Real Life Stories
Guidance for confident skincare choices
Beer triggers woman’s menopausal blepharitis but a vine eye gel ended suffering when nothing else worked
Although menopausal symptoms are now more widely discussed by doctors, there are still so some common symptoms experienced by large numbers of women that many doctors are still not so familiar with. Blepharitis, a type of eye eczema, that causes inflammation of the eye lids and the skin around the eyes, is one of the less commonly dicussed symptoms of menopause, yet for many women often its often one of the first and most difficult symptoms to deal with. “The reduction in the hormone oestrogen is what can trigger blepharitis in peri menopausal women as oestrogen is a major factor for collagen production which keeps skin flexible and moisturised. The skin around the eyes is particularly susceptible to dryness from a drop in oestrogen as its very thin and so isn’t able to retain much moisture, says consultant dermatologist Dr Eva Melegh. According to medical guildlines, normal prescription steroids are not generally recommended for use around the eye area and should only be considered as a last resort. “Typical first point of call treatment for atopic skin flares is steroids, they bring fast and spectacular improvement, but for this very delicate area around the eyes steroids are not recommended, which leaves relatively few alternatives,” says Dr Melegh. However, there are some effective alternatives to steroids and one of those is phytosterols (which are plant-derived steroid-like components) which are structurally similar to the basis of steroids. “Unlike prescription steroids, phytosterols are natural and gentler and offer anti-inflammatory effects without the undesirable side-effects, which makes them suitable for use around the delicate eye area. The physosterol Cardiospermum halicacabum is particularly useful for blepharitis as it has been widely studied for its beneficial effect on atopic and reactive skin. It offers an effective anti-inflammatory action and yet is gentle enough to use around the eye area,” says to Dr Melegh. Tracey, 57, a Sales Co-ordinator from Nottinghamshire, experienced her first flare up of blepharitis when she entered perimenopause. ‘My horrendous and sudden onset of blepharitis began literlly as I entered perimenopause, not that anyone mentioned at the time that this could have been a symptom. Almost overnight my eyes went tight, puffy and red. It started with a hot tingly feeling around my eyes," says Tracey. For almost a decade, Tracey tried various products to calm her hot, red, swollen eyes down but nothing ‘over the counter’ worked. She also went for allergy tests to try and find out what was triggering her blepharitis but they all came back inconclusive. She was prescribed various mediated creams from a consultant at Queens Medical Centre Hospital in Nottingham. "The steroid cream did help calm things down after a few days of use. However, I was instructed not to use it for too long as it can damage and thin the skin around the eyes which obviously really worried me and it also came back with a venegence as soon as I stopped the treatment," says Tracey. "No one had any idea what kept triggering Tracey's blepharitis and a link to th eonset of menopause was never mentioned. However, she did discover that whenever she drank beer the same thing happened. "I realised that something in the beer was also triggering my blepharitis, so obviously I ceased drinking it," says Tracey. "Aside from how uncomfortable my eyes were, I did begin to feel very self-conscious about how they looked. It was almost impossible to wear any make up on them to try and disguise the redness as they were so sore and cosmetics made it look even worse. I started to dread social events or planned outings as my eyes could just flare up at any moment without much warning so I turned down a lot of days and nights out. "I was really worried about repeatedly using the steroid cream around my eyes as I had read about the side effects of them thinning and discolouring the skin, so I began researching alternatives. That’s when I found an article about menopausal blepharitis and I read an account from a woman who had experinced almost idential symptoms as me and had finally found a solution in Hydrosil Dry Eye Gel, which contained a vine extract that is a plant version of a steroid and was much safer to use around the eyes than steroid creams," says Tracey. After reading her account Tracey decided to try the vine eye gel for herself. "The relief from the eye gel was pretty much immediate, although it took a few days to really notice the improvements. Within a few weeks of using the vine eye gel my eyes were about 90% improved, which was honesty miraculous in my eyes. The fact that the eye gel contained natural plant equivalents of chemical steroids made me feel much safer using it around my eyes and I could use it daily for as long as I needed to. My eyes still get a bit dry now, but the redness, puffiness and itching has improved enormously. I use the vine eye gel daily as it seems to control the main symptoms of blepharitis, which has honestly been a life-changing result," says Tracey.
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Emotional trauma is the second biggest cause of rosacea
Rosacea, more so than almost any other skin condition, is linked to emotional stress. According to the National Rosacea Society, emotional stress is the second most common trigger for rosacea flare-ups, affecting almost 80% of people with the skin condition. Spikes in emotional stress release cortisol, which in turn increases blood flow to the skin and disrupts the body's ability to control inflammation. In people who suffer from rosacea, any systemic or localised inflammation can trigger facial blood vessels to dilate and resulting in intense redness, swelling, and burning of the facial skin, which are the classic symptoms of a rosacea flare. The most reactive of emotional stressors are feelings of anger, anxiety and shame or humiliation. For civil servant Rachel, a 37-year-old single mum from Glasgow in Scotland, it was the shock of finding out her partner of three years had been unfaithful and their ensuing separation that triggered her first flare of rosacea. “People will think it’s crazy but, honestly, I’d say finding a solution for my rosacea, which was triggered by the shock of finding out my partner of three years was cheating on me, was the one of the main things that gave me the strength and courage to get over my ex,” says Rachel. “When I found out my partner was cheating on me, my whole world collapsed. However, from the outside it might have been hard to tell the emotional turmoil I had going on inside, if it hadn’t been for my skin. My skin said it all really. It literally erupted into a furious red lumpy mess, which I later discovered was rosacea. I’d always had really good skin my entire life but the trauma of my breakup manifested itself through my skin. We’d been in a committed relationship when I found out my ex had betrayed me and was an accomplished, compulsive liar. As the catalogue of disturbing facts revealed themselves, I realised with shock and devastation that he was not at all the man I thought he was. By the time the truth was fully revealed I felt I no longer knew who he was and I felt deeply humiliated for putting all my trust in someone like that. He was my first serious relationship after the separation from the father of my two children. He was a pillar of our local community and the ‘nice guy next door’. I really thought I’d found ‘the one’. I could not have been more wrong. I was in a total state of shock when I found out all that had been going on and I emotionally froze. I couldn’t eat or sleep. I lost over a stone almost immediately. I was crying constantly. My family got really worried about me. Eventually I had to concede that I needed some help to process my feelings, and I turned to therapy to help me try and process what I was going through. After the initial physical shock, I settled into an almost overwhelming sense of grief and anxiety. I functioned day to day in the tasks I had to do like work, and being a mum for my kids. But I could not see any light at the end of the tunnel. And just when I didn’t think things could get any worse, my skin just kind of collapsed. It started with lots of little red lumps and then it just erupted into a burning red agony. Even putting water on my skin stung like crazy and my face was permanently inflamed and sore. The doctor prescribed a topical steroid cream, which is actually for eczema. When I put it on my skin, it felt like my skin was literally on fire. After going back to the doctor numerous times, I was put on several different types of steroids and lotions, all of which had pretty much the same effect. After months of agony I lost all faith in the doctor’s ointments and begun my own experimental process of buying everything I could find on the shelves at Boots to see if anything calmed my skin. All to no avail. I’m a keen walker and as I live in Scotland its obviously very cold but when I went out in the brisk wind, my face burned like a furnace. It had never done this before. So eventually I stopped walking. Walking was my one mental reprieve from the trauma and giving it up plunged me even further into a sense of anguish. My skin was having a catastrophic effect on my self-confidence. I stopped socialising. I hit rock bottom when I was invited to a leaving do for a work colleague. I didn’t want to go but she was a good friend, and I felt awful saying no. I tried to muster all my courage and I went and bought tons of make-up even though I knew it was going to be agony when I put it on. Before the night had even begun, I found myself in the pub toilet sobbing my eyes out. I was in such agony because the cosmetics burned my skin and they were literally running off my face with this furious raging bumpy skin poking through the bare patches. I felt hideous. In the end I just had to leave as I couldn’t bear to face people. This went on for months. Eventually I only left the house when I had to; to go to work or the school run. In the house I would stare in the mirror constantly to check the state of my skin. I was terrified that it was spreading and would never clear up. I saw different doctors, but no one seemed to have any answers and everything they gave me made it worse. I had been diagnosed with eczema and then perioral dermatitis and given medications for both conditions, which made my skin worse. Eventually I was referred to a specialist, but it was a three month wait just to get an appointment. I felt desperate. I found myself talking about my skin all the time, I felt I had to bring it up before others did because I could see the stares. It became the main topic of conversation for me. It got to the stage where it was the main thing that dominated my life. Most of my spare time was spent googling my symptoms and comparing my symptoms and photos to those on the internet. It was during one of these searches that I found the Kalme products on line. They were recommended by someone on a rosacea support group website. The account was clearly written by someone who had actually tried them rather than some cynical marketing jargon because the way she described symptoms and how she self was so similar to how felt I knew she had gone through what I was currently experiencing. I’d read a lot of so-called real-life stories from people but they never hot a chord like this one did. So, on impulse, I ordered the products. I knew the products were going to work the second I tried them as they were the first products I had put on that did not burn when I applied them, which was what the lady who’s story I read had also said. I tried one of the creams on a tiny skin patch first as I was so terrified of the burning. When it didn’t hurt I actually rang my best friend in tears as I was so excited. When I realised they didn’t sting I used the products all over my skin twice or three times a day. I ran through so many tubes in the first few weeks it cost me a small fortune. But it was completely worth it. I felt a huge improvement in the first month, but it took about three months for my skin to get back to what I would call ‘normal’. I felt empowered. It changed my whole outlook. It felt like the first thing I was able to do for myself that finally gave me some feeling of control over the effects of my traumatic separation. I’d felt for ages that my skin was telling everyone what a mess I was inside, which made me feel very vulnerable and ashamed. I started socialising again and bit by bit and things started to return to normal. I’m now in a new relationship. It’s refreshing and exciting although I can still be cautious and guarded at times. I’m learning to trust again and not view everyone with suspicion. I also did something I’ve wanted to do for a long time and went back to university to do a psychology degree. So, there could even be a new career in the pipeline soon too. I know people will say it’s just skin, but your face and your skin are often the first things people see. And if inside you are not coping, and your skin gives that away, the effect is devastating to your self-esteem. Skin conditions like rosacea are too often overlooked by doctors as something ‘cosmetic’ and not that serious, but if you listen to how people with skin conditions really feel, it’s actually a far more serious matter than people realise, particularly if its accompanied or caused by emotional turmoil. The combination of the two can be truly devastating. My future feels positive and exciting once again. I’m so relieved to be able to get on with my life. There were several points when I never thought that would happen.”
