I know that most people must think they know what cystic acne is, but they really don't. I don't blame people, before when I got a larger "normal" zit, I thought it was a cyst, that is until I developed REAL cystic acne in my 20's. I have had the pimples that people are describing in their reviews and let me tell you, if you have ever had TRUE cystic acne this product will do nothing for you. For sufferers of real cystic acne you know what I am talking about--REAL cystic acne are nodules; hard, huge, sore lumps (not just big zits)that take months to go away. These nodules are so large and painful it's hard to move your face and are generally pea size or larger (I get ones that are larger than a lima bean). The cysts I get are so large and inflamed that I need to get cortisone injections just to bring the swelling down and relieve pain. A dermatologist will tell you there is nothing you can do topically for a real cyst, they need to be injected to bring down the swelling and from experience I can tell you this is true. I tried this as a last resort before Accutane, but I can tell you if you really truly suffer from cystic acne, this will do nothing for your nodules; large "normal" zits maybe, but not true cystic nodules.