Cystic acne flare-up......with electrolysis

Hair Removal Methods Professional Electrolysis
#1

Hi, does anybody have any tips for me I have a little bit of adult acne, not much just here and there before my period. since I got started with tea tree oil after treatment I had much better results with the little “white-head” problem where the hair folicle was, but now I am having some cystic painful bumps happen a few days after treatment ??

Just for the heck of it I took an antibiotic that was left over from a sinus thing and WHAMO those bumps went WAY down they are not gone, but they don’t hurt anymore. I think I’ll take another one tonight and see what happens. Does anybody think I might benefit from getting an RX for Minocyclin or some commonly prescribed acne antibiotic ??

I would love to NOT do an antibiotic, but I can’t go on with these cysts. I am getting 4 to 5 hours of electolysis a week and I have 6 cysts currently. Something has got to give. Oh by the way this is only happening on my chin, not my upper lip or my neck. I am getting rid of long fine fuzz not too many dark coarse hairs, but the fuzz I am talking about is like a half inch long so it’s GOTTA GO !!!

#2

Okay, here’s what I’m wondering:

  1. Are you getting 4-5 hours a week of electrolysis done on your chin and upper lip, neck areas only?! That would be too much in my view.

  2. Are there acne pustules and inflammed areas on your chin before treatment? If so, the bacteria from one pimple could be spread to other areas via the contaminated electrolysis probe that may have touched a bacteria-filled pimple on your chin.

  3. Do you feel that the person performing your treatments is adhering to clean/sterile protocols like washing hands, wearing gloves, wiping the skin before and after with an antiseptic, using a sterile, disposable probe each time, using sterilized tweezers, etc.?

  4. Just for the heck of it, have sampled other talent in your locale? Your practitioner may not be at fault, but it is always nice to compare.

Dee

#3

Hi D,

Everything seems really clean and she washes her hands,I am not sure if the probe is disposable or not. The thing I keep thinking every time I ask myself about those issues is that I am not having problems on my neck, cheeks, eyebrows or upper lip ? Just my stupid chin. Most of my hairs are vellus but really longish.

The electroligist always moves to a new area at each session so I am not over-worked at all. She starts each session by doing every where anything new has grown in and set about to clearing all the long hairs on my neck and sides of my cheek (sideburns).

I have been doing this schedule for two weeks or so to get clearance…I am very fuzzy and my hairs are very close together and light brown so I am a challenge to work on.

I am going to really examine my own habits, perhaps I am touching my chin without realizing it ??

#4

The type of acne you describe is more often the result of pressure, and or internal problems. You may be resting your head in your hand, or sleeping on the treated area, or maybe you are not getting all the hydration, or your digestion is not eliminating or hydrating properly. I wish I could explain it more, but that is all I have time for.

Let’s just say that you might do well with “an internal irrigation”

#5

Hmmmmmm, that could be it, we had to put our beloved dog down and I am heart broken. Maybe that along with resting my head on my hand without realizing it.

the other function is just fine <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

#6

I think James was suggesting to drink more water. Admittedly, not the first thing that came to my mind when he said “an internal irrigation…”

#7

We’re not talking enema’s here for acne, are we?

We can guess all day long about those cystic acne flareups. Just keep observing this area and incorporate the good suggestions into your daily life as listed above. Doxycyline of minocycline are good antibiotcs for the irritated skin, but I would only use it in partnership with your physician.

Dee

#8

Oh boy I hope not !! I want to get rid of this acne but NOT that bad ! haha

Dee I will check with my dermatologist a.s.a.p. (he has been out of town). Thanks for the advice.

#9

Have you tried birth control for acne, such as Ortho Tri-Cyclen? I was on antibiotics for SIX MONTHS! I took minocycline a couple of years ago and this past year (the 6 months I was talking about) I tried Doxycycline and I can’t even remember the other one. I was very uncomfortable with being on antibiotics for so long.
I have the same problem: a little bit of acne with white heads right before my period.
I take the generic version of Ortho Tri-Cyclen, Tri-Sprintec and it has significantly reduced my breakouts. However, I find that my chin still breaks out occasionally if I get in the habit of resting my chin on my hand.
Even though my dermatologist vehemently denies that diet and water intake have anything to do with break-outs, I drink lots of water and avoid sodas (I still have my coffee, that’s not gonna stop) and that seems to help, too.

#10

I suffer from adult acne, ugh. I have started following the regimen on acne.org which uses a weak (2.5%) benzoyl peroxide gel and moisturizer daily and it is working very well for me. I think it is targeted to the typical problem areas but it might work for your chin, and it’s cheap!

#11

Lilly,

All of Dee’s response makes great sense to me. 4-5 hours a week on your face (especially fuzzy) is too much.

I also have a couple of other concerns about what you state in your post. The most important is that you stated that you took “an antibiotic that was left over from a sinus thing”. First, you should not have had any leftover antibiotic - when you are prescribed antibiotics, it is very, very important to use all the prescription, otherwise your invading germ may become resistant to the antibiotic. If that occurs, you may have some very serious health issues come up. Antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria can invade your whole body - and cause you many problems. Also, one should not take an antibiotic prescribed for one infection and believe that it will work for another infection.

The other concern is the fact you have the little pustules. Have you discussed the reaction with the electrologist? The electrologist needs to be aware of any reaction that you have after the treatment. The electrologist might make some changes in epilator settings, or the electrologist might recommend that you apply something more or different after treatment or to make sure you aren’t touching the skin with your hands or anything else.

Rather than using antibiotics, you might look into the information given to find the benzoyl peroxide product. Benzoyl peroxide can go into the follicle and help clean up your product.