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Numbers of young Britons using sunbeds rises as model with skin cancer warns of the dangers
"It’s truly tragic that so many young people still tan their skin in the name of beauty. It makes me sick when I see fashion models and influencers with deep tans, it gives young people a very dangerous message and I'm living proof of that," says 45-year old Carina, a former model from Somerset. "My skin is a patchwork of scars from the 22 cancerous moles I've had removed and I've had over 400 stitches and been told numerous times by doctors that I'm lucky to be alive. I used to be a full time model and I still do some modelling work now and then and of course my scars affacted my work, but I don’t care about my scars, in fact I’m proud of them as they remind me of how lucky I am to still be here today," Despite warnings of dangers of using sunbeds, there has been a resurgence of their use in the UK. Recent surveys have found that over a quarter of people in the UK (28%) now use sunbeds, and that rises to 43% in people aged 18-25. The North of the UK report the highest usage, with Belfast crowned with the ominous title of the "sunbed capital of the UK". Stoke, Glasgow, and Liverpool also report higher than average usage of sunbeds. The World Health Organization classifies sunbed UV rays as a Group 1 carcinogen and studies suggest that using sunbeds before the age of 35 increases melanoma risk by almost 60%. Over 20,000 cases of melanoma skin cancer are diagnosed in the UK each year, but despite skin specialists advising that eight out of ten cases of skin cancers are preventable through sun protection,roughly half of Britsh people still get sunburnt at least once a year and over 30% rarely or never use an SPF cream even though the NHS strongly recommends applying a high-protection sunscreen of at least SPF 30 to all exposed skin during periods when the UK between mid-March to mid-October. People who work outside have a 60% higher risk of non-melanoma skin cancer compared to indoor workers. "I want young people to read my story as a stark reminder of how dangerous pursueing a tan can be. I have naturally very fair skin but I used to tan as a teenager and my parents were pretty lax about sun cream. I got burned quite a few times as a young girl and at 29 years old I developed skin cancer. I had two melanoma tumours removed which almost cost me my life," says Carina. "I used to love the look of a nice tan abd woud try and have one for as long as I could through the year, but now I'm terrified of the sun. I have a teenager daughter with very fair skin like me and she also has red hair and I have drummed into her the dangers of sunbathing like I did at her age or ever using sunbeds like so many youg people do these days. I have taught her to be proud of her lovely fair skin and not to try and always be tanning like so many young girls do still, despite all the warnings about skin cancer. Young people just do not realise the danger they are putting themselves in. "I was in a communal changing rooms recently of a fashion store and I saw this girl who took off her top and on her back she had what I knew was a skin melanoma. I had to say something to her but she told me to mind my own business. Later her friend came up to me and said she was sorry and that she would make her go to the doctor to check it out. It scares the hell out of me when I am on the beaches near my home and I see young women tanning themselves to crisps. I would not wish what happened to me on anyone. It’s terrifying and unlike a tan which fades in just a few weeks, the fear of another melanoma appearing is with you for life," says Carina. "People should bare in mind that a chemical filter SPF, even if it has a higher factor, does not have the same protection for skin as a physical mineral sun block. An SPF30 physical mineral block is the equivalent of approximately SPF50 in a chemical filter SPF, " says consultant dermatologist Dr Eva Melegh. "Mineral sunscreens contain either zinc oxide or titanium dioxide and they sit on top of the skin and act as a physical shield to deflect the sun’s rays. Chemical sunscreens contain ingredients like avobenzone, oxybenzone, octisalate and octinoxate, and they absorb into your skin and behave like a sponge and soak up UV rays. "While bother are effective for sunprotection, I always recommend mineral suncreens for anyone with sensitive skin, for children and for people with very pale skin because people should bare in mind that chemical filter SPF's, especially higher ones, can often cause skin reactions in very sensitive skin. For children and adults with sensitive skin , I prefer zinc oxide as a mineral SPF because its the least reactive of the two mineral SPF's and also has an anti inflammatory effect and so is actively benefical for sensitive skin conditions like rosacea,, " says Dr Melegh. Wearing suncreen all year round is a rule that Carina sticks to no matter what the weather is doing; "I literally never step outside my door without at least factor 30. I've discovered an amazing sun scream called KALME Day Defence SPF30, which contains a totally natural micronized zinc oxide SPF30 in it that offers great sun protection but without chemicals or whiteness on the skin. I'm worried about the chemicals in sun cream because I wear it everyday, so I need to feel secure that what I am putting on my skin is not going to harm me. I love the fact that KALME Day Defence is completely natural yet offers a physical block SPF. It means I can use it every day comes rain or shine without worrying. It makes me feel secure in the sun and that I can get on en enjoy my life without constantly fretting about chemicals on my skin or the sun burning me. The anti-redness ingredient in it also calms down my scars and makes them look less furious," says Carina. Carina admits she doesn't hide away indoors in nice weather but she is extremely aware of when she goes in the sun and for how long. "Obviously I avoid being out in midday sun nor do I expose my skin for too long to any sun at any time of the day or year. But I can walk on the beach in the early mornings or in the evenings and enjoy being outside in the sun shine. I always make sure I wear a hat and if the sun is strong even later in the day, I will usualy put on a light shirt to shield the most exposed areas of skin. But for everyday protection a natural SPF30 is ideal. I’d encourage everyone with fair skin to wear an SPF30 every day if they are outside for more than about half an hour, even if its not that sunny."
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Woman in therapy due to her acne clears skin with mustard cream
Acne is a skin conditon that affects up to 85% of the population up to the age of 25. In adults it affacts almost 20% of people and in women over fourty years old, it affacts over 25% due ot hormonal shifts in the run up to menopause. Like many people, Amy, 26, is from County Down, Northern Ireland, got acne in her teens but as she headed into adultood and most of her friends' acne cleared up, hers got progressively worse and more aggressive and she became one of the 20% of people suffering from chronic adult acne. Amy says: “I first got acne when I was thirteen and I put it down to the unfortunate consequences of puberty. I cried when I got my first big break outs. I was very self-conscious of my skin! Being a teen and having my first breakout, brought me into a whole new world of self-image, noticing new things about myself and acne products, which meant trying to hide my break outs with concealer and spending all of my pocket money on the newest acne face wash or treatment! However, unlike everyone else’s acne that disappeared once they reached their late teens my acne struggle got worse and worse and eventually turned into cystic acne. Even in good patches there were always at least one or two cysts on my face, while during a bad breakout my whole face was covered in acne. I get breaks outs from just about everything, stress, anxiety, too much sugar, not enough sleep. I was diagnosed by a doctor with severe cystic acne two years ago and as a result I have tried a range of antibiotics, topical creams and have also been to a dermatologist to see if acne medication would be suitable for me. I found antibiotics worked until I finished the course and then my acne came back with a vengeance! Most of the topical creams I was prescribed would irritate my skin or make my acne worse. Aside from irritating my skin, they made my anxiety levels increase when my acne came back worse after being on antibiotics or creams! Some face washes made for acne from the chemist also irritate my skin and break me out in rashes! I have also tried natural oil cleansing treatments using cold pressed oil, however it didn’t work. I also tried microdermabrasion a but it didn’t work for me. At the end of last year I had the worst breakouts I’ve ever had! It was terrible. For three days I developed cysts all over my face and they lasted for about a month, I still have scars on my face from it! I was in a terrible mental health space because of this. I was irritated, angry and upset, I couldn’t even lie my head on my pillow to get a decent night’s sleep due to how painful my face was. My acne has really destroyed my confidence and self- esteem over the years. I would never go out in public without makeup on. I also hated it when my boyfriend and friends saw me without makeup and I panicked at the thought of anyone I knew seeing me without make up. My attendance at school and then college wasn’t great either as my anxiety was always triggered by my acne and how I saw myself. People’s treatment of me because of my skin didn’t help either. I’d get a lot of common insults and remarks which people with acne usually deal with, like ‘Why don’t you wash your face,’ ‘why does your face look like that,’ which really got to me, especially in my teen years, however I learnt to deal with it in a positive way as an adult by creating an Instagram page dedicated to my acne, and supporting other people with acne and the problems they face with it! This has made me aware how just how many people actually deal with acne or other skin problems, and it made me feel so much more confident and better about having a bad skin day, and I’m so thankful for all my friends on my Instagram who’ve supported me too! Acne was also one reason why I developed body dysmorphia, which I had to got therapy for. I don’t think many people know how much acne affects you both physically and mentally, and it’s something we need to create awareness and be open about! After my experience with the rebound acne I got after taking cycles of antibiotics I decided this year to try and not to give into the temptation of going on strong anti-acne medication as I know there’s a lot of side effects, including mental helath issues. It can be a very effective acne medication for people, however for me I didn't think it was a good idea. I discovered Clarol Sebopure six months ago through my Instagram community. When I started using it, I had several large cysts on my face. With my knowledge of the cysts I get, they usually take two weeks or more to start to disappear! However, within about a week of using Clarol Sebopure, which contains an extract of wild musard leaf and woks by purifying sebum so it passes out throutgh the skin pore without pooling and getting contaminated, I noticed that my cysts were actually receding and my skin felt a lot smoother and less furious that it usually would be. This was the first time I tried something for my acne that was not a medication that had such a positive effect and so quickly. Within the first month of twice dailly use of Sebopure plus adding the Clarol Silver & Birch Exfoliating Wash to my daily routine, most of the larger cysts had receeded. No products I have ever tried in the past have done this. I was incredibly excited when I began to experience the effects of these products as a massive part of my acne journey has been trying to find products that actually work on my skin without any unpleasant side effects. Unlike anything medicated i have been prescribed for my acne, I am also allowed to keep on using Sebopure daily, there is not time limit like antibiotics so I don’t have to worry about the dreaded rebound acne. Aside from working, I was so pleased to find that the Sebopure did not hurt my skin or feel uncomfortable when I applied it. Most acne products sting like mad when you use them and you can feel your skin getting irritated. The amazing thing is that they these products also vegan, they aren’t tested on animals, and they’re more than 90% natural! Yet they actually work. They’re also not that expensive for the amount of product you get, which is another very important thing for me and I'm sure for many people. It's hard to afford the products you need to use on a regularly basis to control your break outs. For me, the effects of the Clarol products have been virtually miraculous. Anyone with acne will know that what works for one person may not work the same for another, even prescription products, so I am not saying these products will be some kind of magical acne cure for everyone, but they totally worked for me. I’m so stoked to finally have products that actually work for my skin after so many years of suffering. I still have my bad days with my acne, and I know I’ll always have volatile skin, but it’s nowhere near as bad as it used to be and is still improving week by week.”
