How to Treat Cystic Acne and Find The Root Cause
Cystic acne – those deep, painful pimples that seem to take the longest to go away. They are extremely inflamed, and they manage to get even worse when you try to pop them. Many of us dealt with cystic acne in our teen years and used harsh creams or even Accutane to heal it.
But surprisingly enough they can come back at any time and age. Commonly they will resurface in your 20s and 30s, sometimes even 50s. These painful breakouts leave us frustrated thinking those days were long behind us and searching for answers.
Cystic acne needs to be acted upon right away, it is not something you want to wait out as it can linger for years and lead to major scarring. We are here to answer all of your asked questions and help you find answers to heal your own skin.
How Does Cystic Acne Form
Cystic acne is formed when oil ducts become clogged and infected. The infection goes deep into your skin causing the area to become inflamed, red, tender, and many times painful. The cyst is full of pus but if not extracted properly, the infection can spread creating more cystic breakouts.
Common areas of cystic acne can be your face, chest, shoulders, arms, and back.
Common Causes Cystic Acne
- Hormones
- Clogged pores
- Menstrual cycles
- Pregnancy
- Menopause
- PCOS
- Diet
- Genetics
- Stress
- Allergies
- Using the wrong skincare products
There is no one root cause for cystic acne which can make it difficult for people to start healing. A holistic review of your lifestyle needs to be done in order to start narrowing down the direct links.
Considerations When Suffering With Cystic Acne
We need to ask ourselves a series of questions when searching for the root cause or causes of cystic acne. Our example questions below are a great place to start!
- Could certain birth controls be contributing?
- Is my diet high in processed sugars, fried food, high carbs, hydrogenated oils (vegetable/canola/safflower)
- Am I exfoliating correctly and with a product that is right for my skin
- Is my skincare routine targeting and healing my cystic acne?
- Am I using too many oils on my face?
- Am I using coconut oil on my face?
- Do I need to get allergy tested by the doctor?
- Am I washing my pillowcase once a week?
- Do I need to slow down and find additional ways to reduce stress in my life?
- Am I washing my face to too hot of water?
How to Get Rid Of Cystic Acne
There are a few steps that will contribute to the healing process. What’s most important is to be patient. Cystic acne is an infection and will not disappear overnight, but there are ways to speed up the process and quickly reduce any signs the pimple existed.
- Make sure you are washing your face in lukewarm water, NOT HOT. When washing with hot water you are “burning” your face causing it to become more inflamed and irritated, extending the healing process.
- Check all of your hair, skin, face, and makeup products against our pore clogging ingredients to make sure those are not contributing to the cause.
- Get plenty of sleep, we recommend 7-8 hours. Sleep helps balance your hormones which many time are a big cause of cystic acne
- Exercise to naturally detoxify your body and get your lymphatic system moving
- Diet- focus on a low-glycemic diet and one rich in vitamins & nutrients, fiber, healthy fats and high quality proteins. Avoid foods that contain processed sugars, dairy, caffeine, fried and fast food.
- Manage stress – find ways to slow down and reduce stress such as walking, meditation yoga, journaling, and resting
- No popping! Picking at your cystic acne can take the healing time from days to weeks to years in severe cases. Plus it can actually cause you to breakout even more!
- Ice Packing – Apply a cold compress or ice pack 10-15 seconds at a time to your cystic acne to immediately decrease the redness and size
- Wash your pillowcase – bacteria from your body and hair can sit and spread on your pillowcase making acne worse. We recommend washing weekly with an acne safe detergent – we recommend DoTerra OnGuard Detergent, Tide Free & Gentle, and Up & Up Free and Clear (Target Brand)
- Find the right skincare routine – we listed our favorite products below for ridding your skin of cystic acne
Product Recommendations
Gentle Facial Cleanser for Cystic Acne-Prone Skin
Mandelic Acid Serum for Cystic Acne-Prone Skin
Stem Cell Moisturizer for Cystic Acne-Prone Skin
All products can be found here – https://clearstemskincare.com/
