If you’ve followed my blog from the beginning, you’ll probably know had cystic acne when I started it. I’ve had cystic acne three times in my life, and while it’s basically under control now, I do get an outburst monthly (cheers, hormones) and occasional cysts randomly.
If you don’t already know, cystic acne or spots is the deep, under the skin spots that never come to a head, hurt like a bitch and last for around a minimum of four weeks. Oh, they also leave scars even without picking as the infection is so deep and lasts for so long. And because they’re so deep, topical creams and solutions don’t help as they don’t reach the infection. So basically, they are the worst type of spots ever.
I recently had a breakout of five huge cysts, all in an inch space by my lips. That one inch of my face looked like the alps and felt like I’d been stung five times by an angry hornet. Every time a breakout like this happens, thinking about the spots consumes my days until I want to cry constantly. So I turned to the internet and delved deep to see if perhaps someone had found a product that worked. I came across the blog Pretty Shiny Sparkly and read about Kristina who had struggled with cystic acne, and even took the same medication I had taken to reduce it. She talked about a brand Mario Badescu, which I have never heard of before, but stated that the drying mask and buffering lotion worked on cystic spots. I did a little bit of research on them and found a lot of positive reviews, so logged on to Beauty Bay and ordered them. The whole order came to £32, not exactly cheap but honestly I would pay hundreds if I knew it would get rid of my acne permanently so it was a small price.
I was a little surprised at how small the products were when they arrived. This happens to me quite a lot so I really need to start looking at the sizes when I order!
The clue is in the name. This mask is seriously drying! According to the website, it’s the sulphur in the mask that makes it so good for acne eruptions and cystic acne. You apply a thin layer for 20 minutes every other night. I was contemplating using it daily but it dried my skin out insanely! The first time I used it I was like erm wow did not expect this. The second time I used it, I layered on with Espa Pro Serum (which I normally find too rich to use) and Michael Todd intensive moisturiser afterwards and it definitely helped!
Oh, the mask smells awful as well. I don’t know what of but I was reluctant to put it on my face at first!
Mario Badescu Buffering Lotions
I don’t really know what this is, but it’s targeted for cystic acne so I’m on it. You apply before and after the drying mask, and it’s got like two layers so you have to shake it before. It’s a weird consistency and I’ve found the best way to use it is put it on a cotton pad and wipe it on.
When I first used tried these out, I had a newly forming cyst on my cheek, two huge cysts and three smaller ones. I used the mask and lotion, and the next day my newly formed cyst had almost completely disappeared, all that was left was a tiny red dot. The two huge ones had massively decreased in size, and were just tiny lumps, and the three smaller ones had shrunk so that rather than being raised, they were just red marks. I nearly cried. Nothing has ever worked so fast on my spots, and the fact that it got rid of a spot before it full on erupted means I should be able to prevent any newcomers with ease.
Each time I’ve used it since then, I’ve noticed one of two things happen to my cysts. Either they get really reduced, or they get pulled towards the surface. Not enough to squeeze them, but you can tell they’re a lot closer. When this has happened, I’ve just used the mask and lotion daily on the spot and it reduces/ goes quite quickly. Normally for me, a cyst can last as long as two months before it’s noticeably gone, whereas with this it’s dramatically reduced immediately and then almost completely gone by two weeks! It doesn’t really reduce redness, just the size of the lump but I can live with a red mark while it heals, especially as reduced cyst life means it’s less likely to scar.
They recommend getting the Healing Soothing mask for the alternate days, which I understand because it’s so drying, but I think any hydrating mask or serum should do the trick. I’m going to use this three times a week I think when I have no spots, and more frequently when a new one starts to emerge. I’m just so excited to not have huge cysts on my face on a regular basis, and I’d definitely buy these again because they’re the only products that come close to dealing with my cysts!
Have you tried anything from Mario Badescu? Or do you have another product that helps with cysts I should know about? Let me know in the comments!
