Cystic Acne: How I Stopped The Breakouts

We're not talking about a few blemishes during that time of the month. No, I'm talking about deep, inflamed, Cystic Acne. I'm not a dermatologist but after 10 years of fighting Cystic Acne, I feel the need to share my experience.


What it is:
Cystic acne is the most severe form of acne. Large, inflamed, sore, cysts develop deep within the skin usually on the cheeks, chin, forehead or upper back. Cystic acne breakouts can damage several layers of healthy skin tissue therefore resulting in scarring. For Cystic Acne sufferers each breakout is an embarrassing, upsetting and sometimes painful experience.


My Cystic Acne Experience
I started breaking out in my late teens and everyone said it was just hormones and it would pass as I got older. At 25 I was still dealing with these deep painful breakouts and couldn't figure out why.

I did everything to keep my skin squeaky clean. No touching my face. I kept my hair up and away from my face. I tried drying out the breakouts with acne fighting products. I tried moisturizing my face so as not to over produce oils.

I started going to dermatologists. They put me on antibiotics for a year. Frustrated with the idea of taking pills for possibly years to come and not knowing the real cause of my breakouts, I remember specifically asking my dermatologist if my Cystic Acne could be caused by something I was eating. She said "No." ...I didn't believe her and decided to end my dermatologist visits.

I started experimenting with my diet and pin-pointed the exact cause of my Cystic Acne... Dairy products! Once I discovered the culprit was Dairy, I immediately stopped all dairy. In two weeks my Acne was completely cleared and the breakouts had stopped. I was so happy I found the cause but sad that I didn't figure it out sooner.


I've had people say "Oh you probably just grew out of it."  Umm... no. That is entirely incorrect. How do I know? To this day if I eat an ice cream or drink a glass of milk within 24-48 hours I end up with 1-2 Cystic Acne Blemishes.

Although I've cut out almost all dairy from my diet, I'm not completely intolerant, I can handle a small amount of cheese on occasion but I avoid eating yogurt, sour cream, milk, cream cheese, cottage cheese, etc.

I've enjoyed a clear complexion for a couple of years now.



For anyone who suffers from Cystic Acne, seek several opinions from both professionals and others who have gone through the experience themselves. There are many causes of Cystic Acne, it could be something in your diet as it was in my case or it could be stress. You need to examine all possible culprits.

...And remember sometimes YOU are the best qualified person to treat your condition.