Oh man, I don't have great advice for getting rid of them. My skin was terrible in high school, like 8th and 9th grade it arrived like the plague and was so awful. I had it on my back, my chest, and my face. The only stuff I found that made a difference was sulphur masks (you can either get some from proactiv, or there are sulfur products for other skin issues like Rosacea that actually will do the same thing) and sometimes tea tree oil applied directly to the problem area. I am allergic to salicylic acid so that was a mistake I only made once. I understand how you feel about Accutane- it is a big bad drug, and you have to follow instructions and get your blood tested monthly. But I took two full rounds of it and it changed my life. I do not regret it for one second, and I am pretty healthy and try and stay away from drugs when I can. There are some sacrifices that are worth it and for me, that was one of them. It came back slightly which is why I did the second round like 2 years later, but my skin is pretty much flawless now (unless I get stressed out at work). I wish I had done it sooner. The difference it made in my confidence was literally priceless. No depression or anything like that. The dryness was definitely something to deal with, but a little bit of coconut oil post shower (yeah, seems like more oil would be bad but it works well) and vaseline used as chapstick during the day and at night kept my lips from ever really cracking and peeling. Anyway, you will have to decide for yourself but it was the right choice for me.

As most have said, acne tends to be a systemic reaction to a food allergen. What may be the "trigger" for some, won't do anything for others. Some things will hold true and may work for most (eliminate sugar, add probiotics, etc) - these things are probably best to include anyway. In my patients, however, I have seen some "odd" cures. With an aunt who is a dermatologist, I run with the advice that cystic acne more often than not, is a hormonal response. Hormones you "eat" may be the culprit. Whether it be "hormone-free" meat or not, animal protein (although the best for you nutritionally) will still contain hormones of its own. I have a patient that after just about every trial and error I came up with, I ended up putting on a "food elimination" diet to help narrow down the evil food. Chicken. Even hormone-free, organic, etc. She can eat turkey and all other fowl, but even a few bites will illicit these nasty results along her chin line within hours (If I hadn't seen it myself, I would even find it hard to believe). My advice would be to find the cause internally first. Treating it topically is only going to eliminate that particular symptom and more than likely, add other issues. If you find the patience, try an elimination diet and watch if the reintroduction of foods wreak havoc on your skin. Best of luck!

I'm sorry you are having to deal with this. I know its hard. I personally had cystic acne and went on Accutane in my 20s. Both of my son's also used Accutane. I worked well for all of us. We had no bad side effects. Our liver enzymes were always fine and we have done a lot of liver support since using Accutane.
Your experience with the other meds, no longer working is a common one. Sorry

Do all that you can with diet and supplements and if that doesn't work then don't worry about taking the Accutane. Obviously if you have bad side effects you will stop. People on Accutane are monitored very closely and you will be fine.

That said, if you would rather deal with having cystic acne then go on Accutane, that should be your choice not your parents. If they wont listen to you and you really do NOT want the medication then tell the doctor that. Tell the doctor that you do not want the meds and your parents are insisting... Any good doctor would not write the RX in that case.

Accutane can work wonders. YOu are very young. You don't drink. You have a good diet. You will be fine.
Take care.

What you do is basically soak a clean towel, cotton ball, or sponge in warm water and apply to the cyst until the towel, cotton ball, or sponge loses heat. When it cools off, re-soak in warm water (tip: re-heat the water in microwave, but make sure it's not scalding!) and reapply the compress to the cyst. Keep doing this for as much time as you have and for as many times as you can throughout the day.

I don't mean to add any stress because you already said you don't want to take it, but I took accutane and it destroyed my night vision and I suspect that I have a wrinkle or two more than I would if I hadn't been deprived of facial oil for six months. My boyfriend also took it and it destroyed his night vision as well. I have two friends who were on it who have had chronic digestion problems every since and I had an ex-roommate who was seriously unbalanced mentally and she said that it all started with accutane. Now, I fully realize all of these things can be coincidental.... but I feel the need to share those stories with anyone considering accutane.

As far as the positive side, it did clear up my cystic acne. I still break out all the time but it isn't really cystic anymore. I know the guy who posted above looks like spam, but I second the Manuka honey thing. I started washing my face with Manuka honey a few weeks ago after a particularly bad break out and I have to say, my skin is improving. I cannot stress enough how much washing your face with any sort of harsh chemical is just wrong, wrong, wrong. Not because I am opposed to the idea (I am), but because literally every person I know with acne has reported that their face got better once they switched to a milder soap, oil cleansing method, or other gentle cleanser.

It really is all about personal experimentation. I feel for you, though. It just sucks. With the cystic stuff, it is more about hormones and gut dysbiosis not any sort of topical treatment (so don't stress too much about finding that "perfect" treatment). Good luck experimenting.

