My Naked Face

Caroline’s Acne Journey

 
 

Meet Caroline - one of our lovely clients who suffered with Acne, and came to the Secret Garden Skin Clinic to cure it in time for her wedding! We cured her acne, moved on to the scarring, and Caroline is now undergoing treatment to take her clear, acne free skin to the next level with treatments such as Radio Frequency Microneedling and Profhilo!

 
 

My skin…

Ever since I was a teenager, I suffered with Acne. It started off with a small, manageable patch across my T-zone, but as I got older the worst areas became my chin and my cheeks, particularly around certain times of the month. I suffered with painful, red lumps that were impossible to cover with make up as they were so raised, and once they were gone I was left with terrible scarring.

This is when the vicious cycle of make up started - I was covering everything I could with a thick layer of make up, which in turn was blocking my pores and making everything worse.

I continued to suffer with hormonal acne throughout my 20’s and it became apparent that this wasn’t the normal teenage acne that went away with age.

How did I try and cure my acne?

I tried every single product I could find online and on the high street, eventually turning to sunbeds as a respite. Although the sunbeds reduced the amount of acne I had, it also damaged my skin and deepened my scarring and redness which also wasn’t great. As I neared my 30s, I was off the sunbeds as I knew the dangers of prolonged sun exposure but I still couldn’t find any products that worked for me.

Why did I visit the Secret Garden?

As I got closer to my wedding, I knew I had to seek professional help to cure my skin so that I’d feel confident and happy on my wedding day.

Sharron was referred to me by somebody who had treatments at the Secret Garden and it is without a doubt the best thing I have ever done for my skin! As soon as I met Sharron, I knew she’d be able to help me. I went into clinic for my consultation and she immediately made me feel at ease. She explained in detail about the imbalanced PH level of my skin, what was happening to my skin at certain times of the month, and exactly what treatments and products I’d need to use.

When I first visited Sharron, I had 6 months to go until my wedding so we were on borrowed time. Sharron promised me that on my wedding day my skin would be perfectly smooth, but we wouldn’t have enough time to cure the scarring and redness. However, my wedding make up would cover the redness so I was delighted. By June 2020, all my active acne had disappeared, my skin was smooth and my make up was able to cover any redness and scarring - exactly as Sharron promised.

January 2020 - Before having any treatment

June 2020 - 5 months using topical skincare, peels, and antibiotics

As it turns out, Covid delayed my wedding by 2 years, meaning I had plenty of time with Sharron to not only cure the acne but treat the scarring and redness.

On my wedding day in June 2022, my skin was perfectly smooth and completely acne free - I was able to wear minimal make up and still feel like a bride.

Wha’ts next?

Fast forward to today, and my skin looks and feels amazing - something I’d only ever dreamed of! I’m now moving onto different treatments like Microneedling and Profhilo. I’m no longer trying to cure my acne or get rid of any scarring, I’m just trying to get my skin to look as good as possible which is really exciting.

How did Acne make me feel?

I hated suffering with Acne, it made me feel like I couldn’t look people in the eye. I felt like it was going to be the first thing anybody noticed about me. Staying overnight anywhere was a nightmare because I’d have to factor in how early I could wake up and sneak off to do my make up before anybody else in the house woke up. Some days, I’d look in the mirror and I’d hate my skin so much I would cry.

How do I feel now?

Now, I can leave the house make up free and I always get compliments on how glowy and healthy my skin looks. I feel like a different person!

If I can give anybody any advice out there who is suffering - come to The Secret Garden and let Sharron and Mica fix your skin, you really do deserve it.

Caroline’s mix of products and treatments:

Acne and The Skin

The skin is our biggest organ and, rightly or wrongly beautiful, blemish free skin, particularly on the face, is considered to be a marker of attractiveness.

It’s hardly surprising then - that faces that are marked or spotty contribute so much to destroying people's self-esteem and confidence and make them feel so unhappy. Having healthy skin is really important as the skin has so many roles in maintaining our health and acting as a physical barrier to the outside world.

Acne is one of those conditions that can cause the sufferer a lot of upset, and so the initial action they take maybe to try and cover up the skin with as much makeup as possible to mask the spots or try to pick the spots away. Not surprisingly, these are some of the worst things to do. Picking spots causes scarring, which is harder to manage than the spots themselves, while thick makeup can further block pores and add more unwanted oils.

To find out how Mica and Sharron can help you on your journey to healthy skin, book your skin consultation now!