I have had mixed results with this product. I used it on an under the skin I felt forming on my chin and it stopped it dead in its tracks. I thought I had found a miracle product, but a few weeks later I woke with a cyst forming on the side of my nose, which was extremely painful. I used this stuff again and it just made the cyst grow and grow and then my skin peeled off leaving an open oozing mess. I used the product as instructed so I don't think I was overusing it. I will still try it again next time I get one on my chin but am staying away from any other part of my face.

I'm giving this product 3 stars for now.

I don't know why, but I also started to get cystic acne at the age of 23. I'm guess 23 is that special number for some of us, it includes horrible cystic acne, painful menstrual cycles, and a 25 pound weight gain. I'm just so lucky.

I have to admit, I haven't tried everything. Why try everything when maybe just one very expensive product will work? This product works great on cystic acne that I catch early. Since I've started using this (as a spot treatment) about a month ago, I've stopped 3 cystic bumps from forming and living. They were killed. Didn't even have a chance to fully form! So I know this product works on ones that are just forming, BUT I also have about 10 or so just under the skin bumps that weren't doing anything and had been on my face between 6 months to a year. This product brought them to head as a huge cystic bump with discoloration (yay for being half black/half white).

I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing yet. Once they've healed and I can start trying to combat the hyperpigmentation then we'll see. Having little flesh colored bumps around my jaw area might seem less horrible, but in the long run I think I'll want them to come to head, so that they can disappear.

I will repurchase this product and hopefully in 6 months to a year I can say that I don't get cystic acne any more.

Ok, so I turned 23 and all the sudden I started getting cysts... big, hairy, ugly, nasty cysts all over my cheeks. They would hurt something fierce and throb when I'd work out or when I'd stub my toe or something, it was bizarre! I would usually have between 5 and 10 at a time. It seemed as though one would go away another would pop right up in its place or immediately around it. A lot of these acne product reviews always seem to mention that the writer had "tried everything"... and I really had tried everything. I eventually developed a severe allergy to benzoyl peroxide, and had even less options. Then I read on Jezebel about this product and I immediately ordered a bottle. Instead of just using it as a spot treatment I would squirt a huge blob on my finger and then rub it gently on my cheek so there was a thick layer covering the entire portion of my face were cysts would pop up (I did this to the other cheek too). The blob I used was huge, and considering how costly this stuff is, it might not be for everyone, but I swear by the results. Now almost three years later I have maybe gotten 4 cysts on my cheeks in the last year. I applied it thickly like that night and day (under makeup once it soaked in) and the cysts slowed down at first, but I'd still get them frequently. It took about half a year until I noticed, "GASP! I really don't get cysts that much anymore!" I say buy this, because if you are an adult with cystic acne, you know how painful, emotionally and physically, those suckers can be.

This product made my cyst worse!!!! It got bigger and irritated around the edges!! I need to send it back! I had to go pay for a high-frequency treatment from my derm!:( I don't like cortisone shots because they have left indentions in my face from a derm that put too much in one time. -So, I went back to my HG product and won't stray again! It's by Decleor. The Aromessence Ylang Ylang Purifying Serum. I put this on my t-zone, chin and jaw line every morning and night. I can even put my makeup over it after it has soaked in a bit. When I feel one coming I put it on a few times a day to keep it from getting bigger or coming up at all. This stuff usually settles it in a few days instead of weeks to get rid of!! I also have found that staying AWAY from dairy has helped with my cystic acne. Probiotics also help balance the skin as well. There are really good liquid ones at Whole Foods in the vitamin/cold section. I like the blueberry or the strawberry apple one. Hope this info helps someone else!

This product did not work AT ALL for me and if anything made my cyst 2x bigger. After using, I had to go to the derm two times to get rid of what was originally a fairly small mark that morphed into a huge, quarter-sized cyst.

This is a godsend. I don't suffer from cysts often but when they do hit every six months or so, they're horrible, as they are for everyone. This speeds up the healing process greatly - the biggest thing I noticed that the cysts did not hurt as much as they typically do, and they came to a head much faster. This is great for killing an existing cyst, but I find that a paste of turmeric and honey applied overnight is AMAZING for getting rid of scarring from dead cysts. It's expensive, but for the effect it has, I'd buy it a 100 times!


