Acne.org Products
I've been on and off with benzoyl peroxide as I still get huge cystic spots when using this however I decided to stop using benzoyl 2 months ago and try retinol, my skin was oily and I had a large number of small spots and these were all over the face. I decided to stop the retinol and go back on the regimen however it's week 3 now and I have cystic acne on my forehead head and chin the likes of which I have never had before. I'm concerned that something is pushing the acne deeper into my skin to get such huge spots and not sure what to do. I have contacted my doctor but wanted to hear if I need to try and stick it out and hope they calm down.
It sounds like you have severe acne. Have you had your hormones checked? When acne is that recalcitrant, you want to make sure you've turned over every stone.
By week 3 you should be seeing improvement. Some people tend to break out in week 2, but usually by week 3 things are turning a corner. If you're still seeing this after week 4, I'm wondering what else is going on.
Tell me more when you get a minute, such as diet, what other products you're using, physical irritation you might be experiencing, medications you've either started or stopped. Basically rack your brain and list out what's up and I can hopefully help you figure this out a bit better.