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Pregnancy triggered rosacea for young mum
Acne rosacea is not generally associated with younger age groups. Rosacea most commonly appears in pepole who are 40-50 years old, according to the National Rosacea Society, with a significant number of cases developing after age 50. Which is why when rosacea develops in younger people, its often misdiognosed as normal acne or something allergy related. Bianca Storer, 31, a mum of two and a store assistant from County Durham, began to get the first symptoms of rosacea when she was just 22. “I had always had flawless skin until I got pregnant with my first child when I was 22, and then all hell broke loose. My skin started getting very red and sensitive and would flare up at random moments. Then I began to get rashes of small spots on top of the redness. My skin tone became uneven and bumpy. My skin just felt like it was all over the place. This carried on through my pregnancy but then didn’t go away after I gave birth. I sought medical advice from my GP but I was told there was nothing I could do for my skin except to try some creams they recommend from the chemist but nothing I tried cleared it up. Over time I have seen multiple doctors but as rosacea is not classed as extreme circumstances, I was never given anything on prescription, only suggestions of over-the-counter creams which were of no help whatsoever. In fact, some made my skin even worse. During the nine years since the first symptoms of my rosacea appeared, my skin went from having regular flare ups to becoming permanently red and bumpy across my cheeks and nose. I’d wake up every morning and just see this red, bumpy and blotchy face looking back at me. It got to the stage whereby I couldn’t think of leaving the house without a thick base layer of foundation to cover up the redness. I was I once asked by a customer what was wrong with my face, which was mortifying. Ever since that day I never arrived at work without a good covering of makeup, and I would have to re-apply it throughout the day. When you have rosacea, you spend a lot of time looking for any suggestions about products to try to calm it down. Every spare minute I had I was always searching online for things related to rosacea which is how I came across Kalme Skincare on Instagram. Someone around my age who was also mum like me had tried it after a back story very similar to mine. I just related to her story, and I felt like it was genuine, so I decided to try the Kalme products she had been using, which was a day cream and a treatment concealer. Unlike anything else I had tried for my rosacea so far, my skin felt instantly calmer and more comfortable when I applied the day cream. Then when I applied the concealer over the top, which goes on green but changes colour as you rub it in to match your skin tone exactly, I was blown away. Within seconds I had this natural-looking coverage which cancelled out all my redness and made my skin look even. My skin looked almost normal immediately and felt calmer and less sensitive. After a few weeks of using the two products every day my skin had calmed right down and the redness had started to recede. My skin was less bumpy, less tight and much less sensitive. With just a scrim of the concealer on, which is much lighter than the thick foundation I used to wear, I can now leave the house feeling totally confident in my skin. It takes seconds to apply and gives a perfectly matched natural finish every time, even when y skin tone changes a bit from day to day. I absolutely love this product and can’t be without it. I still get little flare ups, and my skin can still get a bit sensitive, but as long as I apply the Kalme Day Defence Cream every day and then the concealer over the top my skin stays totally manageable. I once ran out of the day cream and didn’t put it on for a few weeks and almost immediately my skin started to flare red more often and felt itchy and sensitive. I know now to not ever stop using it. These two products have made rosacea much less of an issue in my life. I still have it and I will always have it but now it doesn’t rule my life like it used to and most days I barely ever worry about my skin as I know I’ve got a way to keep it under control. I want to put my rosacea journey out there, because the more people with rosacea get to read accounts from other sufferers and what they found helped improve their skin, the less isolated and hopeless they will feel. It was due to reading someone else’s experience of rosacea and what they’d found to improve their skin that I finally found something to help my skin. So, I now want to help others in the same way.”
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New mum unable to hold daughter due to postpartum joint pain finds natural pain relief from 'fat' cream
Joint pain experienced immediately after giving birth, known as postpartum arthritis, is a type of joint pain that can be exprienced by new mothers after giving birth. The sudden drop in hormones, in particular progesterone, along with higher levels of prolactin when breastfeeding, can trigger acute inflammation of the joints causing significant pain and stiffness. The worst affected areas are typically the back, knees, wrists and hands, which can swell significantly, making it hard to even lift a new born baby. According to studies postpartum joint pain flares of arthritis are common, with almost 90% of women experiencing some sort of temporary joint pain flares, while among women with pre-existing joint conditions, almost 50% of women with a history of rheumatoid arthritis and up 55% of women with psoriasic arthritis experience more long-term postpartum arthritis, with pain and stiffness peaking around six months after giving birth. Aside from hormonal shifts, the process of givig birth causes a huge strain on the body especially the lower back and the lack of nutriants such as calcium and vitamin D, which are used up by the growing baby and breastfeeding, can also add to chronic postpartum joint pain. Some studies have also linked postpartum arthritis with postpartum depression. The ongoing joint pain can make it hard for new mums to care for their baby which can affect mood. Over the counter painkillers, such as NSAID's like ibuprofen, are not generally recommended during breastfeeding, expecially in high doses or regular useage, leaving many new mum's desperate for some sort of pain relief. Newcastle-based administration worker Sophie, 34, knows all too well how joint pain can overshadow what should be the happiest time of your life. After giving birth to her daughter Aria in 2022, Sophie suffered debilitating flare-ups in her hips, pelvis, lower back and wrists, making even the simplest moments of early motherhood a painful challenge. “I expected sleepless nights and tiredness after having a baby – but I wasn’t prepared for the level of pain,” Sophie says. “My wrists were so inflamed that some days it physically hurt to hold my own daughter. Adjusting to life as a new mum was overwhelming, and the pain made everything harder.” Sophie’s issues with joint pain began years earlier, at just 19, after a sports injury left her with long-term shoulder damage due to her hypermobility. Years of GP visits, prescription painkillers, physiotherapy, steroid injections and ultimately surgery followed. While rehabilitation helped her return to fitness for a time, pregnancy in 2022 triggered widespread flare-ups that brought everything sharply back. “During pregnancy and afterwards, my hips, pelvis and back flared up constantly. Even after Aria was born, my pain didn’t settle – my wrists, shoulders and lower back were all affected. When you’re breastfeeding, your treatment options are very limited, so it was back to ice packs, hot water bottles and basic paracetamol. I felt so frustrated because I couldn’t fully enjoy those special early moments.” Now a mum to a tall, energetic three-year-old, Sophie still experiences frequent shoulder flare-ups from lifting and carrying her daughter. “There are days I have to tell her I can’t pick her up because the pain is too much – and that breaks my heart as a mum.” After years of trying different creams and medications with limited success, Sophie discovered Actimas Celafen a few months ago when she decided to return to the gym to rebuild her strength and confidence. “I honestly felt a difference within about 15 minutes of using it. The menthol scent is lovely, it absorbs quickly and isn’t greasy. It doesn’t completely take the pain away, but it gives me enough relief and mobility to function – I can get dressed more easily, play with my daughter, and actually complete a gym workout without feeling defeated.” GP Dr Donald Grant says,“There is good evidence for the efficacy of long chain fatty acids in preparations such as Actimas Celafen ™ for the treatment of chronic joint pain and stiffness associated with arthritis. In my opinion Celafen is a great option for new mums becasue it's natural and there is a good evidence that its can be an effective alternative to NSAIDs. This can only be a good thing as postpartem arthritis can be a chronic condition and long-term use of painkilling drugs is not an ideal solution for breastfeding mums.” Sophie now regularly uses Celafen on her shoulder and calves to help manage flare-ups, alongside her growing fitness routine, which includes body pump, Zumba, Pilates and swimming. “For the first time in a long time, I feel like I’m getting parts of my life back. I can swim again, I’m trying new classes, and I’m starting to put myself first after years of just coping. I want to be strong and active for my little girl – and Celafen has become part of how I manage my pain so I can keep moving forward.” Reflecting on her journey from painful pregnancy to renewed confidence, Sophie adds: “Joint pain really does affect every part of your life – physically and emotionally. But I’m finally at a point where I feel hopeful again. I’m showing my daughter that it’s okay for mummy to look after herself too.”
