Females have observed that before their period they are prone to having more pimples. This is due to the increase in the hormone estrogen. Some note that on birth control pills their acne is much improved. Also keep in mind that bacteria can also be a cause for acne and cysts because the skin get inflamed and red.
Several other possible causes of acne includ having stress reactions, cosmetic allergies, medication and diet. These are just actually minor factors that can cause acne, but many have found out that they are somehow great aggravators of this skin condition.
Sometimes using product that dry out your skin do this too much and this results in the skin compensating by producing more oil and causing eruptions. This is a fine balance. If your skin is in pain due to the inflammations there are anti-inflammatory meds to take. Also when you study the drugstore products see the active ingredients and note what has a drying effect for you.
Though it's tempting, squeezing or picking the pimples is not a good idea and can cause scars. The skin tissue is sensitive. That is also why it is said to not keep rubbing or touching the skin breakouts. Let things heal naturally.
Studying your skin type is helpful to design what's best. If you have oily skin some advise not to use products with oils or moisturizers but use an acne gel product. Conversely for dry skin people recommend a cream based product. This is something you need to experiment with and test out for yourself. A combination skin is also very common which means your t zone may be affected the most.
We tend to think we should use a strong product but actually it is better to use a mild product for sensitive skin and when you use something too strong your skin can get red, produce more oil and get inflamed.
It's easy to get discouraged if you break out a lot with acne flare ups. Keep in mind that there are some successful natural solutions. Also people become less superficial who have acne as they learn that it doesn't feel good to judge someone just based on appearances.