[ElJefe]

I had really bad acne when I was a teenager. Am thankfully free of most of it now.

But I still get a rather dire cystic acne on my cheek every other month or so. It's large, red and deep under the skin, so it's impossible to pop.

I wonder if it could be related to dairy in my diet?

Also, since it seems to occur in the same spot, should a dermatologist surgically remove it?

[RawGod]

It's probably a tumor.

[FretDancer]

I also tend to have a belief that diary is the cause of some acne on my back. I have managed to remove most of it but new pimples come out now and then, and curiously they do so on periods where I drink lot of milk or eat ice cream, which is not very often.

However, I have noticed that dermatologists don't really tend to agree that diary can be a real cause for this. So who knows...

[Denko]

Diet is overrated as a contributor to acne, especially cystic acne. Go to a dermatologist. Get antibiotics and a medication with azelaic acid as the active ingredient. 20% is the maximum concentration. Brand names are Finacea and Azilex, but it also comes as a generic. It's expensive and if your health plan doesn't cover it go to an internet pharmacy. I use Canadapharmacy.com in BC. If that's not the URL, it's close. They do require a prescription.

[fortysix]

I had bad acne as a kid until one of my moms friends recommended I take fishoil - that was at 17 years old. The acne got MUCH better, and everytime I stopped taking it, the acne would return. Try it out.

[scorpion]

Dairy can cause acne. Whether this is due to something intrinsic to the dairy itself or whether it is a product of the hormones cows are being pumped with today is uncertain. All I can tell you for sure is that if you are consuming dairy products and regularly getting cystic acne, you need to cut dairy out of your diet entirely for at least 30 days and pay close attention to your skin. I can personally say with 100% certainty that dairy products cause cystic acne for me. When I ate dairy they were a regular annoyance, when I cut dairy out they disappeared entirely. The difference was not psychosomatic. It was obvious cause and effect.

Personally I believe that some people's body chemistry simply does not interact well with the hormones and antibiotics that float around in our modern processed dairy foods. So unless you go to the expense and trouble of acquiring raw milk and other hormone and antibiotic free dairy products, you should avoid it entirely if it's causing you acne, because that is not just a cosmetic problem either, it's indicative that your body is rejecting the food entirely, and you are probably suffering inflammatory effects internally as well, which can be very harmful to your long term health.

[aeroektar]

For me, dairy 100% causes cystic acne.

For all my life I drank milk, ate cheese, yogurt etc, and had shitty skin, would get cystic acne on my face, neck, and all over my back.

A year ago I went on gomad and the shit went out of control, at times I'd have 2-3 large cysts on my face, all over neck and back, it was fucking miserable.

When I finally connected the dots and totally cut out dairy, it all disappeared for the first time in my life, and further proof that it was dairy induced was the cyst that would pop up withing 12 hours of me having a substancial amount of cheese.

At least once or twice a month I have to have cheese. What happens now though, is that if I do have say a couple burger with one slice of cheese each, or a couple slices of pizza, a cyst will form under the skin, usually somewhere on my cheeks, but if I stay away from dairy from that point it never surfaces or gets bigger, it just shrinks and goes away.

Its all very fucking strange, but there's no doubt, I'm better off without dairy.

[komatiite]

I had that when I was 15 and used accutane. Cleared me right up but I luckily had no side effects.

Don't do it if you drink though. Ruins your liver

[Switch]

Cut out dairy entirely. Get almond milk instead. Even the sweetened version has less calories than milk and it won't fuck with hormone levels the way milk does. Same price too. Milk causes 95% of my acne and when I cut dairy for a whole week almost all acne disappears. Wish I tried cutting milk and cheese before going on accutane 2 years ago, but hey, that stuff really works well also.

Edit: my acne was never cystic thank god, but I did have it pretty bad.

[jimukr104]

You might have Rosacea...many doctors don't recognize it. Go read about it. By the way popping pimples can lead to scares. When you pop it you are more likely to get a hole in the skin as oppose to if you don't pop it the red mark will fade away in weeks.

Ironically azelaic acid is prescribed for Rosacea.

[ElJefe]

Well, I always thought that a pimple (not blackhead) is an infection, and like all infections it must be "lanced" and cleaned. I think popping is fine if you make sure to get everything out and disinfect thoroughly afterwards.

I will do the no-dairy experiment. Man, now I have to do my protein shakes without milk. CRAP!

[ThrustMaster]

I fought some acne as a young man back in the Pleistocene back then the treatment of choice was tetracycline. Nowadays I believe there are very advanced treatments like Retinol, might be worth a look? Also heard about a 30 day course of an oral that supposedly works well forget the name.