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Young woman emotionally scarred from acne bullying finds a silver cream that clears her skin
Dominika, 26, is a retail executive from Bath in Somerset. Dominka says; “I started getting acne when I was 16 but only mildly. Everyone told me it was just my age and would clear up in about a year or so, but a year later it had gone from mild to really bad acne. My mum suffered with acne during her teen years too but she grew out of it quiet quickly, unlike mine which got worse and worse and continued into my twenties. I found having acne really hard to deal with and I tried so many different products from scrubs to face masks to face washes to try and control I the spread of it but nothing seemed to make it better, in fact they seemed to mostly make it even worse and more furious. My worst flare ups were when I was during my final year of sixth form the added stress of exams really made my skin worse. My whole face was full of acne especially on my cheeks, and it was extremely painful and I was aware of it all the time due to the pain. In desperation about the state of my skin I went to the doctor several times to see if they could give me anything to help. I was advised to go on a contraceptive pill to begin with but within months this pill really started to affect my mental health as it made me feel depressed and over emotional which wasn’t like me at all. I was then prescribed a another pill which did nothing and actually seemed to make my skin worse. The last treatment I was prescribed, before giving up on doctor’s advice, was a medicated acne gel which I was warned was only a short-term solution. It helped a lot and cleared my skin, but my acne came back even more aggressively as soon as I stopped using it. It also dried out my skin a lot which ended up with it flaking and very sensitive. Having acne has ruined my confidence massively, there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about my skin and what I can do to make it better and how I can get rid of it. Social media also had a lot of influence on how I felt about my skin as all you see is influencers and celebrities with clear and perfect looking skin every time you scroll. For a long time, my mental health suffered as I felt I looked too awful to be seen in public with bare skin and I would refuse to leave the house without any makeup. Sometimes my acne was so bad even that wouldn’t cover it and so I’d just stay at home until it improved. Not only is social media a relatively negative influence on anyone who has problem skin, other people, especially kids, are also incredibly insensitive. At school I was mocked and bullied a lot about my skin and was called acne bullying names and told to wash more often, that kind of thing. You try and shrug it off and as you get older you get it more into perspective but in truth, being bullied about acne when you are younger, leaves you with emotional scars into adulthood which can be as deep as your acne scars. Although on the one hand social media has got a lot to answer for when it comes to enforcing stereotypes of perfect skin, it is also a limitless source of information, support and honest reviews about things that can help with acne and it was through an Instagram review from someone with acne that I discovered Clarol Silver Serum, for which I will always be eternally grateful. Obviously, I’ve seen more than my fair share of adverts and reviews about acne products and after you’ve tried a lot of them and spent so much money and had so little results you become very cynical about the whole thing. It feels like everything is a lie. However, there was something about Silver Serum that was different to normal acne products you read about. It didn’t claim to give you clear skin quickly like so many do. They talked about the fact you needed to build back up your skin’s natural acne defences as so many people with acne have obliterated all their skin’s natural acne defences through endless rounds of anti-bacterial products and medications. This struck a real chord with me as my skin felt completely wrecked. It felt so sensitive and dry and fragile, like it had nothing left in it to fight back with anymore. Silver Serum focused on building back up your skin’s levels of good skin bacteria to help it fend off the acne bacteria, They also encouraged the production of sebum as they said it’s the skin’s best moisturiser and protector, and so another one of the Clarol products called Sebopure worked by keeping the sebum pure rather than trying to reduce it, which prevented blockages and contamination but without drying out skin. This made a huge difference to my skin as I don’t think I’d let my skin produce its natural levels of sebum for years as I was always scrubbing it away for fear that any oil on my skin would give me even more acne, which was probably why my skin felt so dry and sore. It felt like the products were focused on working with my skin on a longer-term rehabilitation programme rather than simply trying to blitz it in the short-term without any care about the damage they were doing in the long term like so many acne products do. Having said that I found the Clarol products started to have positive effects relatively quickly on my skin. It was hard to stop using all my facial washes and anti-bacterial products as they recommended I did. But I took the plunge and it took about a week for me to notice that my skin was getting slightly better but the longer I used the products the more my skin improved. It was incredible as I’ve never had results like that. It wasn’t just that my live acne was starting to receed but more that the underlying quality of my skin felt so much better. It was less red, sensitive and dry and felt smoother, calmer and much more flexible instead of dry and sore. Slowly but surely the amount of live acne I had started to reduce and I was having less frequent break outs and when I did have one they felt less severe and angry. It was more isolated spots with larger areas of healthy skin in between, rather than the tightly packed clusters of eruptions with red angry skin underneath that I was having before. My entire skincare and make up regime has changed since using Clarol products. I’m using far less products and don’t use any anti-bacterial facial washes or scrubs now. I only use the gentle exfoliator, the Silver Serum and Sebopure. I’m wearing about 50% less make up and during the day I don’t wear it at all usually. It now only put make up on for when I go out rather than as an everyday necessity. I’d say that within three months my skin has improved about 70% while using the Clarol programme. Even the acne scarring I had has improved. I still have the scars and get some isolated spots and I probably always will as nothing is a 100% an acne cure, but they are much less red and less protruding than they were. My skin doesn’t even look like my old skin anymore, it’s not just that it’s clearer but its softer and much more even. My social life has improved drastically as a result of my skin becoming healthier. I feel much more comfortable in my own skin without having to cover it up all the time. I get excited about the thought of going out now rather than being wracked with anxiety. And I definitely smile a lot more now than I used to. Firstly, it’s not painful to smile now and secondly I don’t feel ashamed to smile any more. I used to worry about drawing too much attention to my skin if I smiled or laughed too much.”
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Teacher with rosacea accused of drinking before work due to her morning red face
Carrie, 42, is a primary achool teacher, from Killearn near Glasgow, Scotland. Carrie says: Having rosacea since my late teens has not been easy. I was often mistaken for being shy or embarrassed as I would look like I was blushing all the time but in fact I am neither. I am actually a very outgoing person. I’ve lost count of the number of time people have either commented that I’ve either caught too much sun or I have had one too many drinks. I live in Scotland so the chances of catching too much sun are not that high. And yes drinking alcohol does make my face turn red, but people make these comments while I am work or at10am? I actually do not drink very much at all as it effects my skin and obviously never during work hours, but my face does make me look sometimes like I have been on the booze since the moment I wake up. I was aware as a young woman that my skin was not ‘normal’ but I just put it down to high spirits and wind burn as I am a very outdoorsy person and so I thought it was just extreme healthy outdoor ruddiness. Then I did a ski season in my mid 20’s and one day I got really badly sun burned and my skin went from bad to worse after that. It was no longer just red but it was bumpy too and the redness had spread to my nose and forehead whereas before it was just my cheeks and chin. And the skin looked mottled and broken. What was most concerning was that my skin started to look red most of the time, it wasn’t just after I had been outside anymore. By my early 30’s I started hating seeing pictures of myself in photos as my face was so obviously beetroot red compared to everyone else’s. I had a very insensitive boyfriend at the time who kept telling me I should wear more make up. People were starting to comment on the state of my skin more and more frequently. I’d like to say it didn’t affect me but in truth I think it probably did more than I’d like to admit. I had also started to develop an intolerance to any form of make up or sun creams. It started off with a few products that stung my skin and then quickly went to almost everything stinging and making my face go lobster red and puffy. So not only did I have a very red bumpy face, I wasn’t really able to camouflage it with the multitude of products promising to cover up my redness as they all made my skin worse and make-up would just slide off my burning skin within a few hours, leaving me looking piebald and blotchy. The redness had also spread to behind my ears and partly down my neck. I started to develop reactions to shampoo so I had to start washing my hair separately. Over the years I’ve invented all sorts of weird and wonderful face protecting devices and techniques in order to avoid not getting even a drop of shampoo on my face otherwise it means three or four hours of redness and burning.I even bought one of those plastic head visors which protect baby’s faces when washing their hair. I am not one for ever going to the doctor for anything unless its life threatening but my skin was so bad I eventually made an appointment and was diagnosed immediately with rosacea and was prescribed an antibiotic cream. I tried the cream once or twice but it stung like crazy and I felt it was doing more harm than good even if it did bring down the redness. I started researching my condition and most blogs on it advised me to avoid antibiotic creams as much as possible as they have limited effect, which wears off with time meaning you have to use more and more for the same effects and then eth flare up get worse. Also these creams can cause long term damage to the skin and make your skin even more intolerant to sun. So I began looking for alternatives. I tried a number of whacky suggestions, such as plastering my entire face with raw avocado, another person suggested that jelly worked, so I tried that too. Obviously these tips did not have any effect whatsoever other than make a huge mess of my bathroom and me feel like a fool. All anti-redness products that people suggested mostly stung my skin and or didn’t work or often both. I found that drinking beer seemed to really trigger the flare ups so I tried to cut down on that. I also became vegetarian as lots of people seemed to suggest that meat can make the redness worse. Less beer definitely helped, and being vegetarian did seem to make my skin feel a bit smoother and generally made me feel healthier. A major problem for me is the sun. I love outdoor sports but just half an hour in the sun can trigger flare ups, yet my skin reacts to pretty much all sun creams. I’m currently on a work exchange in Southern Spain so the sun issue is a nightmare. The heat is harsh and the kids at school keep asking me why my face is the same colour as their colouring pens! With few options left to me I eventually ended up going out in the sun with a cap on and then some kind of scarf wrapped around my face and neck. I look like some strange creature from the desert wrapped up in scarves and hats. My worst part of every week is when I arrive at my gym classes. I will always have some smart aleck asking me if I have already had a class beforehand or if I have jogged to the class as my face is already bright red before I even start. Then they see what I look like by the end of the work out and they realise that the redness at the start was just my normal skin colour, as by the end I am neon. It has almost put me off going several times but I try to keep my confidence up and tell myself that the state of my skin is none of anyone else’s business. It does annoy me when people that hardly know me feel at liberty to comment on my skin, I think it’s really rude and insensitive. They would never dream of saying something to someone if they had a scar or a disability but they feel free to comment on my skin, as though it’s my fault or my choice or something. I am fully aware of my skin almost 100% of the time, I really don’t need people to point it out to me. I try not to let it, but these comments do obviously undermine my confidence. I was losing hope that I’d ever find a solution to my red skin, which seemed to be getting worse and worse every year when a friend said she knew someone who had tried a treatment skincare range for rosacea called Kalme that contained an extract of capers. After my various food treatments I simply laughed. But the following week my friend had ordered me some Kalme products, so too embarrassed to give her the products back or not use them, I obediently took them home and tried them. I only tried the Kalme caper cream on a small patch of skin at first as I am terrified of all new skin products in case they burn. This didn’t, which was the first good sign. It was only the next day when I woke up and I saw the patch that I had treated was significantly less red and smoother than the rest of my face that I got excited. I immediately smothered my whole face in the product even though the day cream had an SPF40 in it. There was also a night cream and a magical concealer that adapts to my skin tone which can change dramatically day to day. I still don;t know how this product does this, but all I know is that when I put it on my skin looks instantly about 80% better, it doesn't sting and it stays on all day. I stuck to the recommended skincare routine and only used the Kalme products and nothing else and didn't wash my face with water, just cleansing it with the Kalme cream cleanser and within two weeks my redness and bumpiness had dramatically improved. I was honestly gobsmacked. Now after six months using Kalme products my skin still flushes after exercise or if I drink any alcohol and I have a mild pinky tinge to my complexion but it looks more like a healthy glow now than a furious rash. I do still wear a wide brimmed hat out in the sun but I am no longer bright red all the time or needing to be wrapped in a scarf and my flare ups are far less furious and much less often. Being able to also cover up the redness with the magic concealer helps a lot for when I go out in the evenings. I know there is no rosacea cure and I will always have to manage my skin but these products have become my secret weapon to keep my furious skin under control. I can even bare to look at myself in photos now as I am very pleased to see that I don’t look like a strawberry lollipop anymore. A work colleague told me I was looking really fresh last week, which put a wee smile on my face. And thankfully I haven’t heard “Oh you’ve caught the sun!” in some time. It’s boosted my confidence no end as my skin feels under my control now rather than feeling like it’s got a mind of its own.”
