One of the basic rules of the universe is that nothing is perfect. Perfection simply doesn’t exist…Without imperfection, neither you nor I would exist” ― Stephen Hawking
If I asked you to look at this photograph of my friends and I (I’m on the right) and tell me what you thought… what would you say? I look happy, right? Content, confident and carefree?
What if I told you that the same week that this photo was taken, I lied to my friends, telling them I couldn’t go out because I had family plans. Meanwhile, I lied to my parents, “I have a migraine. I can’t leave the house.” In reality, I just wanted to hide from the world under my duvet and watch yet another episode of How to Get Away with Murder.What if I told you that on the night of my 21st birthday celebrations pictured below I cried hysterically to my mum and dad before any guests arrived. I didn’t want anyone to see me and I certainly didn’t want to go into town for a night out. A tsunami of tears later, I began my usual routine; Slap on as much makeup as possible, take a few (who am I kidding…A LOT of) deep breaths and top it all off with one gigantic fake smile. I’m fine…
Very few people know that for almost six years I have struggled with acne.
“What! YOU? No way! Your skin is fine! It isn’t that bad!”
Maybe I did a great job of covering it up (THANK GOD for Clinique’s Beyond Perfecting Foundation) and maybe my clever charade of confidence fooled a lot of people. Sadly however, I have really really struggled… A lot.
Like a lot.
For years I was treated with antibiotics, topical creams and the contraceptive pill. They would work initially, metamorphosing my never-ending sense of despair into short-term optimism. Gradually however, the effects of each medication would wear off and I would come crashing back to square one; hating my skin and resenting the way I looked.
In August 2016, mum collected me from placement in Dublin to drive me home for my friend’s 21st birthday party in Belfast. What should have been a pleasant two hour mother-daughter catch up developed into me weeping as I took my makeup off and revealed what was underneath. In the tiny sunshield car mirror, I stared at my angry, red, scarred, sore and UGLY face. I hated it. As always, Mum tried her best to calm me down. “You’re working too hard. You’re tired. You need to get out of the office and into fresh air. You’re not eating enough fruit and veg. Will we take you to get a facial?” She was frustrated. Seeing me so upset but knowing that there was nothing even a mother could do to help. It was out of her control and she despised the fact she couldn’t cure me herself.
August, 2016 – That car journey.
After years of endless doctors appointments and medication I was left feeling totally helpless. I had exhausted all treatment avenues and there was nothing more my GP could do.
There was only one solution. Roaccutane.
Roaccutane, or Isotretinoin is a last resort skincare medication used to treat moderate to severe acne and its use must be supervised by a dermatologist. The drug has a fairly negative reputation and has been linked to some nasty side effects such as extreme dryness of the skin, depression and severe birth defects in unborn babies. During treatment, regular hospital visits are required for blood tests to monitor liver function, pregnancy tests to fulfil my obligations to the pregnancy prevention program and close monitoring of my mental health. Anyone reading this who knows me understands that my biggest fear in the ENTIRE world is blood. Even typing the word makes me light-headed and a bit uneasy and the thought of regular blood tests almost put me off starting the medication entirely.
I was worried about the treatment but I was also desperate and as they say, “desperate times call for desperate measures.”
In a bid to prepare myself, I started carrying out my own research and came across the beauty vlogger, Katie Snooks. This brave young woman posted her entire ‘Roaccutane Daily Skin Vlog’ on Youtube and I watched every single video.
Katie Snooks, Roaccutane Month 1.
I found myself relating to the pain in her voice and the tears in her eyes when she explained how she didn’t feel confident or beautiful. As I watched her progress videos I was amazed at the difference the drug was making to her skin. It was visibly improving week by week but something else was becoming apparent. Her self-esteem and confidence were also transforming. It seemed as if she had been injected with a new lust for life… I wanted that feeling too.
Katie’s first and last days of treatment.
I’m pretty sure my confidence was at rock bottom. I have never felt so low and I was willing to try anything to pick myself back up again. I had to be pinned down by a few nurses and (poorly) distracted by my parents or friends to get through the dreaded ‘B tests’ (I invented this term to avoid uttering the ‘b word’), endured six months of a severe addiction to Carmex and six cringe worthy pregnancy tests in front of my mum. But I did it.
Yay! The end of treatment in May, 2017.
In recent weeks, Queen of The Jungle and Made in Chelsea’s Georgia Toffollo has decided to publically document her Roaccutane journey. She bared all on ITV’s This Morning when she exposed her makeup-free and acne prone skin to roughly 600,000 viewers across the UK; a decision that I thought was very, very brave and one that inspired me to write this post.
Explaining why she wanted to speak out about this issue, she said: “I think for so long I’ve hidden. I think actually now I’m in the limelight, I don’t want everyone who follows me to think I’m perfect.”
“I am very jolly by nature, but I get very upset when my skin is bad, I dread leaving the house.”