EDIT: Oh my goodness, the most important part: SLEEP. Cannot stress that enough. And speaking of stress, that definitely is a component of my breaking out. And being really ashamed or embarrassed about acne can stress you out. Get thee to a pool or lay in a meadow! Use your summer off from school to really relax and see how it works out. Sun, but not too much.

I see lots of advice here and agree with the idea of having first hand facts for accutane. I took it and have had gi problems ever since. It destroyed my colon health and has severely compromised the quality of my life. I have lived with this for many many years now. The other problem with accutane for me is unwanted hair growth. I know this sound minor, but I really as a female I have tons and tons of hair in unnatural places. It is hard to manage. If I had been told about these issues I would have not taken the drug.

Just keep in mind: acne does not occur in communities where folks still eat a traditional diet. Yet when these people send their youths to the cities, they quickly develop this condition while eating western foods. What is your diet like? Acne has been tied to IGF-1, insulin, glucose etc. A paleo diet with no grains, dairy or added sugar should be your starting point. Also, your situation will not reverse immediately.

Stay Away from Sugar, Sugar Intake makes me break out. And also the warm everyday is helping a lot too!

Attack it from the inside. Immediately stop all sugars and all dairy. Whether paleo or not, start taking a solid acidophilus supplement (refrigerated ones are more superior) from the health store and preferably a dairy-free formula. U need to also add fiber to your diet. While I am skeptical of solving any issue at a topical level vs. from the inside, green clay masks will do wonders. Good luck.

What kind of parents "force" their kid to take drugs? I had similar parents I am so sorry smh

Avoid grains and dairy proteins at all costs (butter and heavy cream is okay but you might still be sensitive to it). Avoid soy.

Goat kefir and goat yogurt can help. You can try plain yogurt from cows too but I personally still got acne from them. It might help you though. Avoid the low-fat crap, they have a lot of sugar in them. Make sure they are REAL YOGURT.

Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, Shea Butter, and other forms of saturated fat helps with the bacteria and irritation, and will help fade scars. Use them in bountiful amounts as lotion. I don't think they should clog pores. Also, you might be irritated from the type of soaps or shampoos you use. All non-organic shampoos gave me acne, personally.

Acne happens because you have stuff in you that the body is trying to get rid of, and skin is an organ that eliminates those. If acne had something to do with being unhygienic, then third world country people and hobos should have acne, but they don't. It's surface irritation (which produces unhealthy skin) combined with your body trying to release toxins that cause acne.

the sun thickens the skin and delays healing [when the scar is still red] and if sun bathing is done with a UV index superior to two, sunscreen must be applied. However, you can look at light therapy; but for moderate to severe acne [and not caused by the bacteria] I do not belive it will be that great.

I second accutane; perhaps topical in the first time and oral if it doesn't work

Eat Liver. Safer form of Vitamin A

When I was a teen and had bad acne my dr also said I was deficient in iron, vit b's and zinc. I also popped my acne hoping it would go away however that spread it worse. I tryed everything.

What wound up working for me was a multivitamin, b complex tab, vitamin c and a zinc tab. I also got sun and some moderate exercise (walked to the bus about half mile before and after school). and most of all washing my face with mild soap and rinsing with water and other than that NOT touching my face.

I dont know if this will help you... You should ask your Dr if you have any vit or min diffecency (simple blood test) and if your folks are trying to put you on meds ask the dr if something like the above would work or if you can try it before prescription drugs... After all I have never heard of acne being deadly..

Another thing is when others give you a hard time about it, try to iggy the teasing... The more stressed I was the worse it was.

If common sense and nutrition dont work or your parents and your dr want you on a med, hold strong your beliefs but remember it is only 4 more years till you get to make your own decisions. (And the guys you go to school with who bug you will not be a big part of your life after the 4 years unless you invite them to be after high school.)

I am one of those lucky people for whom 100% paleo clears my skin (and 95% paleo does NOT!). However, before I discovered paleo, I did find a wonderful product that cleared my skin. It's expensive ($80 for 30 day supply) so I only used it for things like getting married, my husband coming home from deployment, etc, lol. But it was awesome.

Dr Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Peel:

http://reviews.sephora.com/8723/P269122/reviews.htm?sort=helpfulness

Hurts like a DOG the first few times you use it. But stick to the whole month. People with cystic acne have differing view on it. (I had a few spot cysts, and those cleared).

There is also a peel for cystic especially, but I haven't tried it: Jessner's Peel: http://www.makeupartistschoice.com/products/MUAC_Jessner_Revitalizing_Peel-401-25.html

These are marketed as anti-aging, but they basically resurface your skin. It's worth a try before you do Accutane.