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Mental health nurse with depression and failing eyesight from acne medication clears cystic acne with natural silver serum
Charlotte, 30, is a Mental Health Nurse from Shropshire Charlotte says: “I remember the first time I realised I had something more than just teenage spots was when I was working in my first job at a high street jewellers when I was 17. There was a lot of pressure to look good as all the glam girls from my home town worked there. I was at the counter and someone said, ‘what’s that bruise on your cheek?’ At this stage I didn’t know what it was. It just felt very sore and more like a big lump. I didn’t know then what I was in for as this was my first outbreak of cystic acne. From that point on my nightmare began. I kept piling on more and more foundation while my mum and family were buying every remedy they could find to try and help my skin. NOTHING worked and my skin was getting worse and worse. At the age when you should be exploring who you are and what image you wanted to nurture, I was crying in toilets avoiding nights out and feeling like I was disgusting. I was referred to a demonologist after I was hospitalised and put on IV antibiotics because one of my cysts had burst and gone septic. I have never been so unwell, both physically and mentally. On my 20th birthday I remember going to see my friends at Nando’s with a cannula still in my arm from the hospital because I had to go back in for more treatment the next day. After being hospitalised I was put on acne medicationcombined with steroids, this course lasted four months and it worked, but the side effects were horrific. While on these medications I lost a huge amount of weight and ended up weighing just 42kg. I don’t know if it was the actual medications themselves or the fact that they made me feel constantly anxious when I was on them that caused me to lose so much weight. I would also get the most horrendous nose bleeds from my skin being so dry that would last half an hour at a time. My eye sight got so bad I now have to wear glasses. Coming off the medication was scary. I didn’t believe that my skin was suddenly healed and I was right as the cysts soon returned. I had regular cystic outbreaks and I tried everything from courses of antibiotics to topical treatments. I’ve tried various exercise regimes, dietary changes and I’ve used every holy grail product out there but unfortunately my acne survived it all. The more I think about it I realise that my skin has caused me a huge amount of depression and anxiety for years. It’s the fact that nothing seems to work for long, it makes you feel completely helpless. My acne has had a drastic effect on my confidence, socially, at my work and also in my relationships. I’m single now, but I was in an on/off relationship for seven years. The relationship was massively affected by my skin and lack of self-esteem. I would be in moods if I woke up with bad skin and I’d just want to hide in bed despite us having plans to do things. Seeing my ex-partner liking Instagram models photos or friends’ photos who had flawless skin probably affected me more than it should have and caused arguments because I didn’t feel good enough for him. Even though he was really supportive of me and told me how beautiful I was. He’d always be willing to help me in trying to find new products to try for my skin. I would dream of the day I could get out of bed ten minutes before I had to leave and not have to spend an hour doing my make to just get enough confidence to leave the house. Or being able to just go round to see him without feeling I needed to dress up to compensate for my awful skin. Evetually I couldn't batre the state of my skin any more so I went on anoter course of acne medication which lasted two months. I had finally broken up with my partner and so when I mentioned to my dermatologist that I was feeling a bit low he immediately took me off my 20mg dose. Shortly after I was offered anti-depressants by my GP when I made an appointment at 8am after a night shift at work. I was crying and begging him to give me a solution for the pain I was in due to a vicious cystic acne outbreak. The cysts had given me a week of sleepless nights. I work full time in an acute mental health setting and I get a bit of verbal abuse about my skin from patients. It seems to be what people notice first about me which can make my job harder if I feel knocked down. I felt drained and desperate, but anti-depressants were not the answer for me and made me re-assess the path I was going down with all these medications. With few other options from my doctor left for me to try, I decided I needed to find an alternative solution for my skin other than medications as it was really effecting my mental health. I first found Clarol Silver Serum on Instagram when looking at peoples’ improvements from acne after coming off acne medications and what had helped them. The reviews seemed very genuine and there were a lot of them, so with a degree of scepticism I decided to order some. I was very shocked if I’m honest that a product containing no medicated ingredients at all would help my skin in any way. So imagine my disbelief when I discovered that this modest silver cream was the only thing that has ever worked on improving my acne without the use of strong medication. Since using the silver serum twice a day for about six weeks my active acne stopped, which gave my skin time to heal and the redness to settle down. It took around four weeks for me to see any improvemts and for my skin to start calming down. But this is nothing compared to the years I've been trying to improve the condition of my skin. It's been three months since I began using Silver Serum and its longest period I’ve gone without a cystic outbreak while being off medications since I first developed cystic acne. My skin feels softer and generally much healthier. I feel completely elated, its hard to describe the sense of relief. I still wake up every moring and check my skin and I still can't get over the sense of wonder I feel when I see its still clear. I still suffer from chronic lack of confidence although I’m gradually feeling more positive. This is something that will hopefully continue with further improvement with my skin. But its not easy healing the physical or emotional scars from having cystic acne. I’m hopeful that the serum will control my acne long enough so I can begin on my next journey, which will be for laser treatment for my acne scars. I can’t have it if I’ve got active acne but with the way things are going, I hope that I’ll be able begin a course soon.”
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Teacher's rosacea triggered by Christmas gift is finally cleared with cream made from capers
China, 30, is a primary school teacher from Truro in Cornwall. China says; "I first started noticing redness and small pustules around six years ago. It was only mild so I didn’t discover it was rosacea until it started to become more severe and noticeable. Nobody in my family has rosacea. One of my five sisters does have sensitive skin but nothing like I had. Ibelieve that my rosacea triggers were a combination of genetically sensitive skin combined with heavy use of a harsh skincare routine through my teens and 20’s. I used to use highly scented products and absolutely loved a face scrub. I would scrub my face with harsh exfoliator, sometimes twice a day always focusing on my nose and cheek areas. I believe I severely damaged my skin barrier during this time and that definitely had an impact on triggering my rosacea. I think it took me so long to realise it was rosacea because I had never heard of it before, I had never seen it before and I was quite young to get it. So I had no point of reference or any knowledge of symptoms and triggers to point me in the direction of rosacea. It’s so unknown about in general skincare. Even now I still find myself having to explain what it is to people. When my flare ups became more severe they made me feel really self-conscious. I felt helpless because I didn’t know what I could do to help myself, I was left with such sore skin to start with from using the completely wrong ingredients, my face used to feel like it was on fire. I have always been an avid makeup wearer but my rosacea flare ups used to make me not want to go out even with lots of make up on as it would hide the redness but the rough bumpy texture from the pustules would really upset me. I work with children who often have no filter! They have asked me about bumps on my skin and will nearly always point out if I have a flushing flare up. I have also been asked if I’m sunburnt a few a times. At a few points I got quite depressed about my skin. When it was at it’s worst and I was really struggling to control it, I just felt like there was no way to get rid of it and I really withdrew myself from my family and friends. I can see how people can become very depressed with an on-going skin condition, if you let it then it can start to effect many areas of you life. All it can take is a few means words or people starring at your skin and it enough to make you want to shut yourself away. Luckily, I have been surrounding by kind friends and family, but even so I have still struggled to control my negative feelings about my skin. I can’t imagine what it must be like for people who get badly treated or don’t get the right support about their skin. The worst flare up I have had was one Christmas after I'd used a new beauty cream I'd been given as a present, which prompted my first and only visit to my GP. I was prescribed a topical acne medication gel because they thought I had acne due to my age. Initially the gel cleared up my skin. At the time my whole cheeks were covered in small sore pustules. As it was Christmas I remember not wanting to join in with anything and was set to bail on New Year’s Eve plans. I was so pleased that the gel cleared up my pustules enough for me to venture out to a New Year's party. However, within a few months the gel stopped working, the redness and pustules returned worse than before and on top of all that the gel had severely dried out my skin Afer loosing confidence in what the doctor had given me, I went to my sister for skincare advice as she is really into more natural forms of skincare. On her advice I eliminated fragrance from my routine and started using more gentle skincare ingredients, which started to benefit my skin but I was still getting regular flare ups. Through my sister’s influence I started to do a lot of research on more natural products to specifically treat rosacea as normal skin care products, even the more natural ones, were still not tackling my skin as much as I needed and that is when I came across Kalme products that contained a special caper extract for reducing redness and sensitivity for people with rosacea. I read about them on social media and a lot of people with rosacea were posting really positive reports of their effects so I ordered some. The first thing noticed when I used the Kalme products was that they didn't sting my skin, which was a huge positive as my this stage most new products stung my skin. The first noticable improvement was a reduction in the underlying redness of my skin after about 3-4 days. This was a good sign so I contuned and after about two weeks that I really saw a huge difference in my skin. The little pustules and bumpiness started to dissapear and even after getting out of the shower when my face would almost always flush, my complexion stayed calm and muc smoother. And week my week the undelrying redness got paler and paler. Currently I am the most confident I have been in myself and my skin in several years because I know I have some control over it now I have finally found a skincare regime that works. I have lost that feeling of helplessness. It’s very liberating."
