Sophie Rusetto is a 27-year old actress from Glastonbury in Somerset. For years she struggled with severe facial and body acne that impacted on both her professional and personal life. Determined not to be imprisoned by her skin, she explains how agreeing to be part of trial on Clarol's new sebum purifying treatment Sebopure changed her life.

Sophie says: “Sebopure isn't a complete acne cure as I still get a few mild breaks outs now and then, but its far far worked better than anything else I have tried for my acne including going on the contraceptive pill.  I first developed acne when I was 16, but it wasn’t that bad, just typical teenage acne. I was put on the contraceptive pill Dianette by my doctor to try and control my acne. It kind of worked, I saw about a 30% improvement. I was on that for around three years. I was also trying everything for acne off the shelves at Boots. My acne stayed under control until I was about 22 when it suddenly worsened, spreading to my back and my buttocks. I was so distraught about the state of my skin I developed Dermatillomania. I couldn’t help but pick at my skin, often my face, which of course made my skin much worse as it helped the acne spread and intensify. My so-called coping mechanism had gone full circle. I had also come off the pill and my hormones were all over the place. I decided to stop taking the pill because my skin wasn’t getting any better. I had been on it for several years and I simply didn’t feel comfortable being on it for so long just for cosmetic reasons. Dermatillomania started as a mild problem but the more insecure I felt about my skin, the worse it got. I was just starting to work as an actress, I had a lot of self-doubt and my confidence was very rocky. Picking at my skin helped me to cope; it was a release for my insecurities. I was very anxious that I didn’t look perfect and felt as though I was being judged more harshly by agents and castings because of my skin, which made me feel all the more self-conscious. I broke out in my worst acne outbreak ever about six months after I graduated from acting school. I’d just moved to London to try to find work. I went for casting after casting and was getting nowhere. At one point I got very low. I felt incredibly sad and angry whenever I saw myself in the mirror. I blamed my skin for not being where I wanted to be. It was eroding my confidence, a constant limiter to my progress. Every time I felt hopeful, my skin would break out and bring me down again. My acne also drastically affected my relationships. If I ever went on dates, I’d feel the need to wear masses of make-up. And because I have acne on my back and bottom I was very self-conscious about ever being intimate with a man or taking my clothes off with the light on. As a result I didn’t really have many boyfriends for most of my early 20s. While my friends were dating lots of guys, I generally kept myself to myself and was quite awkward and uncomfortable when it came to men as I felt they were judging me by my skin. I knew I had to find a solution for my acne if I wanted to be confident and happy in myself. I became semi-fanatical about finding a cure and was always on the internet researching the condition. I tried changing my diet in lots of different ways, I tried both internal and external Chinese herbal remedies, I tried taking probiotics. I also tried the chemical route, a benzoyl peroxide gel, but it stung like mad, dried out my skin, making it very sore, and I was still left with acne. That put me off using anything chemical again. On my insistence I was referred to a dermatologist and given the option of antibiotics. I was given a leaflet about the antibiotics, again I did a little research online and I was concerned by what I was reading. Some of the reports about the potential side-effects were worrying to say the least. I heard about a new acne product called Sebopure from a friend who’s a model. She was trialling it as part of a consumer trial and was very excited about it, as it had really cleared her skin which had been a nightmare for her because she was losing work due to her acne. She’d been so desperate she’d been on strong acne medication, but that had made her skin super dry, her eyes sore and her lips had cracked which was as bad for her appearance as the acne. She was trying Sebopure as it wasn’t chemical and also did something new, it purified the sebum rather than simply trying to kill acne bacteria and was supposed to improve skin texture as well as reduce acne. It made a lot of sense to me as my skin felt completely contaminated all the time, like it needed some kind of purification.  I asked her for the details and contacted the company myself to ask if I could also be part of the trial. They asked me to send photos of my skin and describe the level of my acne and then sent me the product to try. They asked me not to use any other acne products while trying Sebopure. As soon as I began using Sebopure I could tell my skin liked it. It didn’t sting, which was the first good sign. I began to notice over a period of three weeks that I was still getting spots but they felt different. They were smaller, drier and more like black heads than big red pussy spots. There was less underlying swelling and they didn’t hurt so much and they were more spaced out. There was also much less redness and soreness on the skin in between the spots. After another few weeks or so I had gone from having smaller spots to having fewer spots. I’d say I’ve seen about a 60% improvement in my skin and it’s only been five weeks, which is incredible. If I wasn’t still skin picking I think I’d have seen an even bigger improvement. Still, this is the best improvement I have seen in my skin from any product I have tried so far and what is so encouraging is that the quality of my skin feels so much better. It’s smoother, less sore and calmer. I don’t feel like I am ‘erupting’ all the time and with make-up on my skin looks almost clear, not as if it’s simply camouflaging. Without make-up you can still see the old scars and I still have some spots but my skin is paler, calmer and generally much smoother. And on good days I can consider going out to face the world make-up free, which is a revelation. At castings I no longer see those looks of mild horror when I turn up. I feel people are focusing on my acting skills rather than on my skin. I can understand people’s concerns as I’m casting for roles on TV and so no matter how good you are at acting, appearance is so important in this industry. I’m hoping that with my clearer skin I’m going to start finding more success with TV roles as I know my acting skills are really good.” What is Sebopure and how does it help reduce acne?  Skin prone to acne produces excess sebum, which is what causes oily and congested skin. Acne is caused by the build-up of dirt and bacteria in excess sebum which can lead to pore blockages and infection. Sebopure, by UK acne skincare brand Clarol, is an innovative new anti-acne treatment that controls acne by keeping sebum production pure using a patented preserver ingredient derived from wild mustard leaf oil. Via purifying sebum production, pore blockages and inflammation are reduced and sebum production itself begins to naturally diminish. Sebopure contains a patented natural ingredient called Pixalia ™* made from a concentrated leaf oil extract from the Cleome Gynandra (wild mustard) plant. Pixlalia ™ has been scientifically proven as an active preserver due to naturally derived Rutin and hydroxycinnamic acid present in the plant extract. Instead of working against the skin’s natural processes through the use of harsh anti-bacterial agents, Sebopure works in harmony with the skin’s natural sebum production, keeping sebum pure to prevent acne while not damaging or drying skin. Sebopure is suitable for oily or combination acne-prone skin and is FREE from parabens, perfumes, SLS and MI. Sebopure costs £12.95 (50ml)