Cystic acne difficult to treat

DEAR DR. GOTT: My daughter is 18 years old. She has swelling in her left cheek that is now moving into her eye. Her dermatologist says it’s cystic acne. We tried tetracycline and erythromycin, to no avail. What can we do? Your help would be appreciated.

DEAR READER: Let’s start with some basic facts about acne. First, despite popular belief, acne can occur to anyone at any age but is most common in teenagers. Because of this, it is thought that hormones may play a role. For some women, the week prior to menstruation, pregnancy or starting/stopping birth control may also cause outbreaks.
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