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Menopausal eczema almost ruined wedding until a donkey milk salve saved the day!
Ruth, 57, runs a family business with her husband Simon, 58, from Trowbridge, Wiltshire. Ruth says; “Soon after entering the menopause about three years ago, I broke out in facial eczema having never had any eczema before in my life. It started on my eyes lids that became red, swollen and very painful until I could hardly open them. Then is spread all over my face and neck. Nothing from the doctor or chemist worked, in fact many thigs made my skin worse. I was getting married in a matter of months and so I was in a desperate state about my skin. My skin got to the stage where it was so painful I had to lie with cold packs to cool my skin to try to prevent me from scratching. I was horrified when I saw my reflection looking back at me in the mirror. I hardly recognised myself. Simon and I were due to get married and I was in a panic about my wedding day being ruined by the state of my skin. Firstly, I called my doctor. Getting through to the surgery was near on impossible. It took me over four days to finally talk to a receptionist. A nurse then spoke to me over the phone. We ruled out the possibility of hay fever and diagnosed that it could be conjunctivitis because my eyes were so sore. I was prescribed antibiotics. After a week on antibiotics my skin deteriorated badly. Bright lights or even watching television made my symptoms worse. Even a slight breeze would sting my raw red skin. I felt so embarrassed and self-conscious that I started avoiding people. I even stopped walking my dogs at one stage. I eventually managed to get an actual sit-down appointment with my GP, who prescribed eye drops. This still did not improve my eyes. At this point I couldn’t sleep and was feeling lower than ever. I was getting up 6-7 times a night to try and soothe my skin. I eventually lost all faith in prescription products and resorted to spending a small fortune on OTC remedies for my face and eyes, which weren’t helping my symptoms, if anything they got worse. The stress of the expense of buying endless treatments that didn’t work was also contributing to my worsening condition. A trip to the opticians had me finally diagnosed with blepharitis. I had never heard of blepharitis before and was shocked to find out from my own research later that menopausal blepharitis was a common problem with menopausal women. Why had no one mentioned this to me? By this stage my wedding was six weeks away and I was getting desperate and miserable about the state of my skin. How could I walk down the aisle with my face looking so raw and red? This wasn’t the image of myself that I had dreamt about for my wedding day. I didn’t want to resort to using chemical steroids on my face, especially around my eyes as I knew they can cause permanent thinning and damage to the skin. After confiding to a friend who I knew suffered from ocassional eczema about how devaststed I was about my skin she told me about Hydrosil products that she had been using for her eczema which were specially designed for face eczema and eye eczema which contained a vine extract that was a plant version of chemical steroids, which was much safer to use on the face and around the eyes, especially for sensitive and fragile menopausal skin. She had been using the products for herself for years and highly recommended them. I went onto their websiteand saw that they had lots of information about menopausal eczema and menopausal blepharitis. It was such a relief to see a company that actually not only knew about this condition but made products for it too. I immediately brought the turmeric butter & milk salve for the eczema on my face and the dry eye gel and dry eye concealer for the eczema around my eyes The reuslts were nothing short of incredible! The products didn’t sting my skin like so many other products that I had used previously. They were non-irritating and my skin instantly felt cooler and looked less furious and irritated. Within a few weeks my crazy skin felt almost back to normal. These products had worked better than anything from the doctors.They were the first and only thing that didn’t sting my skin and quickly got my furious skin under control. Its thanks to these products that my skin looked clear and calm on my wedding day. I don’t know what I would have done without them. These products are now a firm part of my skincare routine as they keep my symptoms under control. It’s been such a relief to have found something so effective for controlling my menopausal eczema flares without any negative side effects as the products are mostly natural.”
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Mum’s agonising menopausal blepharitis clears in days with eye gel made from vines
Mum of three Gill, 60, is retired and lives in Hampshire with her husband Dave Gill says; “As I entered menopause I began to develop dry eyes that began to water a lot to compensate, which ended up in a blocked tear duct that took doctors years to diagnose. The constant tears and various eye drops and medications prescribed to me for my watering dry eyes then triggered the most agonising onset of menopausal blepharitis around my right eye that ended with swollen eyelids that became really swollen cracked and red, which was far more painful than the dry eyes. Everything from the doctors for my dry eyes made the blepharitis more furious and nothing would calm it down or get rid of the cracks until I eventually discovered a magical eye gel made from natural plant equivalents to steroids that cleared the cracks and reduced the redness and swelling in a matter of days. Over the years I’ve been prescribed eye drops for everything from allergies to anti-bacterial drops, but the watering always came back and the blepharitis would be repeatedly triggered and got progressively worse. The skin around my right eye became really sore, red and cracked. I tried various eye creams for sensitive skin, Vaseline and hypoallergenic make up. I even took antihistamine tablets in case it was being caused by an allergy. I used a heated eye mask followed by anti-bacterial wipes, but they made the skin around my eye flare up even more with symptoms that felt and looked like eczema. I was so desperate about my sore red eyelids I asked at the pharmacy if I could buy a mild cortisone cream, but they said I could only get that on prescription and that using a steroid cream near the eyes wasn’t generally advisable. Eventually I went to my optician and asked whether my constant watering eyes could possibly be caused by a blocked tear duct. He said it wasn’t and recommended yet more eye drops, which infuriated the blepharitis even more. I went to my doctor again and this time she took a swab and there were bacteria present so she prescribed antibacterial cream but after three days of using that the blepharitis was furious and so painful so I decided to stop using any more drops from the doctors. The itching and soreness made me feel permanently tired and lethargic. I was conscious of people noticing my puffy red eyelids. I was so fed up with nothing working from the doctors that I decided to take matters into my own hands. I started searching the internet for something to relieve the blepharitis and that was when I found Hydrosil Dry Eye Gel. There were many accounts from women with menopausal blepharitis like mine for who nothing from the doctor had worked. They’d all found fast relief using this natural eye gel made with a vine extract that worked in a similar way to cortisone creams but was naturally sourced so not dangerous to use around the eyes. When I started using eye gel on my eyelids and on the sore red skin around my eyesit immediately felt cool and soothing. It seemed to form a protective film around my eye. The tiny painful cracks in the skin healed within days and the redness and itching subsided. It was such a relief. I’ve continued to use the gel every night and ever since the soreness and swelling on my eyelids hasn’t flared up again. It seems to protect the skin around the eyes making my eye feel much more comfortable. I use it together with the Hydrosil Dry Eye Concealer and now I can apply a small amount of eye makeup each day which makes me feel much more confident. Meanwhile in May this year I was at last referred to an ophthalmologist who carried out a saline test that proved that my tear duct was indeed blocked, which I had suspected all along. The only remedy would be a DCR operation (Dacryocystorhinostomy) to create a new drainage pathway. I’m currently on the waiting list to have this operation.”
