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Permalink Reply by Yolanda Zdancewicz on March 16, 2012 at 11:00am

I would suggest a visit to her internist or endocrinologist to run some test and make sure everything's in order.

She might need something as simple as a liver flush... or not: but she'll never know unless she gets it checked out.

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Permalink Reply by Karen de Steuben on March 26, 2012 at 5:45pm

also check her diet....eating lots of carbs and sugar increases inflammation in the body and leads to breakouts.

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Permalink Reply by Jodi on March 26, 2012 at 7:14pm

I read recently that eating peanuts and peanut butter can also lead to breakouts. 

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Permalink Reply by Ann Prendergast on March 27, 2012 at 6:59am

is she on the pill? some actually CAUSE terrible cystic acne especially in women in their 30's and 40's...I wish I could remember the name of the pill, I'm sorry!

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Permalink Reply by Arleta Guterz on March 30, 2012 at 6:51pm

In the case of cystic acne.... We as estheticians by law are only required to work on skin that is grade 1 or 2, cystic acne falls in the category of 3 and 4. There is almost no help that you can provide her with such a skin condition, however, should you continue to provide service to her I would have her to do chemical peels every week for 6 wks and then off for 3 wks, then on again for 6 wks which should really make a difference in the skins texture the skin will continue to purge as you do the peels until all dermis disorder is rooted out... when the skin gets better, I would incorporate microderms on a weekly basis in addition to the chemical peels. Also stick strictly with clay masks and use acne products only, no massaging on the skin whatsoever, in addition she has to overdose on water to push out the bacteria & impurities in the skin. Without the water, the will not get better @ all and it will be a wast of your time, hers & finances.... Hope this helps, and it will as long as your client is proactive, especially with the water. 

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Permalink Reply by Kelli Graves on April 3, 2012 at 12:45am

hi kristen, love your image, i use it as my logo for my spa, lol.

I have specialized in acne and cystic acne for most of my time as an esti. there are lots of things going on, and lots of things you can do. diet is absolutely an issue, as are birth control pills, and her home routine and products. it is waaaay to involved to go into here, as there are tons of variables.

i find that high frequency, purple, for 5-7 minutes, is a huge help. traditional acne masks like clay or sulphur, are usually good as well, but I have some really nice results with seaweed masks too. salacylic acid peels work very well also. i don't care for glycolic though, they seem to irritate more than help, esp with larger pored skin, or african-american skin.

if you want, call me at 530-262-4490 (in CA), give me some more info on client (ethnicity, skin texture, hoe routine, etc) and we can discuss. if that is allowed on here?

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Permalink Reply by Kristen Dugas on April 3, 2012 at 3:48pm

Thank you ladies so much for all of your input. I have been so frustrated with this issue because I really want to help my client have great skin.

@ Kelli, thank you I will call you when I get a free minute, would love to get your input!!!

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Permalink Reply by Kirsten Lungu on April 3, 2012 at 5:21pm

I am a fairly new esty and will speak only of my personal experience... At age 34 and recently graduated from beauty school, I developed pretty severe cystic acne (cysts and small bumps). It was only on my chin line, neck and one cheek. After months of trial and error, I removed dairy from my diet and within three days I was practically cleared up. I found many others with this reaction in internet searches as well. Good luck!! 

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