The internet offers up many treatment options for cystic acne, and each one dubs itself the best â from the weird (diaper cream) to the natural (green tea and honey) to the obvious (drying lotions). But cystic acne is stubborn. A simple swipe of diaper cream probably won't cure it, and what works for one person probably won't work for someone else. Those achy underground bumps will either linger for a month or force you to dish out money on treatments; unless you listen to Reddit, apparently.
A handful of Redditors think they've found the one cure-all cream that'll work for anyone with cystic acne. It will cost you next to nothing, so it's worth a shot, right?
In a post to the "Skincare Addiction" subreddit, one user name-dropped De La Cruz 10% Sulfur Cream â a $7 ointment on Amazon â as the only product that successfully made her painful pimples disappear almost immediately.
"I slap some on for 10 minutes and wash it off. After a day I could double it up. The new one vanished like immediately. The old ones are nearly gone. I haven't developed any new ones yet. It feels so freaking good not to have these painful cysts on my face," she wrote.
Soon after, other Redditors chimed in, noting that the sulfur ointment ($7, Amazon) worked for them too!
One user referred to their original post from three weeks prior, which also praised the sulfur treatment.
Between the two posts, there are over 200 positive comments.
Many Redditors shared their stories using the ointment and honestly, it seems pretty magical.
One person even referred to it as a "miracle cream."
And while this $7 tub of ointment does have nearly 700 positive reviews on Amazon, it's not exactly a magic potion that makes acne disappear.
It's basically just pure sulfur. No magic here!
Redditors aren't the only ones praising this cream, either.
Many have started using De La Cruz's ointment after a recommendation and never turned back.
Experts back it too, so its not just another random internet trend. Dermatologist Joshua Zeichner told Teen Vogue, sulfur can combat acne.
"Sulfur has antimicrobial and anti inflammatory properties, making it a useful ingredient in treating acne," he said.
"By reducing levels of acne causing bacteria on the skin, it can calm inflamed pimples and help the skin heal. Sulfur may have an unpleasant odor like a rotten egg, but it's quite mild on the skin and should not cause skin irritation."
Btw, sulfur smells like rotten eggs. So, if you're going to use this before date night, be sure to get rid of the scent afterwards.
It's worth noting, though, that acne solutions are never a one-size fits all cure.
And since cystic acne is a below-the-skin infection, topical treatments usually aren't the first line of defense.
However, sulfur is gentler than typical treatments like salicyclic acid and benzoyl peroxide.
So, it's relatively harmless to test out for yourself! Unless you're allergic to sulfur, that is.
You can pick up a tub of De La Cruz 10% Sulfur Cream from Amazon ($7), or your local Walmart ($5) or Walgreens ($6).
For less than $10, what do you have to lose?
These stories are based on posts found on Reddit. Reddit is a user-generated social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website where registered members submit content to the site and can up- or down-vote the content. The accuracy and authenticity of each story cannot be confirmed by our staff.
