My Problematic Skin : My Story & Ongoing Journey.*

I am working alongside Proactiv+ Skincare for the next few months on a really exciting blogger’s campaign that I want to share with you and explain a little bit about what I will be involved in.

You will be seeing updates on here, alongside my social media about how I am getting on with the products once I have been prescribed my regime, how my skin is, and also lots of different breakout-based posts, not just revolved around the skincare, but also makeup, diet & lifestyle.

Firstly, you may not know that I had pretty horrendous breakouts & skin if you are new to my blog, plus ; my skin has been relatively ‘clear’ now for around 6 years. However, a lot of people still find my blog for my breakout/blemish posts and I still have quite bad scarring, blackheads, whiteheads and *that* occasional bout. From my experiences I want to share my knowledge, advice and try and help as many people who are going through it.

My Skin Story:

I started getting blemishes across my forehead at the age of 12. I used to horse ride so this was attributed to my riding hat as I had them no where else across my skin. However, around a year later, they started to spread all over my face, chest and back and I started my long and awkward journey with my problem skin.

I would say it was moderate-severe ; in my teens, I often remember my face being absolutely covered in horrible, painful whiteheads, bumps, lumps and redness and no matter how much I cleansed & applied all the skincare under the sun, I still felt dirty and greasy and my skin looked and felt horrible. It was absolutely crushing as a teenager and my confidence, self-worth and social life was uncomfortable and low. I was bullied, my feelings revolved around my skin and I was deeply miserable.

I had numerous visits to the doctors and was put on around 10 different types of antibiotics over a 6 year period : both oral and topical and nothing even touched the sides. My teen years and livelihood was deeply effected by something I seemed unable yet desperate to control. At the age of 16 I finally got referred to a dermatologist, and was immediately put on a 3-month course of Roaccutane. It worked…..for around 1 year, and then it came back. This was nearly 20 years ago and it was only ever advised to do a 3-month course on this powerful medication. 3 years later, I made the decision to go back on another course of Roaccutane at University. The same happened : it cleared up for around a year…and then the breakouts came back. And it was crushing.

When I moved to London 10 years ago, my skin was at it’s worst. My life was effected and revolved around how my skin looked and the only option was to once again, go onto Roaccutane for a final time. This time I was monitored and was on it for a prolonged amount of time as they knew the first x2 times hadn’t worked. I ended up being on it for nearly a year and a half (!) and it was a pretty horrendous time BUT my skin was finally clear, and now 8 years on, my skin is doing *ok*. I will often have breakouts and blemishes, but it feels under control with good skincare. I still have scarring and a bit of discoloration which you can see from these bare skin photo’s.

Proactiv+ Skincare X Blogger Campaign.

You probably would have heard of this brand as it’s possibly one of the most famous ‘blemish skincare’ brands, and they have had quite a lot of celebrity endorsement over the years. I will be honest, I have never used their skincare before. It definitely wasn’t available in the UK when I was having my full-blown breakouts, otherwise it would have been one of the brands I would have tried. Its known for it’s daily 3-step skincare routine, and they have lots of add-on products such as masks, toners and even makeup. 

I am going to see their appointed UK Dermatologist who will assess my skin and give me a regime which I will be sharing with you next week, alongside more focus on the actual products. Like, I have said, I do not have full-blown breakouts at the moment, but I definitely have blemishes, mainly blackheads, oily skin & scarring. From using the Proactiv+ regime, I am hoping to clear my skin up a little more, brighten up the discoloration and control the excess oil on my skin.

Have you heard of Proactiv+ or is a brand that maybe you have already tried?

* This is a sponsored post