My acne caused excruciating pain but eventually I found a solution…
Harriet suffers from acne. Again, she is far from unique as 95% of the UK population will, at some point in their lives, suffer from this skin complaint. Where Harriet IS different is that she suffers from cystic acne – the most painful and unsightly of the six types of acne.
Harriet was first struck by cystic acne aged 13. Initially she managed to control it with medication before a huge flare up in October 2023 left her skin feeling and looking worse than ever before…
It started when I was 13
When Harriet hit puberty – around 13, she experienced sporadic spells of bad skin. This continued until she was 14 when her spots turned into cystic acne which were both painful and persistent. Desperate to get rid of it, she tried various skin creams but none of them cleared it up. In fact, some even hurt her skin and made it worse! Her GP put Harriet on the contraceptive pill in an attempt to regulate her hormones and calm her skin.
Initially it worked…but then it came back really badly
After a short while, Harriet's skin cleared up well – she got the occasional spots but they didn’t last long or cause problems. But in October 2023 Harriet had an awful flare-up and the cystic acne returned. It affected her face, upper back and all around her neck. No-one can explain why it came back so badly and after trying a number of skincare products with no success, my doctor advised me to try a different pill to see if that would help. They also recommended to try Roaccutane but Harriet was wary of the side effects which include making skin sensitive to the sun. She knew she was going to be travelling so didn’t want to risk that, let alone any of the serious side effects people report.
Constant Pain
Harriet says - "What people don’t realise is how much cystic acne can hurt - at night I couldn’t lie on the sides of my face and had to sleep facing upwards. Even washing with water felt like my skin was burning. It was so sensitive and the white heads and big clusters of spots were really big and prominent: it was excruciating at times."
Harriet stripped back to the basics – to no avail
Harriet tried stripping back my skincare routine to use really basic, unscented products – they made it no better or worse, feeling frustrated and stuck. She was also getting worried about scarring as my acne was leaving marks.
Desperately sad
"I would very often cry about my skin because of the pain and frustration. I was also upset by my appearance and would use a lot of heavy make-up to try and disguise the spots and redness. That got me into a vicious cycle as the make-up aggravated my skin more. But I wouldn’t go out socially without covering my spotty, red skin.
I felt desperately sad but must say that I was so fortunate that my friends were lovely and kind. My mum and dad are also incredibly supportive: having both suffered with awful skin when they were younger, they truly know how it feels, both physically and emotionally" says Harriet.
The worst thing I could have one
"I finally resorted to slathering my face with a barrier cream – better known for treating nappy rash! – as I’d heard some people do that. Of course, I now know it was the worst thing I could have done as it simply blocked my pores and didn’t let my skin breathe! It brought no relief: I thought I was out of options," Harriet says.
Chance meeting changed my life
Harriet had just about given up hope of finding a solution when, by chance, her dad met Julia, our Co-Founder and CEO here at Skin:Genius at a golf match in which her brother was playing against Julia's son. They got chatting and that’s when they learned about the Skin:Genius range. It has, quite literally, changed my life.
Products I use
Harriet says, "There are just three products which I use religiously every day."
"First is the Best Cleanse Forever foaming face wash which is gentle, effective and softening. I simply apply it to my skin and rinse it off.
All’s Well That Gels Well treatment gel I use to target specific areas – it feels immediately cooling and gets to work straight away to prevent spots and it calms the redness and inflammation quickly and helps stop the pain.
I then apply the Soothe Operator moisturiser which I adore! It calms my skin, makes if feel hydrated and smooth and also takes away the dry patches which occur between my oily areas and spots. It tingled a little when I first started using it as I had open wounds on my face. But it very soon settled down and now feels wonderful!"
Improvements are coming in leaps and bounds
Harriet started using Skin:Genius at the end of February 2024 and within weeks could see an improvement. By the time she left on her travels just eight weeks later, she could see a huge change. Harriet packed plenty of Skin:Genius for her trip as she simply wouldn’t be without it and kept up her routine every day while away.
The improvements are coming in leaps and bounds. "I’m feeling much more confident in my skin and so much happier in myself." says Harriet.
Harriet's advice to others who suffer from acne
"It sounds simple but do persevere – it takes time for the skin to calm down and heal and then you need to commit to a skincare routine to keep it clear from spots.
Take time to look after yourself – eat well and drink plenty of water. You will notice improvements and then it just gets better and better, I promise!"
