cystic acne gross! please help i'm desperate!!!!!

I am 27 years old and have cystic acne for at least 3 years. I have trie all the creams prescribed by my dermatologist and all the over the counter so-called miracles. NOTHING has worked. My dermatologist said the only way to get rid of the cysts is by taking oral meds. I can't do this because I am breastfeeding my 9 month old daughter. I get anywhere between 1-3 cysts a month and have not noticed it becoming worse when I eat certain foods. I clean my face twice daily and have not worn make-up for fear of making my nasty cysts worse. Nobody in family has a history of pimples much less cysts. My mom, dad, sister can count on one hand how many pimples they have had their entire life. How did I get so lucky? I used to be beautiful until these cysts invaded my face. When they first start I can feel a sharp needle like bump start on my chin and I'll leave it alone until it's too annoying for me to bear then I'll squeeze it until i annilate my face and yellow puss comes out (usually 5-7 days after it starts) and I'm left with a scab and still a small nodule that never goes away. So, my question to the Dr. is, Is there ANYTHING I can take while breastfeeding to get fid of this disgusting cystic acne?

cystic acne hhhheeeeelllllppppp!!! From mterhoelle on 2007-06-01
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I am 27 years old and have cystic acne for at least 3 years. I have trie all the creams prescribed by my dermatologist and all the over the counter so-called miracles. NOTHING has worked. My dermatologist said the only way to get rid of the cysts is by taking oral meds. I can't do this because I am breastfeeding my 9 month old daughter. I get anywhere between 1-3 cysts a month and have not noticed it becoming worse when I eat certain foods. I clean my face twice daily and have not worn make-up for fear of making my nasty cysts worse. Nobody in family has a history of pimples much less cysts. My mom, dad, sister can count on one hand how many pimples they have had their entire life. How did I get so lucky? I used to be beautiful until these cysts invaded my face. When they first start I can feel a sharp needle like bump start on my chin and I'll leave it alone until it's too annoying for me to bear then I'll squeeze it until i annilate my face and yellow puss comes out (usually 5-7 days after it starts) and I'm left with a scab and still a small nodule that never goes away. So, my question to the Dr. is, Is there ANYTHING I can take while breastfeeding to get fid of this disgusting cystic acne?
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Re: cystic acne hhhheeeeelllllppppp!!! From rishimba on 2007-06-03
Patient ID: Sex: Age: Nature of work: Habits:


Please answer the following questions in a descriptive manner after careful analysis and recollection of previous experiences and happenings.

1. Describe your main suffering? Also, describe the colour, disctibution, size, discharges and pains due to the acne.

2. What other physical sufferings do you have in your body?

3. What mental sufferings / feelings do you have associated with your physical sufferings?

4. What exactly do you feel when you are at your worst? Describe the sensation in your own words.

5. When did it all start? Can you connect it to any past event or disease?

6. Which time of the day you are worst?

7. What are the things which aggravate your suffering and which are those which ameliorate the same? Example- time, temperature, pressure, rubbing, washing, eating, tight clothing etc.


8. Do your think your sufferings have relation to any external stimuli (like, change of place) or any internal biological changes in the body, like, menses (in females)?

9. When do you feel better, during hot weather or cold weather, humid or dry weather?

10. Describe your general mental set up? Are you Moody, Arrogant, Mild, Agreeable Changeable, Nervous, Suspicious, Easily offended, Quiet, Arguing, Irritating, Lazy etc.

- How do you feel before or during a thunderstorm?

- Do you like being consoled during your tough times?
- Are you sensitive to external stimuli like smell, noise, light etc?

- Do you have any typical habit or gesture like nail biting, causeless
Weeping, talking to one self etc?

- How do you feel about your friends, family, your children and especially your husband / wife?

11. What are your fears and do you dream of any situation repeatedly?


12. What do you crave for in food items and what are your aversions?

13. How is your thirst: Less, Normal or Excessive?

14. How is your hunger: Less, Normal or Excessive?

15. Is there any kind of food which your body can’t stand?

16. Is your sweat normal or less or more? Where does it sweat more: Head, Trunk or Limbs?

17. How is your bowel movement and stool type?

18. How well do you sleep? Do you have a particular posture of sleeping?

19. Do you think you are able to satisfy your sexual desires in general?

20. Do you have any strange, peculiar or unusual symptom or feelings? How are you different from others?

21. What medications have been taken earlier by you to treat the diseases and do you have any particular symptom surfacing after the medication?

