I've noticed that every time in my life I have lost a significant amount of weight, I break out with REALLY bad cystic acne. This doesn't make sense to me, as I thought that a better diet and exercise and more water would actually improve skin instead of making it worse. I'm really struggling with the break outs now, and I was just wondering if anyone else had this problem and successfully beat it. My dermatologist said that it might be hormonal and may eventually level out (real helpful, hahaha), but I'm sick of it. I don't like having to choose between a painful, broken out face or being thin. I started back on the birth control pill that cleared me as a teenager, but I'm hoping it doesn't slow my weight loss efforts

Just for history:
I broke out badly in high school after losing a lot of weight in a short amount of time. It was that hard, cystic hormonal kind, and the only thing that cleared me was Ortho Tri Cyclen. I ended up gaining more weight because I stopped my intense exercise, started drinking beer, went to college, etc., but my skin stayed clear even after getting off the pill. Mild acne returned here and there in graduate school when I was eating particularly poorly and stressed, but nothing that was this bad or unmanageable. I started getting serious about losing weight again, and at first my skin got very clear and nice. Then, all of the sudden it just went CRAZY and hasn't stopped since

Well, I haven't experienced this issue myself, but dieting (restricting calories to the point that you are losing weight) does stress the body (raises cortisol levels) and stress is associated with acne. Significant weight loss also affects the levels of hormones in your body which can have all sorts of effects. But there may be some other underlying cause for your dramatic acne swings. If it's an option for you, it might be a good idea to see a dermatologist for help.

I had a time period where I was heavy that I got really bad acne too, and I went on BC pills (Seasonique) to block it. As I lost weight, I tentatively stopped the pills, and lo, it has not returned (fingers crossed). It could just a bad batch of hormone-laced fat (?) you are burning off right now, and you could try going off the pills in a few months.

Personally, I don't feel good about being on artificial hormones at my age. I've been taking them off and on since I was 18 (now 38) and that's plenty of exposure I think, especially since I have varicose veins ;P

Good luck!