Natural Remedies for Cystic Acne

Dietary Changes

Posted by Miss Lori (Charlotte, Nc) on 12/01/2012
★★★★★

I've recently learned that after over 20 years of experiencing acne/cystic acne breakouts that excessive consumption of milk was the culprit. I love milk and drank it with most meals and also drank it just because. My sister shared with me that when my niece stop drinking milk it helped her acne breakouts(and yes my skin sensitivites are hereditary, also somethign to consider), so I put it to a 2 month test and low and behold I only have the usual "lady time of the month" breakouts. I'm now testing drinking no more than 2 cups per week and so far so good. I'm so happy that I can stop using & taking prescription meds(Retin A Micro was the only one that worked best for me & has yet to be recalled and been using as needed since age 10). Oh.... and to add, Soy & Almond milks are nasty to me.

Cystic acne is just something trying to escape your body that not agreeing with it. I always knew this and have took this long to pinpint what exactly my body was reacting to, but better late than never! Now I just use oatmeal soap (Sappo Hill Brand from local healthfood store) to wash my face and witchhazel as an astringent and a light moisturizer when needed.

So don't believe all the hype that acne is just bacteria, it's more than that. Your body may be reacting to something that's being put into, just take the time to figure out what it is. Hopes this helps someone....

Lava Soap

Posted by Skin Reborn (West Coast, Ca) on 11/14/2012
★★★★☆

All my teen years, I had horrific acne. All kinds, tiny specks to giant cysts. All was due to poor diet. All treatments worked for a few weeks, then didn't help anymore. Witch hazel, noxema, aloe, medicated pads, oxy... So, one day I use my two brothers Lava soap they used after working on motors in the garage. That lava soap didn't cure my acne, but reduced it to half what it had been. Best - not a single scar. Photos from before are terrible, from after is skin like new. Today almost 60 yrs old, and still get compliments on baby-like smooth face skin. It didn't burn or hurt, just exfoliated r-e-a-l-l-y well.

Honey

Posted by Ancilla (Kansas City, Kansas, USA) on 11/14/2012
★★★★★

I just tried this remedy last night. I went out to buy organic, raw honey and applied it before I went to bed directly onto the cyst. The exact same thing as you experienced occured: the pain subsided (! ) and the 'knot' beneath the swelling is gone. That's a signficant amount of healing overnight. I should have used also cinnamon. I will try that asap. Thank you for sharing this awesome remedy! It worked way better than the apple cider vinegar! I just wish I hadn't picked at it earlier yesterday and the night before because now I have a scab that has to heal yet as well. Hopefully it will be gone by one week from today!

I think this raw honey trick works because the honey works as an antibiotic, but the raw honey has, I think, properties that work as a natural steroid.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Lowstomachacid (NY, NY) on 10/28/2012

I just have to tell all of you who are seeing results from ACV, this may be because you have low stomach acid and the ACV is helping you digest fats better so they're not ending up in your blood stream and then your skin. I just began taking HCL supplements and my face is starting to get better. It's not great but finally it's starting to look better. A few years ago I had stomach problems and took Nexium and then had a huge acne outbreak. It wasn't until I googled and googled that I found out that low stomach acid causes acne. I just went off the birth-control pill and I'm finding myself with awful cystic acne all over my chin, cheeks, forehead even above my eyes! And they all hurt. It's been rough. I know the problem is internal and I know I have other symptoms of low stomach acid so I just started this new regimen of a pill with each meal. Using ACV was on the list of other options to use if you have low stomach acid so that may be your problem as well if taking it orally is helping to clear up your face. I'm going to increase my dosage of HCL and also start using the ACV as a toner. Hope this works!

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Tappr8 (New York, Ny) on 08/31/2012

Both of those things happened to me after traveling to Costa Rica... I wonder if they're related at all?

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Anon (Detroit, Mi - Michigan) on 06/03/2012

i read a post that said to use _____ Apple Cider Vinegar as a toner.. I just have one question... Is it suppose to tingle? Sometimes it even stings a little. Ive been battling cystic acne ever since high school but its gotten worse over the years. Tried ever otc product that exists and nothing works so im trying something different this time around... I wash my face with nubian queen black soap... And apply the acv... I then moisturize with ambi acne cream... So ive only been doin this for a couple days now... ill le you know my results soon.

