So I had just finished my first year of uni, loving life and ready to start my first 3-month summer. Everything was great, apart from my skin… When I was 19 I had my first outbreak of acne, on both of my cheeks and nothing seemed to solve this ‘problem’. It was a horrible feeling.
I felt insecure and I didn’t want to leave the house and when I did, I smothered my skin in layers of makeup to try and cover my face… which we all know is NOT a good solution.
I went to the doctors and I was prescribed with Lymecycline and a topical antibiotic emulsion which I had to apply every night. I tried everything in between taking the prescribed antibiotics. I tried Proactive, Skinade drinks, steaming my face, tea tree, face masks, teas, sunbeds and NOTHING gave me a long-term fix. My doctor continued to prescribe me with antibiotics which after 5 years, I decided I did not want to take anymore.
After 5 years of battling with breakouts and researching ‘the best ways to get rid of acne’, I felt like I either had to give up or speak to a dermatologist about being prescribed with Roaccutane, which is something that I personally really wanted to avoid taking.
I feel incredibly lucky to have been introduced to Young LDN, who I can safely say, has SAVED my skin!
When I had my first treatment at Young LDN, I knew that I was in safe hands when I met the aestheticians. I had always felt embarrassed when I spoke about my skin, but I really felt like I could be open about my skin journey, my personal battle with acne, and I felt confident that I was receiving professional advice with my best interest at heart.
During my first appointment with Young LDN, I had a skin consultation which really helped me understand what was going on underneath the skin. This is a free service at Young LDN and something I would really advise anyone to have, even if you’re not suffering from acne.
It’s really great way to understand what type of skin you have and the sort of skincare routine you should be following as well as the treatments that can help. Young LDN’s Bespoke Acne Treatment is amazing because everything is tailored to your skins individual needs on any particular day. For my first treatment, I had lots of skin extractions followed by LED light therapy.
If you didn’t know this already, LED light therapy is an incredible way to kill the bacteria on your skin and reduce the inflammation caused by acne! After only one treatment, I really noticed a difference in my skin. In particular, less redness, my complexion was much clearer and my skin looked visibly clearer and had a glow!
Following my initial consultation and first treatment I began a course of chemical peels. I started with an Alpha Beta Peel from an American cosmeceutical company called Circadia skin. Once my skin had been prepped for deeper peels using the alpha beta peel, I was then put on to a course of stronger Circadia Jessner Peels, increasing the intensity every 6-7weeks.
Jessner peels are one of the most effective peels to remove superficial layers of the skin. The solution is a combination of lactic acid, salicylic acid and resorcinol which really helps to exfoliate the skin, penetrate down into the deeper layers of the skin, unclog pores, reduce redness and lighten acne scarring…AMAZING!!!
I also continued with the blue and yellow LED light treatments and extractions to ensure the maximum possible results for my skin. (This was part of my own individual skin journey and can differ from person to person, depending on your skin).
Due to its strength, a Jessner peel requires some downtime as there is a lot of redness on your skin for the first 1-2 days and following this, your skin gradually peels across the next 2-6 days depending on how many layers of the acid is applied to your skin. I wish someone had told me about Jessner peels sooner as my skin has never looked better! (If you are suffering from acne, this is a treatment that I would 100% recommend looking in to at Young LDN).
What I know about treating acne is that it will not disappear overnight, but what I have learnt from YoungLDN and one thing that I want to tell anyone who is suffering from acne is that every case of acne is different! It is so important to sit down with an expert and have a consultation about your skin! It’s so easy for a doctor to prescribe you with antibiotics, but does it have a long-term fix? Not necessarily. Young LDN care and understand that every person with acne is different. I was given a tailored skin journey for my specific skin which has been the only treatment that has left me feeling confident and the only treatment that has actually cleared my skin.
Of course, I still get the odd breakout but nothing compared to what I used to get before my treatment with Young LDN. Young LDN has also given me an amazing routine for at home to avoid really nasty breakouts occurring in between appointments.
I guess all I can say is thank you to tribe at Young LDN for giving me confidence in my skin, the confidence to go out without makeup on and the confidence to talk openly about my skin and suffering from acne!
Find out more about Young LDN’s Bespoke Acne Treatment here.
