hormones, it was concentrated around my chin and mouth. Anyway, my Dr prescribed Spironolactone, and really it's been like a miracle. It's an off label use for the drug, and it's been wonderful.

 

 

This is the first NEW thing I've read about adult female acne in a long time.  Thank you for the information, I'm making a note and calling my dr.  

[MedicMom]

I never had acne as a teenager but it drives me crazy as an adult.

 

The only things that have ever worked are Perfectly Posh facial products, which honestly have cleared it up almost completely.(full disclosure: I am technically a consultant but mostly for the discount because it really works well for me)

 

Spirinolactone is supposed to work quite well, but I didn't really see a difference with it. I know lots of people do though.

[ShellionessLove]

When I turned 40 my skin decided to turn on me. I had clear skin my entire adult life. No make up needed except mascara and lip gloss. Occasionally some foundation with light powder if I was going out. Well now instead of being the center of attention like I was, taking photos constantly of myself and others, animals, kids, whatever even the selfies which I have a lot of. Yes I was so proud of my Skin and my smile and confident, happy just anhuge ray of sunshine. I am now hiding indoors and not going to any outside functions, I’d i do go somewhere it’s at night because I still won’t wear make up. Even if I wanted to I can’t. I immediately start breaking out even more with makeup. So I stay natural with hope is faster more complete healing. I have developed acne, cystic acne, pimples and rosacea all at the same time I can’t believe this. It’s ruining

T skin because I pick of course. I never had them before

And I just picked and picked to make them go away leaving scars which I had no idea would be so hard to get rid of because I am older and don’t heal as fast. I have been turned away from jobs because of my skin, interviewers looking at me lilenice hotmsome kind of contagious deadly disease. One wouldn’t even shake my hand. Now I have never in my life had so many interviews in a one year span and not get one job. They were extremely interested in me and my resume until I arrived then I got the cold shoulder and notmwvwn a call back after I follow up. This is horrible and ruining my life. I have a 11 year old daughter that looks up to me and I now cry every day and dontnwant ro go our with family so I let her go so she can have fun but I stay home and breakdown because I am letting my child down too. I have found one thing that seems to work and it’s a so far so good situation. I felt the knots in and under my chin and jawline and even my cheeks. I said that stuff is like a ball under my skin. I need to loosen it up because it hurts so bad to a point of migraines. I have a oil of Olay vibrating face cleaner that I haven’t used because I can no longer use oil of Olay either which is a product I swear by as I used it for over 20 years and always had comments of how young I look and how pretty my skin is inalwasys said it’s thenoil of Olay. Now I stop using it along with this scene stuff and I’ve aged more in the last 3 years than I had in 20 whole years. It sucks. But anyhow sorry about that lol. Venting session. But I took the handheld vibrating cleanser tool and held it on my chin without the pad attached. It hurt so bad because these things are painful. But I just lifhrnesnip the pressure I was putting on my. Him and dealt with the pain. I literally held this thing on each cyst for about 5 minutes each then started going in circular motion all over them. Up and down, side to side circular and all that. To my surprise I actually relieved the pressure pain they give, I placed my hands on my chin and jawline and cheeks and just kinda ran my fingers by each area and I could notmfwel the nall any longer. All I felt was obviously

The left over remains after massaging them all and let me tell you, the next day they were 80% gone and no pain at all. I only did this twice a week because I didn’t want to cause more damage by a continuous method of spreading the stuff out in my face. That’s what I kept thinking I w doing anyhow. But this is something

Tha ia working for me and I do not develop as many cysts now. I might get an occasional one here and here but as soon as I feel the pain begin when it’s decides it coming to the deeper surface I start massaging. If I don’t have access to the oils of okay. I clean my hands and fingers real good and I take my fingertips and massage them. I literally grab the skin in whatever area it is and gently squeeze pressure massage the cysts. They go away. They don’t return very often but when they do. I get to massaging. I wash my hands. Gave and after massaging wash hands again. I then use coloidal oatmeal I make myself and mix it with warm/hot water only Purified and spread that’s on my face. I let it sit until completely dry and making sure normro wet da e or hands yet, I rub my hands on my face in circular motions. It actually buffs the skin, removed tiny hairs and blackheads. Makes a mess so do it outside Or over sink. The. Rinse off in Luke warm