Best of luck

[Kieran]

Milk 100% causes acne in me, as does whey protein, particularly around the chin and jaw. I've noticed a clear correlation between eating lamb and acne too. No other meat causes me problems though (beef very slightly if I eat a lot of it for many consecutive days).

[Lance Blastoff]

There's a drug called Accutane that has amazing effects on the right people.
http://www.aocd.org/?page=Accutane

[Duke Castile]

Do you floss after every meal?

edit - do not even consider accutane. Horrible suggestion.

[RexImperator]

I always had the best results with Retina-A. Tetracycline screws with your gut.

[Phoenix]

Why don't they actually have scientific answers for this shit though? Its like the entire profession of skin researchers and physicians are useless sacks who are twidling their thumbs and collecting cheques.

People are left to talk amongst themselves about what the cause and solution might be, on internet forums, because they know a dermatologist will just shrug their shoulders and say "rub this shit on it, it might do something perhaps".

Put me in charge and I'll disbar the whole profession.

[eradicator]

it is possible you are not drinking enough water. Avoid touching your face with your hands, ever. Some soaps can dry out the skin, if you have extremely sensitive skin, like I do, use non antibacterial soap when you shower and wash your face. After you sweat and workout, be sure to shower right away, wash with warm water, rinse with cold water to close up the pores.

And drink more water.

I used accutane as a teen, and that really helped.

[Duke Castile]

This is what happens when you're consuming foods that are inflammatories and you're allergic to. Chances are great you eat foods with gluten, dairy, as well as sugar and probably drink alcohol.

I'm also guessing you don't floss.

Your body is reacting this way because your mitochondria are bombarded with all the bad shit you eat.

Accutane treats the symptoms (cystic acne) not the cause (bombarded mitochondria), and it causes severe damage to your liver. I would recommend adjusting your diet, water consumption, and hygienic practices. Not only will you clear up your acne problem you will experience a cascade of other health benefits also.

[Kieran]

Fisto, really interested to know how flossing affects acne.

[ElJefe]

Was on accutane when I was 15. Worked very well for me. Am 28 now.

The cysts are not bad. It's just a swollen, big-ass pimple I get every other month on my cheek, and it's too deep to pop.

Will give Fisto's suggestions a try. Thanks man!

[ball dont lie]

(12-22-2014 04:19 PM)Fisto Wrote:  

This is what happens when you're consuming foods that are inflammatories and you're allergic to. Chances are great you eat foods with gluten, dairy, as well as sugar and probably drink alcohol.

I would recommend adjusting your diet, water consumption, and hygienic practices. Not only will you clear up your acne problem you will experience a cascade of other health benefits also.

Quoted for truth.

I had bad acne in late high school mosty because my diet was shit and I was a lazy fatass for two years.

Took Acutane, all my acne disappeared, dieted and did hundreds of push-ups, body weight squats every day, drank lots of water. I immediately looked AND felt great. Stopped taking acutane, still feel good.

Sometimes I use pro-activ though since its pretty cheap. It has a lot of terrible things in it though, but I'm 33 and if Im out drinking, eating bad, working too much I get acne again. I think its my body letting me know shit has gone too far and I need more sleep, better food, more water, fruit, vegetables, etc.

[Lance Blastoff]

(12-23-2014 08:15 AM)ElJefe Wrote:  

Was on accutane when I was 15. Worked very well for me. Am 28 now.

The cysts are not bad. It's just a swollen, big-ass pimple I get every other month on my cheek, and it's too deep to pop.

Will give Fisto's suggestions a try. Thanks man!

You need to go through accutane every 7 years to maintain it's effects.

[Duke Castile]

Your mouth is a sewer. Its one of the most bacteria laden of any mouth in mammals.

When you don't floss you have many times more bacteria growing on all these rotting food particles stuck between your teeth and gums.

You swallow this all day and all night.

It gets in your blood, comes out of your skin mixing with oil and dirt.

(It is also one of the leading causes of heart disease)

It also bogs down your mitochondria and immune system.

Besides being a disgusting cesspool it makes your breath smell bad. If you don't floss your breath reeks now matter what you may think. People haven't told you but an hour after you brush your teeth (or less) your breath is awful.

I can kiss a girl and know whether or not she flosses.

I've also recommended flossing to many people with acne and just by doing that their condition improved dramatically or cleared up completely after about 12 days.

If you floss your teeth and your gums bleed, you basically have a bacterial infection in your mouth.

Smell the floss. It won't be pleasent.

It's a simple but huge step in self improvement.

I have no idea why people are too lazy to do it.

[Kieran]

Thanks, very interesting, I had no idea about any of that but it makes sense. Not many people floss here in the UK, in fact I don't think I've ever met one but I think I might start as I still get the occasional spot around the areas I shave. I presume simply brushing after each meal and using mouthwash isn't enough?