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My battle with Acne

It’s just leaving 6pm on a still, autumn afternoon and I’m sitting at my kitchen table with a cup of tea in hand debating whether to write the post I’ve had in mind for a few weeks. A little while ago, I found that my skin had started to react badly to any product that I put on it – be that my usual Clean & Clear daily face wash, my MAC Studio Fix Fluid or even my trusty Smashbox primer which I have adored since I first tried it last year.

I decided that drastic action was required and upheaved my whole beauty routine – I changed my cleanser added a facial oil and a moisturiser (you can read about this here), and for a few weeks I was happy with the results, my skin appeared to be getting back to normal. Thar was until my skin once again rebelled and I was left with a horrible assortment of spots and redness. I have never – not once – in my life suffered with spots. I have never had acne and I have never had more than a couple of spots at a time, so to find myself like this after all these years reduced me to tears and I felt heartbroken.

You might think that this sounds a little dramatic, but at the end of the day, I also work as a makeup artist and advise clients on their skin and the makeup to suit, so to say that my own skin was in such a state was a bit of an ironic concept!

I went on to try the Dermalogica mediBac adult acne treatment kit and religiously stuck to using the facial wash, the sebum clearing face masque, the overnight clearing gel and the clearing primer but to no avail. My skin still looked horrendous to me.

Dermalogica

So today, while I was visiting my GP, I mentioned my skin complaint and I was finally diagnosed with Acne. I couldn’t, and still can’t believe that at 25 I have been dealt my first dose of acne. Luckily, my doctor was very understanding of my situation and decided to put me onto a course of antibiotics (Lymecycline) along with a treatment gel to use once a day. I will be on the course of tablets for two months and I’ve got my fingers crossed that they will work for me.

The reason why I wanted to write this post is because I was rather naive to the fact that yes, adults can get acne and no, it isn’t uncommon at all. I wanted to write a post to highlight this fact for anybody else who may be struggling with what they think is just a period of stubborn spots – it’s always a great idea to go and see your GP or skincare specialist who can help to advise you of the best care for your skin personally and recommend the best medication or skincare routine. Dealing with Acne is hard; it can ruin your confidence and shatter your self-esteem but the important thing to remember is that there are pathways to take to try and clear up the effects.

I’m not quite ready to share any pictures of my skin with you at the moment, but I will certainly be writing a before and after post in the coming weeks to show you the difference my antibiotics have or haven’t made and what’s worked well (and not so well) for me along the way.

How have you managed with Acne, did anything really work well for you? I’d love to hear from you.

© This post is copyright of Rachael Divers 2013.

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