Acne sufferer who was called pizza face by school bullies finds salvation for her skin with Clarol's Nordic Birch & Willow Primer for acne-prone skin

Adult acne sufferer Daisy Welch, 25, an advertising executive from Milton Keynes, talks candidly about her struggle with adult acne and how she managed finally to find a solution for her skin after years of medications and cycles of acne break outs.

My acne made me feel so insecure and not pretty enough

 

“I first got acne when I was about 12 years old. I was the first person in my class to get acne so I felt very isolated and worried that I wasn’t normal.

I think genetics did have a role to play with my acne as my mum, brother and sister had it too! But I feel like it was a combination of a genetic disposition to getting acne combined with other things, such as not using the right skin care products and over using too many products, using too much makeup as I got a bit older and not taking if off properly (just using face wipes etc) that made my acne so much worse.

I remember crying to my mum when I got my first break out and asking what to do and asked why me? As no one else around me had breakouts. She explained to me that she had it and that it would just go away on its own once I got older.

Unfortunately it didn’t and that was when I realised there was no such things as an acne cure 

My acne made me feel so insecure and not pretty enough. I hated going to school as kids made fun of me and I’d hear them whispering behind my back about my skin. It made me feel so alone and not good enough. I tried to cover it up with makeup at school, but it still did not help.

I remember this one specific time where a girl called me ‘pizza face’ over text and was nasty to me for no reason. That really hurt because I could not help it! I tried everything and nothing ever worked! So it was upsetting to hear people say things like this.

My acne has severely affected my confidence, weirdly with friends more than relationships. I moved a lot when I was younger and went to different schools so when meeting new friends I felt really self-conscious and embarrassed of my skin, especially to girls, as their skin always looked perfect and flawless. I used to struggle to open up when I was younger, so most people saw me as closed and not easy to talk to, when actually I was just ashamed of my skin.

 Relationships were the same in a sense, but I used to wear makeup ALL the time, so boyfriends rarely saw me without makeup.

My acne made me feel I just wanted to hide from the world

 

The worst breakout I ever had was when I was 21. I had tried this new product that ‘claimed ‘to help acne and redness. I put the mask on and within minutes my face was so irritated and itchy. I took off the mask and put cold water on my face to cool it off. Left it and thought nothing off it. The next morning, I woke up to the worst breakout in the world, covered my whole face and was big lumps on my face. I was so upset and embarrassed, I just wanted to hide from the world. It took about a week to go down but was still terrible for ages.

The worst breakout I ever had was when I was 21 years. I had tried this new product that ‘claimed ‘to help acne and redness. I put the mask on and within minutes my face was so irritated and itchy. I took off the mask and put cold water on my face to cool it off. Left it and thought nothing off it. The next morning, I woke up to the worst breakout in the world, covered my whole face and was big lumps on my face. I was so upset and embarrassed, I just wanted to hide from the world. Took about a week to go down but was still terrible for ages.

Throughout my early 20’s I would wake up in the mornings hating to look in the mirror and used to try put my fingers all over the spots to see what I would look like if I had clear skin. (obviously, this never worked as was way too many) but I was completely and utterly obsessed with trying to clear my skin. I googled how to get rid of acne about a million times and would watch countless YouTube videos.

When I was 22 I tried going vegan if you can call that a treatment, as a lot of nutritionist said that it could be the food I am eating so I tried to cut out sugar, dairy and meat to see if that made a difference. To be honest my acne did seem less inflamed and the breakouts seemed to heal quicker, however it did not ‘cure’ my acne and I still broke out regardless

I was diagnosed with severe acne by my family doctor when I was in my late teens and over the course of the years I have been prescribed numerous different treatments.

Over the last 4-5 years I have been prescribed topical and oral medications to prevent my acne including antibiotics, topical creams,  contraceptive pills and, finally at the start of last year, I was prescribed strong acne medication by my dermatologist, which was the only thing that has any effect on my acne.

While taking acne medication I experienced a lot of worrying side effects like very dry skin and eyes, some liver damage, migraines and crippling anxiety attacks

 

I still suffer from migraines and anxiety attacks now as a result of being on this medication. 

After coming off acne medication at the end of last year I lived in fear of the rebound acne that I was told by my dermatologist I would almost definitely experience due to the severity of my acne. I was told I would probably have to go on a second course.

I really did not want to go on a second course of medication due to the horrible side effects and so when I started getting some break outs again after a few months of coming off it, which caused me a great deal of anxiety,  I began to search for alternatives to try and control my rebound break outs before they got a chance to take hold and my acne returned with full force as I has seen on Instagram with so many other acne sufferers who had come off acne medications and their skin ended up the same or worse than before.

Four months ago I discovered Clarol products through my Instagram @clearskinandgym where I share a lot of tips and information with other acne sufferers about how to manage adult acne. I was recommended them by one of my followers and I will often try new products that are recommended to me if they look convincing and there enough independent reviews on them.

I particularly liked the concept of the Clarol products as they worked on prevention of acne by building up the skin’s natural acne defences as opposed to attacking the spots themselves. I read on the reviews that a lot of people were using them to help prevent going back on acne medication again so  they seemed to be exactly what I was looking for as I was extremely reluctant to go back on medications ever again.

I noticed the Clarol products working after about two weeks!

I used the whole range but one of the standout products was a brand new treatment primer called Clarol Nordic Birch & Willow Primer. The company were running a consumer trial on the primer before launching it and asked me if I’d like test sample. The Primer contained two Nordic bark extracts, Birch and Willow.

The Clarol Nordic Birch & Willow Primer for me honestly is a game-changer

 

The whole Clarol range really helped reduce my post-medication breaks out that were coming back on a regular basis but really the primer completely transformed my skin. It took down the underlying red inflammation in my skin and made the texture of my skin much smoother and calmer. I could wear make up over the top of it and it didn’t trigger break outs like it normally does. If I had the treatment primer on, then my skin would feel calmer and not react to my make up at all. It was a revolution for me and felt like I had finally found a product that prevented and protected my skin from break out triggers, namely make up, which always makes my skin break out.

Since using the Clarol products my skin is much clearer and not as red and aggressive

The breakouts are minor and go away within a couple of days and the texture of my skin is much smoother and brighter.

I feel so relieved to find a skincare range that actually works ongoingly and not just at the offset and also has no negative side effects. I feel it’s not only reduced my acne but actually improved the quality of my skin and my skin’s resilience to acne.

I think these products are amazing for anyone coming off acne meds and trying to prevent rebound acne or trying to avoid going on it in the first place. I have had zero irritation to any of the Clarol products despite my skin being extremely sensitive after Accutane.

My boyfriend has commented on how soft and clear my skin looks

If you are struggling like I was with repeated break outs that do not seem to be responding to anything except strong medications then I would highly recommend Clarol products”