Cystic Acne – The Toughest Of Them All!

‘Mirror, mirror on the wall, which acne is the toughest of them all?’ – Cystic Acne.

If you are unsure of what this is or what these look like, think of that time you were travelling to college and you felt a sharp, throbbing sensation on your chin and you knew something was up. The only respite? The thought that this forthcoming bump would at least not be visible to the public. The inflammations that occur deep within the skin and come with a ‘warning’, whether as a single zit or in clusters, are known as cystic acne. You will find that cystic acne occurs mostly during your menstrual cycle and are often induced by hormonal imbalances.

To make matters worse, they cannot be squeezed out for symptomatic relief or cured overnight with OTC products. With just a little bit of patience and care, you can battle cystic acne in no time just like Emma Stone did. Here’s how –

• A paste of apple cider vinegar with copious amounts of turmeric powder should be applied on the face and washed off in 30 minutes. Turmeric has anti-bacterial properties and can kill the persistent bacteria that make cystic acne worse on the skin. It also alleviates redness, while apple cider vinegar is an excellent skin astringent.
• Water, water, water! Water should be your liquid of choice. Forget about 8 glasses of water in a day. If your body can afford more, go for it! No harm was ever done by drinking water. If you think you can’t take another sip, try and make an interesting mix by adding some lemon juice. The Vitamin C addition will detoxify your body.
• Honey is a natural moisturizer and is the most effective solution for eliminating the ugly scars that cystic pimples leave behind.
• Use ice to reduce the inflammation on the skin. Spread the ice evenly over the affected area to tighten pores and remove oil-build up.

If none of this works, get a blood test to check hormone levels. Sometimes, hormone-control pills or photodynamic therapy in combination could work best for difficult cystic acne and can save your self-confidence from hitting rock bottom.