Water continuing to rub in circular motion until all is off face then o made my own citrus mint toner with fresh everything and purified water. I put in spray bottle and spray all over

My face then use a dab of home made coconut oil and lightly rub into entire face paying special attention to mouth and eye area. Don’t want weinkles too lol. Once a week I use fresh orange peel and rub the peel on my face, leave for ten minutes rinse off with cool water. I also have began using a fresh lemon slice at night. I rub the so w all over my

Face and I am finally getting results. It has been theee years of trial and erro trust me. I have tried and researched he’d so many natural remedies to avoid chemicals and I can now do this as a icing. I cured my own rosacea within 3 months. So try these methods and if You are interested in my toner, facial Cleanser coconut oil and my rosacea cure email me at shellionesslove@gmail.com. I will give recipes for you. Let me know if this helps I would love to help others if it works for my od you. I am my first result and it’s amazing!!!!!

[ShellionessLove]

Can you post pics here??

[StephanieZ]

My son had medium bad acne with some of the cystic seeming stuff, but not nearly as bad as I see some teens. Nonetheless, the BEST thing we did was go to Accutane sooner rather than later. It's a serious medicine, but it took his skin from icky to baby's butt in a matter of a few months. Gone totally, and now he only gets a zit if he doesn't wash his face for days. 

[hornblower]

:zombie:  :zombie: zombie thread

[RootAnn]

:zombiechase:  Looks like a troll post on a zombie thread.

[Chris in VA]

On 5/29/2014 at 1:23 AM, arnold said:

I had the same problem. I tried EVERYTHING, diet, over the counter products, birth control, tea tree oil, changing my pillow case everyday, blah, blah, blah. Nothing worked. I finally went to my dermatologist. I'm in my mid 30 ' s and mine was specifically related to hormones, it was concentrated around my chin and mouth. Anyway, my Dr prescribed Spironolactone, and really it's been like a miracle. It's an off label use for the drug, and it's been wonderful.

I had one of my parathyroid out (there are 4 glands, fyi) and have had exactly this issue since. Thx for the info. 

[gingersmom]

6 years later and still being resurrected!

[MercyA]

nm! 🙂 

Edited June 18, 2019 by MercyA

[katilac]

Spam reported

[Amy in NH]

On 5/28/2014 at 3:09 PM, Amy in NH said:

My doctor gave me a prescription for oral Doxycycline to take when the cysts start each month.  I only have to take it for a day or two and they clear right up.

 

Apple cider vinegar helps some, but using an antifungal/yeast cream helps more.

Since it's been resurrected, I'm going to post an update on my previous post:

The Doxy did the trick.  I only took one or two Doxy per month each time a cyst started to form, for only 2-3 months, and they completely went away for ~6 years.  Wearing a mask made them come back this year, so I started the same treatment, and they are once again gone.

My PCP from 2014 retired, and my new PCP-NP had never heard of such a treatment.  I'm SO glad she was willing to go with it!

Edited January 11, 2021 by Amy in NH

[Rachael21]

These are some of the ways that I dealt with cystic acne. The cysts on my face were black and large. One of the natural remedies that I used was drinking beet juice. I used the brand Biotta. I started with 4 ounces a day. The next thing that I used was garlic. I cut a slice of garlic and put it on the cyst with a bandaid on top. I did this only at night. After two days, the cysts were softer. And by the third day, it drained out. Another thing that helped was doing colonics (I'm not a doctor, so research this first to see if it's right for you). I did these things because antibiotics did not work for me - in fact they made the cystic acne worse and they caused a lot of weight gain (probably because antibiotics destroy your good bacteria - I wish I would have know this before I took them). That is the reason that I tried these remedies. The last thing that I want to mention is that it is very important to control you stress. I didn't realize that when I first got the cystic acne, that it was caused by emotional stress. Unresolved anger can really hurt your body. I needed to change my perspective on the things that were hurting me because if not, I make myself vulnerable to disease. This was my experience.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Zombie thread

[Rosie Stevenson]

I've tried a lot of products to curb my acne/get rid of scarring and acne treatment dermalmd serum has shown actual progress. No irritation and it helps keep my face moisturized as well.

[Jean in Newcastle]

The zombie thread walks again.