Vitamin B

Posted by Ashley (Vancouver, Bc) on 05/24/2012

For the past month I have had terrible trouble with Cystic acne. The type that is painful, then itchy, then becomes a large hard red bump, then will become squishy and filled with puss that is "popable" but will leave a nasty red mark for a week (if you're like me and pop it). I was on minocycline in the past but do not have the money to buy such medication and was really looking for something that was a more natural remedy. I tried all the natural topical treatments, such as Apple cider vinegar, turmeric, regular astringent, and clearasile benzile peroxide ointment.

I knew I needed something internal to do the trick, so I started taking vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid) its actually a vitamin that breaks down fat, carbs and protein and also helps with acne. I've been taking it for 2 weeks now and all my previous cysts have gone away and all the ones that I could feel under this skin are starting to get smaller! I'm so happy! I also started taking Zinc which is very similar to B5! I did take some vitamin c but I didn't get "instant" results like some did, then again the vitamins need sometime to kick in and have your body get used to them. If you have acne like mine I would 100% suggest an internal medication such as these vitamins! They work wonders, are natural ( I found mine in the organic section of superstore) and help keep a healthy body! Hope this helps!!

Oregano Oil

Posted by Skep (Charlotte, Nc) on 04/10/2012
★★★★★

For cystic acne, clean your face really well with a mild cleanser... But it must clean off your OIL.. That is what the bacteria likes to eat. Then use a moisturizer with feverfew in it.. Do this 3 or 4 times a day, depending on your oil production. Take WILD OIL OF OREGANO.. 4 drops in 4 oz. Of water.. 1 or 2 times a day. Stay away from all sweet tasting foods... Even sugar free gum. No STARCHY carbs, no potatoes, rice, but sprouted breads - organic- and low glycemic noodles are okay in limited amounts. NO SUGARS, no vegetable oil fried foods. Just use a little butter to saute, if necessary. I have discovered for my son that he really can't handle carbs and sugars. Just staying away from wheat didn't help him and he still broke out. LOW GLYCEMIC FOODS ARE GREAT! ... DO THIS and you should see a difference... Hope this helps... We have had a horrible 3 years. Light ahead!!

Bee Pollen

Posted by Margie (Austin, Texas) on 04/04/2012
★★★★★

For those of you that have problems with cystic acne, you should try this. Buy a bee pollen complex that has pollen, bee propolis, and royal jelly that is 1000 mg. This cured the acne on my husband's back and for a couple other people I recommended it to. I discovered it by accident and upon doing some research found that it is a blood purifier which is why it probably works.

Dietary Changes

Posted by Littlewing (Boston, Ma) on 03/04/2012
★★★★★

I had the same result years ago when I cut refined sugar out of my diet. I had huge incredibly painful plantar warts on my feet. I gave up sugar to lose weight and realized a few weeks in that the bottom of both feet had completely cleared and the warts never came back.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Deltagirl (Portsmouth, Usa) on 02/12/2012
★★★★★

have been struggling with Cystic Acne for a couple of years now-and nothing has been working. It has been horrible. A few weeks ago I had three start to form on my chin - I felt the painful tenderness that precludes cystic acne. At the same time I was starting to catch a cold, so began to take my regular "shot" routine of organic Apple Cider Vinegar to ward off the bug. I noticed about an hour or so later that the pain in my chin had subsided, so decided to google for any link with ACV and cystic acne and found this site.

Have started drinking ACV regularly since finding this site and so far it appears to be working! (fingers crossed! ). I am totally ecstatic and hope that it continues! I bought the store's supply of ACV! Lol.

Vitamin A

Posted by Fellowsufferer (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) on 01/22/2012
★★★★★

For cystic acne, I know accutane helps, but it has a large amount of side effects. Accutane is only a chemically engineered version of vitamin A though, so I decided to simply take that instead. At first I took 2 in the morning and 2 at night, and it helped, but not as much as I would have like, so now I'm taking 3 in the morning, and 3 at night. It works so well!

Hope this helps!