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Mum with life changing cold sores caught from toddler clears them with £10 'liquorice' balm
Sarah, 39, is a mum of one and legal secretary from Cardiff in Wales. Sarah says; “Cold sores have blighted my life for 18 years and have at times made me feel very low as they make me feel dirty and embarrassed and my immune system feels depressed when I have one. My first cold sore outbreak was in 2001 when I was 21. I’m fairly certain that I caught the virus from a little girl who was a friend of the family. I remember her being around me while I was doing my makeup and she had a few visible cold sores. I didn’t see her use any of my make up but I have since learnt that cold sores can be passed on through touch alone and there would have been no need for her to have actually used the makeup. She may have just scratched or touched her sores and then held my make up or brushes to have passed it on to me. Within a few days, I noticed a ‘spot’ on my lip while at work but wasn’t aware it was a cold sore. After work I popped into my local chemist where they gave me a cream to use which instantly made my lip to swell up and become very, very sore. The next day I went into Boots and spoke to a pharmacist and showed them my lip. At first I was told I’d had an allergic reaction but after multiple outbreaks over a period of a few months it was later confirmed I had cold sores. From that first outbreak, I have suffered with cold sores every month or so, usually around my period, for years. I have seen a few doctors who have prescribed similar cold sore creams to the one that gave me an allergic reaction but due to my initial allergic reaction I was too scared to use them and just suffered. On researching cold sores which are caused by the herpes simplex virus, which I knew very little about, I was horrified to discover that they stay contagious for up to 14 days even when the scab of the sore had gone, which for me meant half of the time I was contagious as I got them roughly once a month. There aren ;t manu cold sore treatments avaiable about eight years ago I discovered cold sore patches which sometimes helped but then people stared at the plasters instead. Unless the cold sore was a very small one, I tended to find the plasters didn’t cover the blisters well. I sometimes used the plasters overnight night as I was worried about accidentally knocking or scratching and spreading them while I slept. Cold sores make you feel generally run down and I would sometimes feel depressed when I had a bad outbreak. I’m not sure why sores make you feel so low. I feel like my immune system is being attacked when I have an outbreak and it takes a few weeks to get it back on track. I feel very self-conscious when I get an outbreak. It’s not something you can hide easily, especially if you get a large sore. They also really hurt. The pain can spread right up into my cheekbone and side of my face. Some cold sore outbreaks are worse than others. My worst cold sores have been when I was going through a very stressful time, like when a relationship broke down or when I moved house or I changed my job. I can’t say that my cold sores were responsible for the break-down of any of my relationships, but they certainly didn’t help. They always made me feel fearful of intimacy when I had them as I was worried about passing one on to my partner. Many people do not realise that the act of kissing often tends to trigger a cold sore. I even once had a boyfriend accuse me of being unfaithful when I got a cold sore as he thought I had caught it from another guy. I’m single now and cold sores have definitely knocked my confidence when dating. I’ve cancelled dates with guys if have felt the tingle of a cold sore as I knew that I was contagious. I’m also terrified that I may pass a cold sore on to my daughter. I would hate her or any partner I am with to suffer the way I have from cold sores. I was especially on edge when my daughter was a baby as I had read that baby’s immune systems cannot fight the virus that causes cold sores and they could potentially die if they are infected. I was so fearful of contaminating her with the virus that I did not kiss her properly for weeks after she was born. Over the years I’ve done a lot of research on cold sores and read blogs and articles where there are accounts and recommendations from other sufferers. I first discovered Lip Q Liquorice Balmfour years ago. It was recommended in a health article I was reading in a magazine by a cold sore sufferer who said how a balm containing liquorice had helped reduce their cold sore outbreaks if used every day. I thought it would be worth a try as I would try anything to suffer less and the balm was natural and not expensive and so didn’t feel like a con job. I ordered the balm and it arrived in the post while I was still suffering with a sore. I waited for the sore to heal completely before I used it I case it made the sore worse. Since first using the liquorice balm I went from suffering with a sore almost every 4-6 weeks to only having two in the following year. I have used the balm every day since and now I only get a cold sore about once a year and they are smaller in size and don’t last as long. I once went for 18 months without an outbreak. Last year I went away for a weekend in London and forgot my balm. I thought that I would be alright as I was only for a few days. But my lips immediately became dry and tingly and I broke out in a really nasty cold sore on my return home. The pain was so bad I had to go to the doctor who prescribed me with Aciclovir to help reduce the pain. After the London experience, I now make sure that I always have a liquorice balm with me no matter where I am. I keep one in my car, one in my handbag, and one at the side of my bed. I never go to sleep without smothering my lips in the balm and when I feel that first tingle of a cold sore, I apply the balm several times a day and it stops the cold sore in its tracks. I can honestly say I couldn’t live without liquorice balm now. It makes me feel more confident and in control of my cold sores. This simple little balm has changed my life!”
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Mum told to have cosmetic surgery for menopausal blepharitis until a £10.95 eye gel cleared eyes in weeks
Blepharitis or eye eczema is an itchy inflammtion of the eyelids and the skin around the eyes which also causes very dry eyes in the skin around the eyes and can become extremely uncomfortable. It can be triggered by underlying skin conditions such as eczema or seborrheic dermatitis as well as alergic reactions to external irritants such as comsetics, skin care products, suncreams along with beauty procedures such as brow shaping or tinting, microblading and injectables. However, another common blepharitis trigger is menopause and in many cases menopausal blepharitis or menopaual eye eczema can be one of the first signs that menopause has begun. The sudden drop in female sex hormones, in particular oesrogen, can cause the skin around the eyes to become chronically reactive and dry along with swollen and red eyelids. Blepharitis is often not mentioned in the list of menopausal symptoms and so is often overlooked or mistaken as an allergic reaction. There's very few eye eczema treatments options or blepharirtis treatments options, as topical steroids are not recommended for use around the eye area, paricularly for more mature skin. Mum of three Katherine, 55, from Suffolk suddenly developed sore, itchy eyelids and inflammed eyelids when she began to enter menopause and like many women, was told by her doctor it was likely an allergy of some kind. Katherine says; “The most prominiant and early symptom of my menopause starting, which ony now I know was linked to my menopause but back then I had no idea, was excrutiating itching and swelling on my eyelids. The irritation became increasingly worse and it got to the point where by I would wake up most mornings with red swollen eyes glued together and it felt like my eyelids were being stabbed with small sharp needles. It was agonising and I felt quite scared because I had to pull at my lashes to even get my eyes open in the mornings, everything was a blur and I feared that I was losing my eyesight. I began to develop cracked eyelids which would weep and then crust over. They looked bruised as if I had been in several rounds of a boxing ring, with bruised dark under eye shadows. When I wiped the crust away it left a shiny surface which felt like burns in the creases. It wasn’t until I read a health article about a woman with symptoms just like mine whose doctor had told her that the symptoms were associated with her menopause that it ever occurred to me that two things could be linked. None of the doctors or consultants I saw about my eyes, which were multiple, had ever suggested it was due to menopause and I never saw it listed on any of the menopausal symptoms to look out for. But at the beginning of my long and painful journey towards finding out had caused my eyes to get in such a state, I used whatever I could find in the house to calm the swelling, paracetamol, anti-wrinkle night creams and moisturisers. Even olive oil and coconut oil. Nothing worked and most thing smade the stinging and cracking worse. My local pharmacist suggested anti-histamine tablets as she thougtht I'd had an allergeic reactoin to something i had put on my eyes, but they did absoluteky nothing for my eyes. Everything I tried seemed to further trigger the pain and itching. My eyes started to affect my overall health. The swelling and pain triggered migraines and light sensitivity. The skin started to sag heavily above my eyes and underneath. I bought an air purifier for my bedroom and a humidifier to keep the air moist. I found that everything seemed to trigger the swelling and even the dust on the floor of the gym which I attended. People kept asking me if I was ok as they could see my acute discomfort. I couldn’t bear the stares or the stinging when sweat ran into my eyes so I stopped going to the gym. I felt depressed as I had gone quickly from being an active women who I’d say looked good for her age to looking and feeling years older than I was. My confidence plummeted but I couldn’t even cry to relieve my misery as the tears burnt my eyes. My GP told me she wasn’t sure what I had and that there was little she could prescribe as even low-dose steroids for eczema are not really recommended for use around the eyes. She referred me to an eye consultant at the hospital. After an eye examination I was told to return in six months to be reviewed. In the meantime, the consultant sent me to have an allergy test and see a dermatologist. I was hoping the allergy test would give me the answers but to my surprise, nothing conclusive was determined. A dermatologist then reviewed my condition without telling me what it was and prescribed a topical steroid treatment gel, which I have since found out realy isn't a suitable solution for skin around the eyes. Seconds after use, the skin around my eyes became so bright red and swollen, I couldn’t open them and the burning pain was horrific. It felt like both my eyes were being gouged out with red hot pokers. As much as I tried to wash the gel off, the pain just got worse. I called the dermatologist in a panic but she was adamant that I should continue to use the gel and said my skin would become used to it. However, I simply couldn’t continue as it was just too painful. I returned to the eye specialist and she suggested that maybe what I had was blepharitis, though it was more severe than most cases she had seen. I told her that my mental health was suffering greatly because of how awful my eyes looked and she said she could refer me for cosmetic surgery to remove the excess skin, once the Blepharitis had calmed down. I was shocked as surgery seemed quite extreme and it made me feel very concerned about just had uch damage my eyes had sustained. However while I waiting for anothe appointment about the surgery option, Covid hit and my medical case was closed as it was a non-emergency situation. Over lockdown I was left to cope with the agony on my own. I decided to do some much deeper research into blepharitis causes and treatments and that is when I thankfully discovered Hydrosil Dry Eye Gel after reading in a health article online about a lady with almost identical symptoms to me who said she had used the eye gel with incredible results. I couldn’t believe that there was actually a product out there that targeted the very problem I had that did not contain steroids and no one had told me about it. I immediately researched it and found lots of reviews from women with similar symptoms to me saying the eye gel, which contained a natural plant streoid that mimicked the action of chemical steorids but was much gentler on the skin and therefore suitable for use around the eyes, had drastically improved their symptoms. Many of them also menotioned that they had developed their symtoms at the onset of menopause and a few of the articles had a dermatologist explaining why and how menopause can trigger blepharitis due to the drop in ostreogen. Suddenly the penny dropped and I felt such a sense of relief that not only had I potentialy found a solution for the problem but that I now knew what had triggered my blepharitis and that there was light at the end of the tunnel. Needless to say I ordered some of the eye gel immediately. I was scared to apply the it as by this stage everything stung my eyes, even water. As instructed I carried out a patch test on a small area of my affacted skin and there was not even a tingle so I applied the gel to my eyes. The relief was almost instant and I almost cried with relief but held myself back as even tears stung my eyes. Not only did the manufacturers make the eye gel but they also made an Dry Eye Concealer to use over the eye gel which was designed to be used on eyes like mine and had many of the same ingredients as the eye gel but also with a prebiotic in it to help repair the skin barrier which, in my case, must have been obliterated. Every eye concealer I’d tried before burned but I had zero reaction to this one and it immediately brightened up my dark circles and covered a lot of the redness on my eye lids and around my eyes. They also made a brow serum Hydrobrow, which was a special brow treatment for repairing flaky itchy brows, which I had also developed. After using the Hydrosil eye products for just a few weeks my daughter spotted the improvement immediately, she said 'Mum you look almost like your old self again.' My eyes had calmed right down and most of the redness had gone. The dry cracks gradually healed up and once I put the concealer over the top you could barely notice my eye condition at all. I now use the eye gel and brow serum religiously both at night and under make up during the day along with the concealer. My eyes have stayed calm ever since and are back to normal. It’s given me back my quality of life and my self-confidence. I can sleep better, I’ve returned to the gym and I no longer feel worried about facing people as my eyes feel normal again. Most imporantly I’m not in constant pain. While I’m beyond delighted that I’ve found something to control my blepharitis I feel disspoited and rather shocked that it was left to my own initiaive to find out what was causing my blepharitis and to find a suitabletreatent for it. I do feel that at least one of the doctors I saw should had made the link with my menopause and maybe looked into HRT of some sort rather than topical steroids that burned my eyes, I may have been spared so much physical and mental suffering. It’s definitely something that more doctors really need to be aware of as there must be a lot of women out there going through the same agony as I did.”
