All products featured on Allure are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Calling all opinionated beauty lovers: We want to know which products you can't live without! Take our annual poll to pick the top hair, makeup, nail, and skin-care products that deserve our coveted Readers' Choice seal. As far as pimples go, those deep, cystic acne flare-ups are probably the most traumatic. Aside from how much surface area those suckers tend to cover, the pain they cause makes them impossible to ignore.

Every product is independently selected by obsessive editors. Things you buy through our links may earn us a commission. Cystic-acne sufferers know that a cyst is not the same beast as your garden-variety pimple. The scarring can be severe, too, making skin appear pockmarked and fissured, which is why dermatologists approach it with a powerful combination of topical treatments and antibiotics, moving on to scorched-earth methods like Accutane or a hormonal drug like Spironolactone only if those fail. Before we begin, though, we should note that none of the derms we spoke to recommend using all of the items on this list because many contain potent actives like retinoids, acids, and benzoyl peroxide. Rather, they suggest pairing products that contain stronger actives with gentler, nonirritating ones. Four of the dermatologists we spoke to say that integrating a retinoid into your skin-care routine is essential to preventing cysts.

If you're struggling with breakouts on your chin and jaw area, read this. Life is filled with ironies. Take this one as an example.

We include products we think are useful for our readers. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission. Cystic acne is the most serious type of acne.