Cystic acne is something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. In fact, maybe I would, because it is a B*****.
If you are dealing with cystic acne then you already know that it can be an uphill battle to get rid of.
Nonetheless, with a little patience and understanding, most times you can absolutely get rid of acne or at least manage it. In my own case, I found myself spending hundreds of dollars on frivolous products, constantly changing my skincare routine, being inconsistent, and watching my self-esteem go out the window.
Today, almost three years later , despite the lingering texture and collection of fading acne scars , my skin has finally returned to a somewhat normal and healthy state but I would have never made it this far with my skin without a few personal holy-grail products and important steps taken.
So let's get it into it-
1 Get blood tests done ASAP
This step is so important! Acne is a trigger that something in your body is not 100% well and if you don't understand where that trigger is coming from you will add a lot of extra stress, money, and time with acne to your life. If you are in a position to see a doctor and request tests you absolutely should.
Tell them to give you the works. Check hormone levels, vitamin levels, gut health , anything you can get!
I was able to get a pretty complete and comprehensive panel of tests with my insurance for less than $30 with the exception of some specific vitamins. Vitamin D was one of the things I was low in, however the true issue lied in my gut. My gut was compromised by H-pylori and intense candida .
2 Grapefruit Seed Extract
I am convinced (no evidence 😅) candida or other gut issues are the culprit for many people that have stubborn elongated acne. So if that is you , GSE Extract could really help. I use GSE still today when I feel breakouts brewing from poor diet choices or just maintenance. I found GSE to be easy to take compared to things like oregano oil and the taste is very mellow.
GSE shouldn't be taken for long periods of time and if you do plan to take it be sure to consult with a doctor and do your own research.
How I take GSE:
3x or 4x the Suggested Dose per day until bottle completed . Normally I add drops to just water or tea. I have tried the nutribiotic brand below (clickable) in both liquid form and pill form. Also take probiotics with this as it kills bad and good bacteria from what I understand.
3 Probiotics
Wait! Before you roll your eyes because you have heard probiotics a million times, just hear me out.
I tried probiotics a decent number of times throughout my skin journey and thought they weren't helping, but it was really just me! Now I am sure this was a HUGE gamechanger in repairing my skin.
What I did wrong:
I wasn't consistent
I never considered the specific strains of probiotics
My probiotic CFU count was to low
How I take Probiotics:
The strains I look for now are Rhamnosus (for gut/H-pylori) and Lactobacillus Acidophilus (for acne) but this could be tailored to your specific problems based on blood tests or presumed acne causes.
CFU 40 billion (as opposed to before when I was taking strains with half the CFU.)
I have taken them consistently for 3+ plus months and started seeing positive results after about 1.5 months.
The brand I use is from french Amazon (BIO CULTURES Complex by Nutra vita) but below is what seems to be a .com alternative (never used myself) .
4 Turmeric "Soap"
I put soap in quotations because I actually just mix pure turmeric powder with MCT oil (without lauric acid, linked below) and use that as an oil cleanser. I have been using MCT Oil as a replacement for all oils and moisturizers because it is one of the few oils that doesn't feed fungal based (candida) cystic acne. After a few weeks of using this oil mixture, I saw dramatic improvements in my acne scarring hyper-pigmentation and I think it helps with actives in general.
One thing to keep in mind is that turmeric can be grainy and exfoliating when to much is added which could be abrasive for the skin and irritate.
Some people swear by turmeric bar soap, but I am just very weary of added ingredients I don't know about on my skin (acne PTSD I guess) so I felt better to be safe and simple , but might be worth a go if oil cleansing is not your preferred method! Turmeric is also just good to add to your drinks and food!
5 Salicylic Acid
Not going to lie, it took me awhile to jump on the salicylic acid train but I must say, i think i like it. I'm on month 2 or so and I plan to keep using it!
How I use Salicylic Acid:
2/3 Drops every morning and night after cleansing
I hope this little list can help someone out there because I know all to well the Acne struggle!
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