Help, cystic acne :(

hollygirl · 10-03-2005, 05:13 PM

Hello all~
I am writing in hopes of some advice. I have been having increasingly worse acne over the last few years and I have tried everything, and I mean everything. I am now at the point where I wonder if anything will work on me. I have slight chin hair that I take the electrolysis route for, and she had said when something is caused by underlying reasons (like PCOS), it becomes virtually impossible to treat the problems that come with it. I wonder if that is true for acne. I want to just give in to expensive methods, but then wonder how that would work once the hormones kick in again? Anyway, does anyone have any feedback? I would so much appreciate it!!

AmericanWoman · 10-03-2005, 08:43 PM

If you have true cystic acne, deep deep deep ones that don't make a head...and hurt..and leave marks..you need a dermatologist. They start off with anti-biotics and move to Accutane as a last resort. Been there, done that....argh.

PM me if you want. Hugs.

Ophelia1920 · 10-04-2005, 01:21 PM

I have cystic acne also - on my chin, neck, and back. I have come to the conclusion that it is never, never going to go away and I'm always going to need to take something for it. When I am on the BCP, that takes care of it. But since I'm TTC and off the pills, I've had to go back on amoxycillin (antibiotics). Not that I like taking antibiotics long term, but except for the occasional zit they work GREAT. I did a round of Accutane when I was younger, but the acne came back (I don't think accutane is a permanent solution especially for cystic/hormonal acne).

Some people here have had luck with Evening Primrose oil, however you would probably have to take a lot of it and wait 2-3 months or more for it to work.

I read that high androgen levels can cause the acne, but my androgen levels were fine (not sure I completely trust that test since I have the symptoms of high androgens!). Have you had all your hormone levels tested?

What are these expensive methods that you are looking into, that you have not tried yet?