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Dermal fillers triggered TV presenter’s aggressive psoriasis
Charlie Baker, 18, from Lancashire is a social media influencer and TV presenter who is engaged to Oliver, an electrician. Charlie says; “I was diagnosed with psoriasis in August last year after I had dermal fillers and my body had a reaction to them which triggered my psoriasis. When I had the first flare up of psoriasis, which I had never experienced before and didn’t know was psoriasis at the time, I thought initially I had caught chicken pox. The aesthetic nurse who had injected my fillers said she thought it was an allergic reaction to something I had eaten and gave me a food supplement powder to mix with water kind of slather onto my face, which was very strange and didn’t do anything to help my skin, obviously. However, when not only did the ‘reaction’ on my face not go away but got progressively worse and more painful, I decided to go and get a medical diagnosis about what was happening with my skin. After seeing my doctor, I was transferred to a dermatologist at the Royal Preston Hospital, and it was there that I was diagnosed with psoriasis. Initially I was prescribed immune suppressants, which did work to a degree but at the cost of my immune system not being able to tackle infections, so I stopped taking them. I was also prescribed steroid creams for a while which did improve my skin, but you can’t use them all the time and I was also so worried about the long-term effects of using steroid creams on my skin at my age as they can cause permanent changes to your skin if used regularly. So, while listening to all the options being offered to me by my dermatologist, I also began my own investigation into psoriasis treatments that were less systematically invasive and more natural as I felt my body wasn’t coping well with the medications I was being prescribed. Meanwhile my skin was getting worse and worse, it felt like the psoriasis was getting more aggressive. At Christmas it had reached a point where I was almost constantly in pain and my skin felt like it was burning all the time. It really effected my mental health and made me feel incredibly low and lacking in self-confidence. Having a high social media presence and also being on TV can be a cruel world if you’re not looking your best. I’ve seen lots of comments online about my skin that haven’t been very pleasant. Admittedly my face was completely red and I think I made it worse by trying to cover it with makeup which would then peel off and go flaky because of the dryness. People would stare at my skin in the street, and I had kids laughing at me like. It was a really traumatic time, I felt trapped inside my own skin. The only upside of the whole experience was that in the middle of it all I met my fiancé Oliver. He was so sympathetic and understanding of what I was going through and immediately saw beyond how awful I looked that I knew almost immediately that he was the real deal. During my own investigation into something that would help my poor skin I must have tried pretty much everything. Anti - redness creams, ‘psoriasis’ creams, eczema creams and various therapies. I’ve spent so much money trying to find something that helped and I had almost given up hope and was considering if I should re-visit the medical route once more when, thankfully, during my deep-dive research I came across Oregon Skincare products earlier this year. By this time the psoriasis had spread to my scalp and was itching and flaky and felt so uncomfortable it made it hard to sleep. My clothes were constantly covered in flakes and the infuriating itching of teh scalp psoriasis made it hard to concentrate on daily tasks. I’ve discovered that there’s not much available for scalp psoriasis except these horrible smelly gloopy coal tar treatments, which is how I found Oregon Skincare products initially because they made a shampoo for scalp psoriasis which had loads of very positive reviews and the main thin most people were saying is that apart from working, the shampoo wasn’t smelly or sticky. The Oregon Anti-Plaque Shampoo gave me almost instant relief the first few times I used it, and as promised it didn’t smell and was really easy to apply. The shampoo had the active ingredient in it to treat the psoriasis and while it’s really effective it can leave your hair quite dry, but they also made a special conditioner to use afterwards which left my hair and scalp really soft. I used the hair care products and the Oregon Maintenance Cream and Intensive Serum daily and within a few hair washes I saw drastic improvements in my scalp and within about a week my skin began to also improve, with the plaques softening and starting to go a paler pink colour rather than furiously red with a silvery dry crust. Both my skin and scalp felt much less painful and itchy within less than two weeks. Oliver has never actually seen me with clear skin since we met so obviously, he has noticed a massive difference in not only my skin, but also my mental wellbeing. He has been there every night for weeks applying the Oregon cream to all the affected patches, so he sees every improvement more accurately than even I do. What have I learned from all this? Well, I now know an awful lot about psoriasis and that a far more people suffer from it than is generally realised, two people in every 100 have the condition. I also know it’s a chronic skin condition that I’ll always suffer from now on. There is no ‘cure’. I would also advise anyone thinking about getting dermal fillers to research very carefully what type of filler you are opting for and also do a patch test on a small area of skin first to check that you don’t have any kind of reaction to it. I had perfectly clear skin before I had fillers and I would never have suspected that they might cause a reaction and trigger an underlying skin condition like psoriasis. I have also learned that there’s no psoriasis cure as such. No single treatment works for everyone with psoriasis and I've come to understand that the medical options are not the only options that are effective. I would recommend that anyone with symptoms like mine immediately seeks a professional diagnosis and always explore all the options offered, but also do your own research and make sure you choose a treatment programme (which can involve more than one option) that you feel comfortable with. Above all stay optimistic that there are psoriasis treatments out there that can really help you manage psoriasis and keep it at a level where it doesn’t have to ruin your life. Also, always try to understand that most people’s cruelness about psoriasis is based on a lack of knowledge about it and people who really care about you will always see past your skin.”
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Women refused to even meet chef with 80% psoriasis until a plant root cream rescued his skin and now he's getting married
James, 39, is a chef from Hampshire and engaged to fiance Lisa James says: "I have psoriasis on about 80% of my body, I literally have it everywhere. I first got psoriasis fifteen years ago. It started of in small patches and gradually spread all over my body. My grandfather had the same condition but not as severely as I do. Neither of my parents or my two sisters have it, it’s only me. I have tried just about every treatment, ointment and medication prescribed by doctors to get rid of it. I have put coal tar all over my skin and in my hair and it stank. I have had creams burn me, I have even had hospitals make up special concoctions to try on my skin. Nothing worked. It was myfiancé, Lisa, who read about Oregon Skincare on a psoriasis support group thread and encouraged me to order some. I was resistent for ages about trying the products because I'd become quite sceptical, I thought it would potentialloy just mean more pain for my already very sore skin as well as being another waste of money but Lisa said she'd read accounts from people with psoriais who'd tried it that sounded very real and in the end I was convinced to give it a go. It just goes to show you should always persevere when it comes to conditions like psoriasis. Within a few weeks of using the Oregon Serum on some very sore and difficult patches of psoriasis and the Oregon Cream on larger less furious patches, I began to notice my skin notably improving. At first the improvements were gradual and small and I almost didn't believe them, thinking it was a coincidence but over time my skin got better and better and it became irrefutably obvious the products were working. After six months my skin is clearer and smoother than it has been on over ten years. I had to order more products due to the amount of psoriasis I had. I was also having UV light therapy at the time when I started using Oregon products. The UV therapy was working but very slowly. However once I starting using the serum and cream in combination with the UV therapy, that was when things really started improving. I'm due to get married and I would love my skin to be even better for my wedding. Before meeting Lisa I had very little confidence with women as most were so appalled by the state of my skin we’d barely go past a first date. I was dating online and the first thing I’d do when someone was interested in me is tell them about my psoriasis. Most of them would refuse to meet me after I told them. But I felt it was better to get it out in the open right away so I didn’t waste anyone’s time. Lisa was different, she immediately said she didn’t mind about my skin and that is was the person I was that mattered to her. She said she would decide how she felt about me after getting to know me first. I've been doing the combination of UV therapy and Oregon products now for six months and the difference is remarkable. Nothing has ever worked on my skin before in the way oregon products have worked for me. My skin is improving every week, the patches of psoriasis are getting smaller and smoother and fading from furious raised red to smoother paler pink with each passing week, its wonderful to see my skin gradually healing. I know I still have some way to go, but people may not understand that although my skin still looks terrible compared to 'normal' skin, the improvement is dramatic. When you have psoriasis like mine and you use treatment after treatment that does nothing, it makes you feel completely helpless. Seeing my skin slowly improve is something close to miraculous for me. To actually feel something is working progreisvely the way this cream has done so far gives me a sense of hope that one day my skin may even be more or less clear even if it takes a bit of time. It's the most optimistic I've felt in years.I’ve been living with this skin for fifteen years so to wait a few more months for these products to do their thing is nothing. There's no ultimate cure for psoriasis and I know I will always have the skin condition for the rest of my life but the UV therapy combined with the Oregon products is the closest thing I’ve found to a psorisis cure if you can call it that. I've stopped the UV therapy now but I'm still using the cream and serum every day and my skin is continuously improving bit by bit. I know that it's not that these products will rid me of psorisis forever but I feel they are helping me to win the battle against the spread of this awful skin condition, and that fills me with a deep sense of optimism."
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