22. What major diseases are running in your family?

23. Describe, how do you look like? Describe your overall appearance.
(For Females)
24. If your menstrual cycles are not normal, please describe the irregularities, like pains, moods, flow type, clots etc.

25. What major diseases have you had in your life and when. Please write them in a chronological manner.

ANSWERS:
1. My main suffering is I used to have a beautiful face until this horrible cystic acne took over. They start out as a large pencil head sized nodule deep under the skin. It is a raised bump about 2-3 cm. When I press on it with my fingertip I feel a sharp pain like a pin sticking in my skin. They usaully take about 1 month to go away if I leave it alone but I am left with a tiny hard nodule that I can feel underneath the skin. If I squeeze and try to bring it to a head it will pop after about 4-5 days of rubbing, squeezing picking at it. Milky yellow-white puss comes out and there is usually a lot of it. Then it feels a lot better but no matter if I pop it or leave it alone I'm always left with a dark brownish red scar. I only get them on my chin area and don't get actual whitehead pimples. Just nodules under my skin.
2.I have sciatic nerve problems on my right side.
3.I am depressed about the way my face looks and how I have destroyed it by picking at the cysts. I feel ashamed and don't like going out in public with my husband and daughter because i feel everyone is thinking 'Ewww look at her face! That's disgusting!!!'
4.I feel worse whenever my husband comments on my 'craters' that I have created by picking so then I continue to pick, especially when I'm nervous, anxious or bored. I feel better once I pop them , like a sense of accomplishment.
5.I have had them for as long as I can remember - probably longer than 3 years. Not linked to any previous disease
6.It's worse at night or whenever I'm bored, anxious or nervous.
7.The things that aggravate my suffering are rubbing, squeezing, pressing, thinking about the cysts wishing I had clear beautiful skin.
8.I'm not sure if there is a relation to external stimuli - I had lived in hot, humid floria all my life. Maybe a hormonal inbalance-producing too much sebum??? I don't know.
9. I feel better in mild cool weather - 70 degrees with little humidity, althoough I love being outdoors i.e. fishing, boating, sunbathing...
10. I used to be carefree, fun-loving, spontaneous, happy, energetic. Now I'm agreeable, sensitive, quiet, easily offended, irratable, lazy, nervous at times, moody sometimes.
A. I feel calm an relaxed in a thunerstorm
B. I like being consoled
C. I am sensitive to external stimuli - smell, light & noise
D. I constantly bite my cuticles & nails and occasionally talk to myself.
E. I love my husband and daughter to death. My husbands mom I'm not crazy about - She's too forceful with my daughter wants to pick her up and hold her when clearly my daughter only wants me to hold her. She's has put draperies up in our house without my consent when my husband an I were on holiday. I am quite angry at my mother for starting to smoke and not take care of herself. She is going through a divorce with my stepdad and she started smoking for shock value. I am very angry at her for doing this.
11. I fear something happening to my family. I don't have a reaccuring dream.
12. I crave fruit - I love fruit and could eat it all day. I crave milk, sour foods, salads, salty foods on occasion and I love sushi and spicy foods. We don't eat junk food - only healthy non-processed foods.
13. My thirst when I was pregnant a year ago (daughter is now 9 mos.) was excessive. I would drink at least 1 gallon of water a day. Now I drink 2-4 glasses a day so definately Thirst is less.
14. My hunger is less-normal. I used to crave foods now I seldom do.
15. No foods my body can't stand.
16. Sweat level is normal
17. Bowel movements at least one a day, sometimes soft bowels and sometimes har ball-like bowels.
18. I go to sleep at about 11:00, wake up 2-3 times a night with my 9 mos. old and wake up at 7:00-7:30.
19. No, not able to satisfy my sexual desires. I feel fat and am very unhappy with the way I look.
20. No strange feelings or sympotms.
21. I have taken Retin-A, Benzaclin, and recently taken Brevoxyl 4% and Finacea 15% because I am BREASTFEEDING it limits my as to what I can take orally and topically. Please know this as I do not want to harm my daughter in any way.
22. Parkinson's disease runs in my family.
23. I am 5'1' an weigh 123 lbs post-pregnancy. Prepregnancy I weighed 104 lbs. very toned an healthy. Now I feel like a fat blob- you can see the cellulite on my stomache, legs and butt. it's GROSS and i feel gross and unkept.
24. i am BREASTFEEDING so I do not have my cycle back yet.
25. no major diseases.