Anyone else suffer from the occasional acne cyst? Your experience with the problem?

Yes and I get a perscription dabber medication from my doctor that helps them, when I use the perscription they are gone in a matter of a day or two. I would see your primary care dr and they will be able perscribe what will work best for your type of skin.

@creative1 What medication is that, may I ask? One of my doctors prescribed a cream called “Nerisone” for me, but it doesn’t seem to work, as the cyst is usually deep and unpenetrable under the skin. That’s what I find annoying——they’re hard to penetrate because they seem to be encapsulated, so creams and ointments don’t seem to help like they do on pimples.

I had a deep one form next to my nose when I was an undergraduate. They gave me antibiotics at the university clinic and it went away fairly quickly.

clindamycin phosphate topical solution, USP

@creative1 Thanks.
@hiphiphopflipflapflop Yeah, it’s the worst when you get them on your face. I have gotten them on my nose too, but usually they appear on my forehead. It’s unsightly and irritating. I hate it when I get them, and usually it’s before something important like a social function or job interview! Lol. Sigh.

@hiphiphopflipflapflop antibiotics are wonderful but you can’t stay on them for acne or you will become drug resistant when you really need them. If you have a regular issue with cystic acne you need something you can just put on that can solve the issue.

If you’re talking about the deep painful ones, yes, I do get one on occasion. Usually near my chin. I have yet to find a quick solution to getting rid of them. I used to be on antibiotics for them but stopped taking them due to my pregnancy. They did seem to lessen the amount of acne I got.

@creative1 just relating my experience.

@ItalianPrincess1217 I wouldn’t use the clindamycin phosphate topical solution, USP during pregnancy, its not recommended. But it maybe something to look into instead of going back on antibiotics, I used to get the deep ones in my cheeks and they would kill me this it the only thing that heals them quickly and I have tried alot.

I get them in the same spot on my chest once in a while. I apply a hot towel to it often for a few days until it comes to a head and then I peel the top off and squeeze it out. Astringent helps, but not if it’s already open.

Just for the record because I can’t resist, Clindamycin is an antibiotic (since there is so much talk about not using other antibiotics, I just wanted to point that out).

I’m horrible with things like this because I pick at them. If you can see a dermatologist, they should be able to prescribe something that would work best for what you have. Good luck.

OMG, yes. My freakin’ skin, let me tell you. If it’s not one problem it’s another. I have one of these cysts now that refuses to go away completely.. I think I’ve had it for 2 years now. I was supposed to have health insurance kick in at the beginning of the month, so whenever that happens, I probably need to have it removed.

The clindamycin was what I was prescribed when I first saw a doc about the issue. Most recently, when I was in Italy, I was prescribed gentamicin betamethasone cream and told to use a diluted amuchina solution (on a cotton pad, held on the spot for 5 minutes twice a day).

I think the clindamycin is more effective.

I thought it might be similar to what my SO gets on his back, so I looked up ‘acne cysts. Here is one description and a solution:

An acne cyst can appear similar to a nodule, but is pus-filled, and is described as having a diameter of 5mm or more across. They can be painful. Again, scarring is common with cystic acne. Squeezing an acne cyst may cause a deeper infection and more painful inflammation which will last much longer than if you had left it alone. Dermatologists often have ways of lessening swelling and preventing scarring, such as administering a cortisone shot. Link

Is this what you are experiencing? Does anyone know if this is the same thing or different from a boil?

I usually get about 2 or 3 a year. The worse ones occur on my forehead, and they’re usually quite firm and do not let up. They usually start as a painless bump the size of a dime, then grow to the size of a nickel. By that time it gets a bit sore and inflammed, but as hard as I try I can never “squeeze” anything out. It’s like it’s encapsulated——very stubborn thing. Once in awhile, pressing a hot wet towel on it helps, but more often than not it just makes it more inflammed and unsightly. So now I just try to leave it alone, but it often takes weeks, sometimes months before it disappears completely.

I find that I get these cysts when I lose weight. I used to be really fat when I was a small kid, so maybe that could be a reason I get these cysts as an adult. Remnants of my fatty childhood?

@MRSHINYSHOES I know I get them because I have issues with my hormone levels, have you ever had yours checked out? The warm compresses make them look worse but actually they are helping bring them to the surface, before the medication that was how I handled these, I get them at least once a month usually on my cheek, sometimes on my chin, rarely on my forehead but have had them there. The medication really has been a life saver now as soon as I feel the slightest bit of pain from one I start the medication and boom before I know it, its totally gone no more pain.