EDIT: I'm bumping this down one lippie after about 6 months of usage. I've noticed that this does not fully cure a cyst - it only suppresses it. I can usually feel a tight knot under my skin wherever I've used this, and only a treatment like sulfur has FULLY cured my cysts. However, I still think this is a good product in the war against cysts!

After a good 8 months of using Mario Badescu Buffering lotion with amazing results it suddenly one day just stopped working so well. Within a week it was having little to no affect and I was back on the trail for something else to help with a good 10 year battle of cystic acne. I had come across anti-cyst treatment before but needing to order it from the US all the way to the UK meant that an already fairly expensive product became a just too much with postage. Still I was desperate and it was worth a go. I had nothing left to try - I've tried it all, from organic treatments to acutane.

I use this twice a day after cleansing and although it doesn't stop me getting cysts, so far it has dramatically reduced the size of them to no more than a painless under the skin spot. This for some perfect skinned beings is, I know, a major issue but when you are used to being faced with a huge under the skin disfigured swollen area for anything up to 2 months with so so much pain you can't sleep at night a small bump with little to no pain at all is quite a relief and worth shouting about. I am still on my first bottle and so far I predict it will last me approx 3 months or more. That works out as quite an expensive daily use however I probably use it more than a lot of people would need to. I tend to be a little paranoid and apply to areas prone to getting cysts too. All in all if you are desperate it's worth trying. It may not work for you but given the amount of people who've reported relief from this I think it's worth a try to see for yourself. I'm now also just about to start using a Glycolic acid peel once a week to see if I can even up my scars and skin tone - the battle goes on :)

HG, HG, HG!!!! I have struggled with cystic acne for over 10 years (using multiple OTC products, dermatologists and prescriptions) - this is the only thing that I have ever found that really works on my skin. I discovered the product about 3 months ago. It helped to clear up the existing cysts quickly, and for the first time in over 10 years, I went 2 months without a cyst coming to full capacity. I usually get a couple on my chin or upper lip area every month. The last two months, when I could sense the same old cysts popping up, I immediately applied the serum, and they disappeared within 2 days and without ever getting horrible and painful. Also, this doesn't dry out my skin like everything else does. I can't even explain how it feels to have some confidence back regarding my skin!

This is no miracle product, as it does not get rid of a cyst for you as fast as a cortisone shot. However it does help control the size and speed up the healing process.


1. If you are able to catch one in its very early stage and start applying this treatment right away, then it won't grow very much bigger, won't become painful and will go away by itself in a few days.


2. If you start applying on a cyst that has already taken form and hurts when you press on it, it will still help control the swelling. From my experience, the cyst will get a little bit smaller after the first day, but won't really get much smaller from then on. However, it will start to heal and you will see it come to a head in another day or two. Then you can just pop it like a normal pimple and be done with it!


Overall this treatment does shorten the lifespan of a cyst by a lot. Without the treatment a cyst would normally last for 1-2 weeks for me, but with the treatment it's gone under a week.

This is the only non-prescription acne treatment that works on my cystic acne. Benzyl peroxide doesn't work on cysts. Salicylic acid doesn't work on cysts. Nothing I've tried works on cysts except for this product.

It doesn't necessarily make the cysts immediately go away, but it does stop them from growing and cuts down the time that I have active cysts. It's a lot to pay for a tiny bottle, but a little goes a long way. Besides, it ends up being MUCH cheaper than the $50 copay I'd spend every time I went to the dermatologist for a cortisone shot for my cysts. In this instance, it's cheaper to keep her.

EDIT: I JUST finished the bottle that I bought last summer. It lasted me for over 6 months. Although $35 seems like a lot to fork over, it's an investment and is much cheaper than seeing a doctor every time a cystic pimple pops up.

EDIT: It's a year and a half later and I still use this product. In one word, it's amazing.