Urine Therapy

Posted by Anonymous (Vancouver, Bc) on 01/16/2012
★★★★★

Before you ignore this you might want to try it if nothing else worked.. I have used this many times and it works quickly.. use a Qtip to catch a bit of your urine, dab it on your new pimple (or old) you may have to repeat this several times but you will notice almost a complete reduction on the first day! (research urine therapy if you think this is way out there. ) - wash your hands well as it gives less of a chance of you giving yourself pink eye on this delicate matter.

Saw Palmetto

Posted by Stacey (Dallas, Texas) on 01/09/2012
★★★★★

Around the age 30 I developed cystic acne concentrated on my chin. It took over 10 years for me to find what worked, spironolactone. Acne concentrated on the chin and jaw line are almost always hormone related. BC pills such as Yaz, Yazmin and Saffryal contain the equivalent of 25 mg of spironolactone. I take 100 mg of spironolactone plus Saffryal. BC pills alone, with spironolactone equivalents may work for some. Spironolactone is a prescription, Saw Palmetto is an herbal equivalent to spironolactone.

Alkalizing

Posted by Kimberly (Rancho Cucamonga, California) on 12/28/2011
★★★★★

Hello, Yes a change in the body's ph balance will help cystic acne. I am a Licensed Esthetician. I must say that I am not a doctor and it is not in my scope to medically treat and so on... I learned about all of this through my son having a very severe and embarrassing skin ailment. We went to doctors and tried pills, creams, etc. The only thing that worked and it worked fast too was antioxidant alkaline water. We used the 2.5 ph water directly on his shin and he drank lots of the 9.5 water to cleanse and detoxify the acidic environment inside which was causing the exterior problem. It really works!

Turmeric

Posted by Crystal (Salyersvile, Ky) on 12/23/2011
★★★★★

I cannot say enough about turmeric!!! It is the best stuff for any kind of skin conditions.. I had a lot of skin tags coming on and had started taking the turmeric for cystic acne and rosacea... And to my surprise the skin tags are barely feelable now.. And I only take one per day.. I have my aunts taking it for different skin ailments and its also working for them!!

Turmeric

Posted by Misha (Indianapolis, In) on 12/22/2011
★★★★★

Thank God for this site! I recently developed really bad cystic acne. I started to feel like Quasimodo or the Phantom of the Opera. My self-confidence was really low and I hated having to go out in public. I was dreading the thought of having to go to a dermotologist for expensive treatments or painful procedures that might not even work. So, I googled "cystic acne homepathy" and this site came up.

I read all of the raves about Turmeric, so I stopped at the store a few days ago and bought Turmeric capsules. I took 3 capsules before I went to bed and the next morning my cystic acne had healed at least 70%. I kept taking them (about 6 a day) and one cyst that I've had FOR MONTHS has flattened completely and other cysts are about 80-90% healed.

I tried facials, acne wash/creams, warm compresses, draining, and Turmeric is the only thing that has worked. I've also started putting Apple Cider Vinegar on the cysts and that seems to dry up the oozing.

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions! I can't even tell you how much it's changed my life.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Christa (Huntsville, Tx) on 12/19/2011

Sandra, thanks for the regimen breakdown. It helped alot. Had to find a stronger mixer than just water, but once I did, me and the ACV became friends. So happy to have found this site! Thx again!

Apple Cider Vinegar, Vitamin C

Posted by Christa (Huntsville, Tx) on 12/19/2011
★★★★★

Thank you to everyone who recommended the ACV or vitamin c to help with cystic acne. Here is my story. I've been suffering with bad cystic acne for the last 3-4 months and have spent much time trying to figure out what was causing it and how to fix it. I thought it was my Adderall causing it, but when I quit taking it, I was still breaking out, just at a slower rate. I finally based it down to hormonal changes caused by going off of birth control after having been on it for over 8 years, but adderall does seem to severly compound the problem, so for those with cystic acne that are taking that, it's something to think about. I graduated this December and didn't want to go to graduation with this horrible painful acne. I couldn't even get pictures done because of it. I found this site about a week before my graduation and started on a regimen of ACV and vitamin c to see if I could get the praiseworthy results so many have boasted on this site. I had little faith but it was worth a shot. Like many others have said, when you're desperate and you've tried everything else, you're willing to try just about anything that might have a chance of working. On the site, people seemed to recommend either the ACV or the vitamin c, so I decided to try the two together to see if I could get results fast! After just one night of using the ACV I woke up to better skin. The new huge cyst I had forming had been significantly reduced and the pain was gone, and my face as a whole looked better. My other scars, cysts and acne were reduced, less red, and my skin really did look brighter just as someone else on here had said. I was amazed. I have since continued on my regimen and now my face is almost completely clear. And it's only been a little over a week! Now that's what I call results!

