Okay, so, I’m really sorry about how gross this is, but I’m kind of concerned about this, and I’m too embarrassed to ask someone I know about it.

I have an acne bump that’s a little bigger than normal acne and it has been there for over a year now. It’s located on the edge of the, uh, ridge in my rear. When I first got it, it was kind of painful and I had to watch what angles I sat at. It was just like a normal acne bump when I first got it, but after I drained it, it remained. Every so often it fills back up and I drain it again. A few days ago I realized it had been over a year since I got this thing, so I decided to do some research and found two things: An acne cyst and a pilonidal cyst. The acne cyst fit the description better, but the only information on them I could find was about them being on faces. The pilonidal cyst occurs exactly where my bump is at, and it exhibits some of the same behaviors, but what I have is hardly painful any more and the people talking about those seem to be in some intense pain. Also, I looked them up on Wikipedia and there were some lovely pictures. The plus side of having seen a hole in the top of someone’s buttocks with stitches through it was that I can say that what I have looks nothing like that.

Some more information: It still looks like a normal pimple, except that it’s borderline dark red around the head (which forms when it fills up). It leaks pus sometimes (I’m making myself gag! I’m so sorry!), and lint from my underwear gets stuck to it. I read that if it’s an acne cyst you shouldn’t drain it, but it’s very difficult not to when there’s a wad of lint sticking to my rear…

This is one of the most embarrassing things that’s ever happened to me, and I only want to tell folks if it’s something I should be genuinely concerned about. I’m terribly sorry for giving those graphic details to you folks, but I could really use some advice.

Thanks in advance!

I have had acne on my chest for about 8 years. It looks like the cystic acne, where there is a bump but no redness, just and ugly bump. I am 26 and can’t take it any more.. I have tried benzol Peroxide 10%, and they are still here.. I went on acne.org but i just dont’ know if that will work for my chest

Alright so I’ve had really bad acne all my life almost. It started when I was 11 and now I’m 24 and it’s still here. My acne would get better sometimes with the most basic of cleansers like Oxy and stuff like that. Now that I’m 24 my acne has come back and is the worse type of acne you can get. It is cystic acne.

This started 9 months ago after I decided to wash my face with scented soap. A HUGE cyst appeared by my nose and from then on more followed. My brother even named my first cyst "Alfonso" because it was that big.

Anyway…basically cysts will appear whenever I get acne of any kind, even if I just get just once little acne. They acne will swell usually within 4 days of appearing, instead of healing. They get big and swollen and painful and can take weeks upon weeks to even start to not swell anymore, regardless if I touch it or not. If I pop them, that helps reduce the swelling in the long run but every cyst that I get leaves one of two things behind to remind me it was there. A dark red scar (even if I don’t touch it), or a hard bump under the skin. Sometimes these will fade away within like 3-5 months…but some stay. I have had the Alfonso one who started this madness, under my skin for over a year now!

So…I started to become frightened after about 9 months of having cystic acne. I starting thinking that my face would never heal and I’d look ugly for the rest of my life with all the red scars and swelling bumps. I read up on how to cure it. I tried reducing my milk and sugar intakes. Reducing sugar actually has slowed down the acne but has not stopped it. I switched to using non-scented Ivory soap instead of Scented soap.

Next I tried drinking lots of water and lemon juice. I tried using Benzoyl Peroxide on my face in hefty amounts. Surprisingly this tamed the acne a lot. The scars faded a bit, the swelling faded…and my skin cleared up for the first time in months. …But even so, my face still has dark red scars in some areas and the acne still persists. I have about 4 tiny ones that are swollen right now. Then…after about a month of using Benzoyl my face got really dry…It looks like crocodile skin. I’m 24, and when I smile I look like I am 30 cause it makes me look like I have wrinkles. D:

So, I bought a moisturizer which claims to fade scars, fade wrinkles, and get rid of dry skin. I also started taking apple cider vinegar pills (which hurt my tummy sometimes) because I’ve heard these can help get rid of cysts.

So……..Does anyone have any clue or experience with this sort of nightmare? I once had fair, beautiful Irish skin and now it’s all crocodile, cystic and inflamed sometimes. It made me so depressed I didn’t leave my house for 3-4 months!!! That’s how bad it was….even make up did nothing to hide the acne. My goal is to make my skin so clear that if I came out of a swimming pool, and my future boyfriend pulled back my hair to give me a kiss, he’s smile and tell me I was a fair angel or something like that. =) Haha…it’s something to keep me working at this. I have made extreme progress with the benzoyl and the diet switch but I need this to go away completely.

Thanks for any help anyone! I am trying so hard everyday! Also…I haven’t been getting much sun. Can the sun help my skin?
Oh and I’m not saying 30 year olds have wrinkles. I meant to say it just makes me look about 10 years older than what I am.

I have a big bump but it seems to be more under the skin. I cant even tell if its a cyst or nodule, whatever. also, I have and keep getting them on my shoulders or the back of my shoulders. They hurt if i put pressure on them. Please let me know what they are and how to get rid of it, but a quick treatmeant!

I’ve had about 4 cysts on my face for going on two years now. they are sooo stubborn and will not go away whatsoever. they are not painful AT ALL. They look a little red/brown on the surface and you can only feel the bump…can’t really see it.. I have gotten cortisone shots multiple times and they really dont do much. i have been on accutane and am going on it again this summer… but i really don’t have bad acne. just some cysts. they are highly annoying and i was just wondering a sure fire way to get rid of them… without cutting them off either because that leaves a worse scar… so has anybody successfully gotten rid of one of these suckers?