Hi, i'm new to this forum, but I have a question regarding a sudden outbreak I had back in november. Any comments or feedback is appreciated if you guys have any good background/insight.

So far, this problem has lasted me for several months and it is actually slowly disappearing now. Unfortunately, when the problem did arise, I was in the worst of conditions. I was at a friend's home, drinking alcohol and in a very hot room. I believe we were both a little sick and probably coughed quite a bit (to make matters worse), I did not eat anything that day, and lastly, I ended up falling asleep on his floor at around 4-5 am that night. The next morning, I had about 5-6 new outbreaks on my chin, which I quickly got rid of... But later the next evening, I think I might have eaten some fried calamari. The following day after, those small 5-6 outbreaks turned into big inflamed cysts and later spread around under my jawline area in about a clump of 6-7. It only got worse, thereafter, and became deeper and deeper infections.

I treated it inititally with minocin ( I had been prescribed over 4 years before ), but I think the acne was immune to it. I tried salicylic acid otc products (which obviously didn't work), benzoyl perxoide products (2 - 10%), and even proactiv. I used some old remedies of mine (including aftershave lotion, rubbing alcohol, aloe vera, etc.), but those failed to work. I even took up exercising daily and running at least a few miles an evening. I only recently received an rx of tretnoin 1.0% and tetracycline to help it.

In the midst of all this, one side of my jawline completely cleared up (including my chin area - after proactiv), while the other didn't. I think that I might have scrubbed one side pretty hard, or hard enough to break through the thick outer-layer skin of the infection (cyst). The other side I don't think I scrubbed nearly as well. Luckily, i've been finally treating it and I managed to break through the skin and attack the infection.

I do not usually have major problems with acne, maybe only having a few pimples at a time. Everynow and then a large one or a few small ones; however, my acne comes and goes in spurts. There are times when i'll have a few, and times when I will be completely clean. So far, this has been among my worst cases that I can recall.

Any comments / suggestions? Thanks!