Reddit Claims Diaper Cream Works as Cystic Acne Treatment
Every once in a while, Reddit comes up with some seemingly wild solution for a common skincare problem — with users swearing that things like toothpaste or olive oil are their secret weapon to clearing up their skin. And while usually the pros are able to come in and debunk these as nothing more than "too good to be true" myths, the latest Reddit advice to go viral may actually be the real deal. What is it, you ask? Diaper cream as a cure for cystic acne.
As Allure reports, Reddit user Infinitesimallyok posted to the ever-reliable r/skincareaddiction subreddit to share the one treatment that helped her after a months-long battle with cystic acne. She had tried everything from Apple Cider Vinegar to sulfur to tea tree oil to pricier products like La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo and Mizon Blemish Out Pink Spot Treatment, but none of them seemed to work. Then, she tried diaper cream.
"I had a brand new box of diaper cream in the back of my skincare cabinet (I think I bought it for a rash or something a couple months ago) and randomly thought 'hey, why don't i throw this on my cystic acne pimples.' I was at my wits end, none of my spot treatments were doing anything to these gigantic monsters and I figured 'how much worse can I make it,' she wrote, noting that her product of choice was extra-strength Zincofax. "/// I left it on overnight and I woke up in the morning morning amazed! This diaper cream had done what none of my acid-pink spot treatment-sulfur-clay mask spot treatments could do, and made all of my horrendous cystic pimples come to a head."
Sure, this may have worked once, but is it actually the real deal? The short answer, according to derms, is "yes."
"Zinc oxide is an anti-inflammatory that helps protect the skin barrier," says Dr. Shereene Idriss of Union Square Dermatology, who has actually turned to her own daughter's diaper cream as a skin fix after an airline lost her luggage. "If you're in a pinch, and desperate, it works well to help reduce inflammation for a cystic lesion. I wouldn't necessarily rub it all over your face if you're prone to acne break outs as it may clog your pores and make things worse overall."
Looks like there's a new drugstore aisle we'll be perusing for the sake of our skin.
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