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Skin + Me Stories: Skin Purging and with Stephanie Wyatt

A note to say that this content has been updated to reflect Stephanie’s role in our Skin + Me Challenge. It’s all about sticking to your Daily Doser as part of a simple skincare routine for 90 days straight, and celebrating commitment to a personalised treatment that gets results.

This Challenge shines an inspiring light across a selection of your unique skincare journeys, making #positivepersonalprogress and the brighter, healthier skin that can be accessible to everyone. 

Want to find out more? Check out our Instagram and share your stories, we love to see your progress #SkinAndMeChallenge.

Skin + Me Challenge

Skin + Me Subscriber, Stephanie has been committed to her Daily Doser for well over a year and her inspiring story may well kickstart your skincare streak. Having lived with acne, she’s full of wisdom about how she got her best skin yet. 

Stephanie explains, “I know progress doesn’t happen overnight but I had to trust the process and keep going. I kept pushing myself, taking progress pictures every month and came to terms with it [my personalised solution] working – now my skin loves it and I’m so grateful.”

Stephanie explains why she’s staying committed to her Daily Doser, “Seeing my results has made me feel amazing. Deep down and on the inside. It’s always been a self conscious thing, my skin. I’ve always struggled with acne. Now loving what I see in the mirror is amazing. It’s one of the best things.”

“Loving what I see in the mirror is amazing. It’s one of the best things.”

STEPHANIE WYATT
Feel-good tips from Stephanie in her own words

+ Take your own progress pictures every day. Every day is different but over months you’ll really see a difference. On my own social channels, I encourage others to take and revisit their photos.

+ Purging got me down at first. But I’ve learned that if I keep going, it’s worth it. I’m so grateful that I can see a difference. Just six months in, and I’m still really excited about what’s to come. 

+ I’ve done a lot of research and now have a passion for skincare. I’m happy to invest in it. I cringe at the products I used on my skin back in the day before I discovered Skin + Me. I’ve come such a long way – I don’t want to ruin it!

Purging – when you get a breakout of spots or a worsening of existing acne as your skin adjusts to a new prescription treatment, can be challenging at the best of times. It’s easy to say that perseverance pays, but it takes real commitment to ride it out on the path to clearer skin.

The good news? Purging is normal and only a temporary blip in your skincare journey. We spoke to Stephanie in the first of two instalments about purging on The Dose. Here, Stephanie shares her story and how far she’s come in her pursuit of healthier skin.

Skin + Me: Let’s start with your skin before beginning your journey with Skin + Me. You developed adult acne, can you tell us more?

Stephanie: Since my early teens, I’ve struggled with acne. It’s always been an insecurity of mine and the amount of makeup I wore to cover my skin led to more troubled skin. It was a vicious circle.

I had no idea about skincare and would sleep with makeup on. I had a prescription from my doctor for my adult acne which helped clear it until the pandemic hit.

After that, I was wearing the same face mask everyday with makeup on, not realising how much it was irritating my skin. Then I got ‘maskne’ – a concentration of acne around my nose and mouth.

Skin + Me: Did you try lots of products before you went back to basics? Why Skin + Me?

Stephanie: During the first lockdown, I educated myself more about active ingredients and skincare products available. I spent a lot of money and tried lots of products which helped temporarily but my acne never really went away.

I’d heard great things about Skin + Me and actually recommended it to my mum first as she was looking for a solution that would even out her skin texture. After just two months on her personalised treatment she was so pleased with her progress, I decided to commit to Skin + Me myself.

Skin + Me: What surprised you about your treatment when the Daily Doser arrived? 

Stephanie: I don’t like having loads of products in my skincare routine, so the Daily Doser really simplified things and saved me time. The sustainability of the design also added value for me – from the FSC-registered forest cardboard packaging, to using a lightweight aluminium tube instead of plastic, shows that this is all considered. I wish every company thought like that.

The twist and click Doser offering just the right amount of cream also makes application easy. I like the fact that there’s always a few spare applications in the Doser at the end of the month, I always use the last of my applications before I start on my new tube!

Skin + Me: Let’s talk about purging. Can you tell us more?

Stephanie: The purging started in my second week.

I knew from the start that no matter what active skincare product I chose, my skin would always go through a period where it was worse before it got better – so I had to persevere. I’m glad I did.

The spots were painful though and it did make me insecure for a while. I can be quite emotional, and shed a few tears before I came out the other side. It’s such a relief that I stuck it out.

Skin + Me: How long did it last?

Stephanie: The purging lasted for about three months. I was close to giving up but was told I may not see the results I wanted until up to twelve weeks of use. This was my first ever time using Tretinoin too so getting used to that may have irritated my skin a little.

Skin + Me: How is your skin confidence now you’re settled into your treatment routine with Skin + Me?

Stephanie: I still have a couple of spots on one side of my cheek and a fair bit of pigmentation, but I will happily go outside or take a selfie with no makeup on. It’s the first time I’ve felt confident enough to do that for over three months. 

I can see such an improvement in my acne but also an improvement in skin texture – and general glowiness! I love my skin now and can’t wait until I’m completely clear.

Skin + Me: Anything else you want to mention?

Stephanie: I have oily skin so making sure I have hydration in my skincare routine is very important. I also want to reiterate that sticking with the treatment is what gave me the results I see today. Remember that if the treatment prescription isn’t working for you, or you need extra support, then you can always message a dermatologist at Skin + Me who will advise what’s best and change your prescription.

As well as this I want to emphasise how important it is to wear SPF with this treatment. When I was prescribed tablets from the doctor I wasn’t told to wear SPF, I had no idea about it and just thought the sun protection in my moisturiser was enough – boy, was I wrong! 

My skin was so sensitive, it became oily because the tablets stripped my skin and was so sore. I have been fighting skin damage for years – now I’m so committed to protection, I wear SPF 50 everyday – even when I’m inside the house!

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