‘How I hid my skin problems for years before finding a cure’
At first glance this photo looks like a happy tourist snap — but behind the photo is a secret one woman hid from everyone for almost a decade.
It was a trip I’d looked forward to for months, but behind my smile on my Europe getaway was a big secret.
I had gone overseas in 2018 to visit my sister who was living in London. As well as having a city jaunt, we’d planned a beach holiday on Italy’s Cinque Terre coast and being the height of summer, so I’d wanted to go makeup-free.
But my skin had other plans. Arriving, I was in the middle of yet another acne flare up and while it didn’t dull the excitement of being reunited with my sibling, it was definitely annoying.
I’d tried so hard to look after my skin that year, spending thousands of dollars on a course of peels and new skincare products at an expensive Sydney clinic that I had hoped would rid me of my spots for good.
But instead I found myself spending each morning layering on the makeup because I was so self-conscious about my skin.
I was 27 and I’d since lost count of the number of breakouts I’ve had since my skin first began flaring up when I finished high school – and I was really fed up with it.
For years whenever I confided in people about my acne I always got the same response.
“But you don’t have acne.”
While some were probably just trying to make me feel better, others had a right to feel confused – after dealing with acne for close to 10 years I’d gotten really good at hiding it.
I was a master at using concealer and foundation to hide my pimples and scarring, so much so, it had become my little secret.
I used cover-up products so often my friends and family rarely saw my ‘real’ skin.
Today, nearly two years on from that Europe trip, and I’m hopeful I’ve finally found a solution for my skin after finishing up a 12 month course of acne drug Roaccutane last month.
It was medication I’d ummed and ahhed about taking for years, scared of the stories I’d heard about side effects.
But it’s been the best decision I ever made and luckily I didn’t experience the scary symptoms I’d read about online (please talk to a doctor if you’re considering it.)
IS THERE AN ACNE CURE?
When talking about acne remedies it’s important to note there are only a handful of treatments that are actually clinically proven (as in actually backed by solid, peer-reviewed science) to be effective in treating breakouts.
Countless influencers have claimed that eating this one food or buying a really expensive face oil will ‘heal’ your acne.
But for me, the only ‘cure’ that’s worked was my prescription medication, Roaccutane.
While it’s been shown to be effective in 80 per cent of people who do a course of its drug, many people shy away from it because of publicity around its side effects, which can include mood swings.
Dr Jo-Ann See is a dermatologist at Central City Dermatology that specialises in acne and is co-chair of All About Acne, a free website that offers unbiased advice from doctors about skin treatments.
She was previously a spokesperson for Roaccutane at the College of Dermatologists and stressed that while there were plenty of promised cures being touted on places like Instagram there only a handful that were actually backed by science.
“The thing is that you’re talking to a dermatologist so I’ve got a scientific background, and I’ve also seen thousands of patients so I’m not selling you something — I’m giving you the scientific how-to,” Dr See said.
“It’s not my Instagram or my Instagram case of one, I can give you all the science behind it and there’s a lot of science.
“So I think people have to know that they might hear about a remedy but if you’re actually looking at hard scientific data it’s all out there for these prescription products that have been out there for decades.”
Cures backed by science included over-the-counter products that contained benzal peroxide or a prescription of antibiotics which could be “really helpful in small courses”, she said.
If the acne was severe or other treatments weren’t successful synthetic vitamin A could then be prescribed, taking either the form of a retinoid cream or in pill form as roaccuntane.
Darlinghurt Dermatology’s Dr Natasha Cook told news.com.au that she would consider prescribing Roaccutane for anyone that had acne that was either persistent, inflamed or cystic, as well as if they had a risk of scarring.
While cases of people on roaccutane having extreme mood swings or even depression has been well-publicised in the past, Dr Cook said she “rarely” sees this problem.
“The real evidence actually shows that people’s moods go up when they are on Roaccutane as their skin gets better and they feel better,” she said.
“I rarely see any issues. In fact I have been referred patients from psychiatrists who are on mood stabilising drugs.
“We have prescribed then Roaccutane and they have told me they felt so much better as the bad skin was making them depressed.”
PRODUCTS THAT HELP
As mentioned I’ve done a lot of trial and error with my skin over the years (including one particularly painful treatment in 2016 that left my skin so burnt I couldn’t leave the house for two days afterwards) and I’ve never found a holy grail product out there that will fix your acne.
But there are definitely products that can help calm skin and even ease breakouts, so here’s what I found worked best for me.
None of these are sponsored or advertorial and if you already have a product that works for you then great! Stick with it.
CLEANSER
The good news about having acne is that you don’t have to spend lots to get a good cleanser, but I believe it’s important to use gentle products.
Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser, $16.99: An oldie but a goodie this is cleanser is amazing, even if you’re not on a budget.
Dermologica Clearing Skin Wash, $60: This has acne-fighting salicylic acid in it and was one of the few products with this type of ingredient that didn’t irritate my skin.
La Roche Posay Effaclar Foaming Gel, $31.49: This French brand is also excellent at cleaning acne-prone skin and didn’t ever make my breakouts worse.
MOISTURISER
Until the age of 23 I didn’t use a moisturiser – in my defence it was in the time before people’s skincare regimes went mainstream on Instagram and YouTube.
I thought it would make my skin too oily and cause me to break out more, until a lady at a skin counter in Myer gave me some blunt advice.
“You need to moisturise more,” she told me when I asked if she had any products that would help my acne. “Your skin looks really dehydrated.”
I was amazed, as I’d never considered this before but in the months that followed my skin drastically improved — I still got spots but my skin was smoother and less red.
This felt revolutionary to me and, according to dermatologists, it’s not uncommon for people with acne to shy away from moisturising.
Dr Cook said it was one of the “biggest myths” she had to deal with her patients that have acne.
“Dry skin and not using a moisturiser makes acne worse,” she said.
“The right moisturiser helps to regulates oil production.”
Dermologica oil clearing matte moisturiser spf15, $36.50: I love this moisturiser, it’s really light but works amazing to hydrate your skin.
CeraVe Moisturising Cream, $18.39: This heavy duty moisturiser is perfect for winter or as a night cream — despite the thick texture it never made me breakout and absorbs quickly into the skin.
MAKEUP
Despite what countless people say, wearing makeup won’t make your acne worse.
“No it’s not bad, but the issue is removing it properly. Thorough cleansing with a dermatologist recommended cleanser is a must,” Dr See said.
“A good cleanser will remove makeup, pollution, dead skin cells, and sebum to allow the pilosebaceous duct or the follicle to breathe.
“Cleansers that are formulated with LHA and Salicylic Acid assist to micro-exfoliate and purify the skin by eliminating dead skin cells, unclogging pores and reducing excess sebum.”
My best acne makeup hack would be to buy a medium sized eyeshadow brush and use that to apply your concealer, you get much better coverage that way.
Revlon Colorstay foundation $34.95, Powder $34.97, Concealer $26.95: This foundation and matching powder and concealer is the bomb. It’s reasonably priced and gives you full coverage without looking cakey. Even better it goes half-price at Priceline every few months so you can stock up.
MAC Studio Fix fluid SPF Foundation, $55, Studio Fix Perfecting Stick $41: This more expensive option is worth the spend and has a really extensive shade range.
IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream, $63 : If you don’t want to wear foundation but still want coverage, this CC cream is a pretty good alternative. It won’t give you the same coverage as the other two foundations but will even out your skin tone.