Mum of three Sally Quest, 54, is a former metropolitan police officer from Gwynedd in Wales 

“My rosacea was triggered due to the immense stress of being bullied out of my job as a police officer of almost thirty years,” says Sally.

“In 2017 I was diagnosed by my GP with stress-induced rosacea bought on by what I had been going through at work.

Aside from trying to deal with a truly horrendous situation at work, my skin was breaking out in red, swollen blotchy patches. I felt that the despair I felt inside but was trying to hide from people at work was manifesting itself all over my face and everyone kept staring at me. When someone made a jibe at me ‘aren't you too old for spots” it was a joke, albeit a hurtful one, but it cut me to the bone.

I felt my whole world had been turned upside down. In the end I couldn’t cope and suffered from a period of acute depression and eventually had to take sick leave from work to get myself better,” says Sally.

Consultant dermatologist Dr Eva Melegh says: “Rosacea is a skin condition that is caused by dilation of the blood vessels below the surface of the skin and can be triggered my periods of extreme emotional stress or trauma. Stress-related rosacea is common and can often come on suddenly and be quite severe.”

The situation at Sally’s work eventually got addressed and she was re-located after several months off being off work with long term sickness and faced being dismissed.

“Thankfully my work representative backed me all the way,” says Sally.

“Unfortunately, the same could not be said for my skin. Before I developed rosacea, I had always been blessed with really good skin. So, when the doctor’s diagnosis sunk in along with the realisation that this was a chronic skin condition that had no cure coupled with my mental health issues due to what I had been going through at work, it really was the most traumatic period of my life.

After my diagnosis I was prescribed numerous treatments by my GP for my rosacea. Over time I was given Metronidazole cream, gel, antihistamines and tetracycline but nothing worked. In fact, some treatments made my rosacea even angrier and my skin got much worse.

I became really concerned and anxious that I would never find a solution for my skin. By this time my skin was so bad I’d became very uncomfortable about being out in public and was really self-conscious of my face.

To my absolute relief I came across Kalme products for rosacea while researching alternative products to medications for rosacea treatment as I had given up on everything the doctor was giving me.

The Kalme products worked pretty much immediately. The redness dissipated within the first week and the pustules disappeared within a matter of weeks. The relief I felt was immense. It was actually life-changing and the best cream for rosacea I had ever tried. Even to this day I see these products as one of the things that helped me feel like I was getting back control of my life again and I will be forever grateful for that.

Within a few months of using the Kalme products my skin had returned more or less back to normal and has stayed that way ever since because I use the products every day and wouldn't dream of ever stopping. I will never forget how much the distress of having rosacea effected my life and I don’t want to ever risk a relapse.

“Rosacea is a chronic skin condition which once triggered stays with you for life. Flare ups can be manged and reduced with regular and diligent preventative skin care as well as lifestyle changes such as reducing stress levels, keeping skin out of direct sunlight and always wearing an SPF and reducing alcohol intake,” says Dr Eva.

Before her dreadful experience at work Sally says she had always been a very positive person,

“Slowly I've been taking steps to being that person again,” says Sally.  “Having my skin back to normal and getting compliments about how good my complexion is for my age has been a huge part of helping me feel much more confident and positive about the future.

I’ve given myself a fairy major image change in the last year and I feel honestly like a different person than a did a few years ago."