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Bump and following. I’ve heard a retinol can help so I’m hoping to try that when I’m finished nursing.

Cystic acne depending on where it is occurring is either hormonal or diet driven. Chin area tends to be hormonal. I have suffered with it on and off for years. You can try cutting sugars and dairy which are also triggers. Luckily motherhood and nursing/pregnancy hormones keep it at bay. A dermatologist can inject the cystic spot with cortisone to reduce it.

The only thing I have really found to be successful is to work with a reputable esthetician. It is a financial commitment but they have light therapies they can use to really reduce the inflammation, to prevent it and also address it when it does occur. I lucked out in finding one that I have been going to for close to a decade that has seriously changed my skin. I hardly ever need the light therapy now but they treated it immediately whenever I needed it.

I've had painful cystic acne on my cheeks and jawline before. It sucks so much. Each time I've worked with a dermatologist and they really are the way to go. You can't battle bad cystic acne with just over the counter products. They'll probably put you on some sort of pill for a few months and give you some cremes to use as needed. It will make a world of difference.

@MACSUNSHINE: Agree with going to a reputable esthetician. When I was gearing up for my wedding, I got facials once a month for about six months and it did absolute wonders for my cystic acne. What helped the most was to get a professional's opinion about my particular skin's needs, and I overhauled my entire regimen. After making that change, it's been mostly under control! FWIW, I use mostly Dermalogica products and now after moving quite a bit, I still try to seek out estheticians who use Dermalogica products and have had a lot of success.

@babybunnylove: This is actually what my dermatologist suggested!

He said to stay far far away from anything with salicylic acid. It will overdry and make things worse. I used CeraVe (and the generic CVS version) for several years and it got much better.

Just recently switched to Acure products because I wanted something more natural while pregnant. I've been using the scrub, superfruit cleanser and mattifying moisturizer and am still having good results (but pregnancy hormones might be helping too...)