In my practice, I see patients with active hormonal acne and the after maths of acne. Acne can leave scars and pigmentation and if left untreated could worsen with age and environmental exposure.
In this blog, I would like to share one patient’s skin journey with you (with her permission) and my treatment plan for her.
VP is in her 30’s, works in the fashion industry and lives in France. She suffered from acne since a teenager, later got worst as an adult. She’s tried the pill and antibiotics with little effect but with plenty of side effects. One of these side effects was melasma, another form of pigmentation across her forehead, cheeks and nose. She also developed gut issue following courses of antibiotics. She tried roaccutane which worked brilliantly but left her feeling depressed.
She found me through my book “The Hormonal Acne Solution”. She studied it, followed the program, changed her lifestyle, her food, her basic skin care routine and found a good naturopath in Paris to help with testing and prescribing (as she wasn’t living in London).
Her acne skin calmed down but she was left with terrible pigmentation. She came to see me in London to have a Hormonal Acne Consultation and treatment done.
These first 3 pictures below were taken in May 2018 when I first met her in clinic. Due to her skin type, she would get Post Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation (PIH) every time she gets a new spot. Her skin phenotype would be classified as unstable.
So my plan then was:-
- Calm her skin and stabilise her melanocytes (the cells that produce the pigments). This was important as any skin Resurfacing treatments can potentially trigger a breakout and cause more PIH.
- Help her prevent any further breakouts.
- Start her on a skin routine that reduces inflammation, stabilise her melanocytes, reduce pigmentation further in between treatments and even her skin tone as new cells regenerate. It was also important to protect her skin during the transitional phase where the skin is peeling/micro-flaking so there is minimal UV damage.
She came to London to have a different treatments with me depending on how her skin was responding.
So far, we have done ( in a space of 10 months)
- 1 session of Calming skin peel
- 2 sessions of Combination TCA Skin Peel
- 3 sessions of Combination Radiofrequency Sublative Treatment and Skin Peel
In between treatments, I tweaked her supplements and her skin routine (especially when she was travelling to sunny hot climates for work).
She had a minor setback during this time due to a medical condition and she had to take some medication which worsen her pigmentation. After she stopped the medication, I put her on a program to minimise the drug’s effects on the skin and speed up the recovery process.
So these are pictures of her skin the last time I saw her in clinic, just before I did her last treatment on 22nd February 2019. You can see her skin is healthier and more even toned. Most of her pigmentation has “broken up”, is less intense and is slowly coming to surface to be resurfaced.
She is about 75% to “perfect” looking skin. Due to her work schedule, I’m reviewing her in May in view of starting another round of treatments in September.
She’s really pleased with the results so far and so am I. She’s come a long way. Due to her commitment for better skin and being an excellent student and patient, I’ve been able to help and maximise her results. I just want to commend her for her patience and dedication to long term health – both inside out.
NOTE to readers:-
Pigmentation along with scars are after effects of acne which can be treated and you don’t have to live with it. The important thing is get the breakouts under control before investing in treatments.
Aggressive is not always best as it can potentially make matters worst. Choose a practitioner who will be able to read your skin and understand how it will behave with the treatments recommended. Aim for slow and steady but effective for long term benefits.
If you would like to learn how I can help clear hormonal acne without birth control pills, antibiotics or roaccutane, you can click here
If you would like to learn how I can treat pigmentation and scars, you can click here
If you’re interested in my book The Hormonal Acne Solution, you can download the first 2 chapters for free here
If you have any specific questions, you can connect with me via IG or FB
Until then, look after your skin and your skin will love you back.
To your best self.
Dr Terry