I have been on face medication (spironolactone and bactrim) from my dermatologist for over 10 years for milder acne but it wouldn't phase this new cystic acne I've been dealing with. In fact, I could almost hear the acne laughing at it. No OTC face products worked on it either, which makes since because this type of acne is caused by something inside you, not by surface oils or hygiene related causes. I did talk to my doctor about the ACV and vitamin c working and she said it works because it is changing the pH of the body. This is because both the ACV and vitamin c are highly acidic. (In the vitamin c packet that I take, it is the high amt. of vitamin C, a. K. A. Ascorbic acid that makes it work). I thought I had discovered something natural I could use during pregnancy but my doc said no, even on the ACV. It's too potent. So much for that idea, but I can still use it until that time comes, and can still use it on my face when pregnant. She said you just can't drink it if pregnant.

I would recommend anybody with cystic acne to try this out. It has worked great for me. Also, a benefit to using both the ACV and vitamin c together is that the ACV is cheap which saves you from spending so much on the vitamin c, and the vitamin c tastes better, which saves you from having to drink so much of the ACV. To those of you having trouble downing the ACV, I feel you. I don't recommend diluting it with water as many others have. You guys must have mild mannered taste buds. I tried the water thing, and threw up. I have found that mixing it with Hawaiian Punch (most flavors work), or V8 Splash helps me get it down. They are strong flavored and have a sort of twang alredy which helps mask the ACVs twang. It is truely some gnarly stuff!

Here is my regimen:

Drink 1-2 tbs ACV morning and night

Drink 1 pkg or tablet of vitamin c in afternoon

Spot treat cysts with straight ACV holding on each one for at least 10 seconds

All over face with a 50/50 water dilution of ACV as a toner

You can also mix it up and do the vitamin c morning and night and drink the ACV in the afternoon. Just play with it. I would start out being aggressive with it and back off slowly until you get to a maintanence point.

Good luck and I hope this helps!!!

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Leilani (Boston, Ma) on 12/10/2011

Elle and Aya!! I have had cystic acne since puberty... Its been getting better (im now 21) but still comes around every week or every other week.. And when it hits it hits hard and everywhere :( I have been traveling with my parents overseas since I was pretty much able to walk.... Hawaii, new zealand, australia, europe, carribean islands, I live on marthas vineyard.. Which I guess is overseas.. Mexico and costa rica too! My younger sister has PERFECT skin... Maybe an occasional whitehead... Me, being older have traveled more than her and to certain countries she's never been! I will try googling different search terms that correlate with foreign countries and cystic acne.. Maybe its a bacteria/skin disease one can literally catch from the water out there that the natives are immune to! Who knows... But this is fascinating.... I take ACV internally on occasion, but am going to use it as a toner RIGHT NOW! Thank you all! And also... Does anyone have any good alternatives to A____ tablets? ones without artificial sweeteners? I also have bad constipation... The best thing for me (because laxatives are terrible for you) are stool softeners... Docusate sodium (dulcolax makes the most effective ones) I eat oatmeal every day and occasionally use the leftover on my face! Great for drying up whiteheads and helping draw up the cysts. Maybe ill mix some ACV with plain yogurt and oatmeal! SO GLAD I found this site! I'll be posting more of my remedies while using ones I find here as well!

Maca

Posted by Lidia (Fullerton, Ca) on 12/06/2011
★★★★★

Throughout my life, I've had several bouts with cystic acne. This last one seem to have lingered quite a while (2 mos) and none of my skin care tricks was working (I'm a lic. esthetician).

I then came to the conclusion that it must be caused by something hormonal rather than an overgrowth of bacteria and clogged pores. I started taking 1 tsp of Maca powder in orange juice and in 5 days my skin had cleared.

I got lazy about taking it (it doesn't have the most pleasant taste so perhaps I was avoiding it) and my skin began to break out again. I started back up on my regimen of Maca powder in orange or apple juice and within 3 days my skin had cleared again.