Now… I am by no means a beauty blogger, influencer, role model or Queen of the Jungle, but I wanted to share my story. I want people to know that if you are struggling, there is help available and there are always solutions to your problems. Your world may appear to be falling apart at the seams at times but someone will always be there to pick you back up. You can and you will get through it.
During my treatment, I completed a year’s placement in FleishmanHillard, one of Ireland’s leading communication agencies, working on big brands such as Cadbury and Proctor and Gamble. Despite sometimes not feeling like the best version of myself I still managed to get out of bed every morning, travel 1 hour 30 minutes to work and give everything I had to a job that I loved.
I still struggle with my skin. I’m not 100% cured from acne and to be honest, I don’t think I’ll ever be. I endured one of the hardest periods of my life, yet I still managed to challenge myself and achieve success.
My mum bought me a plaque that read;
You are braver than you believe,
Stonger than you seem,
And smarter than you think.”
She was right.
Me in August 2017 – Happier than ever.
Hannah Martin is a final year Bsc student in Communication, Advertising and Marketing at Ulster University. She can be found on Twitter @HannahMartin596, and Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-martin-b31334112/
Hannah,
Great post. As the father of three teen / tween daughters, you hit a spot. You absolutely are a role model.
Thanks,
Padraig
Hi Padraig,
Thank you for your lovely feedback. I was very apprehensive to share my story but I am so glad I did. I have received a lot of messages today and am overwhelmed at the number of people who could relate to the post. Tell your daughters to keep battling through, whatever struggles come their way. Things get better!
Thanks,
Hannah
Hannah,
I read this entry because I think that the wider physical and psychological implications of acne are rarely discussed and it is – by some – dismissed as another part of puberty to be dealt with.
Obviously, the reality is that acne can make life fairly miserable for a person in their teens or early-twenties (the latter being well beyond puberty), as you and I and probably millions of others have experienced.
I was treated with roaccutane in 2013. I was of course made aware of the drug’s reputation and side effects but for me, at the time, it seemed to be worthwhile. The doctors at the clinic had ensured me that there was a sixty percent chance that I would never had another breakout.
As you know, taking roaccutane is an unpleasant experience. In my case, the drug was also largely ineffective and it was not for probably another 4 years that my skin “cleared up”.
Since all that, I have done a good bit of reading on roaccutane and, as you have highlighted, it has been linked to a significant number of physical and mental health issues, many of which are serious and some of which are potentially fatal.
I wanted to ask you a question as well, which is as follows: knowing what you do about the dangers of roaccutane and having found that the treatment itself is not necessarily the miraculous cure that it is sometimes made out to be, would or have you ever recommended it to another person?
For me, the answer to that question is “no”. I think that the potential dangers as well as the chance that the drug will be ineffective render it an irresponsible thing to recommend to others.
Thanks for sharing,
Matt
Hi Matt,
First of all, I would like to say a massive thank you for reading my blog. I really appreciate you taking the time to do so and to share with me in what is, for both of us, an extremely personal ordeal.
I agree with you that the wider implications of acne are rarely discussed and are usually brushed off as ‘just another aspect of growing up’. This was always very hard for me to stomach when I felt so low and it was implied that my awful skin wasn’t really that much of a problem, or that there were worse things that could be happening. I’m sure you can relate.
I’m really sorry that your experience with Roaccutane wasn’t all positive. It’s no secret that there are many associated dangers with the drug and I’m sure you’ll agree with me that it wouldn’t be my place to play Doctor and recommend it to anyone. For me, Roaccutane was a lifesaver. I definitely wouldn’t be as happy and as confident as I am today if I had not been treated. That being said, every patient and every case can differ. As I mentioned in the post, Roaccutane is a last resort skin care medication and one that is highly difficult to get your hands on. Even after doing so, careful and constant moderation of treatment is undertaken to ensure the patient’s physical and mental health is cared for. I certainly did A LOT of research on the drug before I started my treatment because I knew how potentially damaging it can be.
Roaccutane worked for me and I am so very pleased I decided to go ahead with my treatment. It is, however, an extremely strong and serious drug. I would not recommend it to anyone as I do not have the medical capacity to do so. What I would say to someone suffering is this; if you are really struggling with your skin and have exhausted all other avenues, go and speak to your Doctor and or Dermatologist and seek their professional opinion. They will be able to tell you straight away if you qualify for the medication, educate you on its pros and cons, carry out the necessary medical assessments prior to treatment and monitor your health consistently throughout, if you decide to go ahead.
I hope this answers your question and thank you once again for getting in touch.
All the best,
Hannah
I love how brave you are for exposing that vulnerable and hardest time of your life. I also appreciate that your showing readers that it’s okay to not be perfect. We live in a time where being beautiful is even harshly criticized so it’s refreshing to know that others struggling with the concept of beauty and not just me.
Hannah
Your article was incredibly informative and exceptionally brave. First of all I am fortunate enough never to have suffered from acne so I didn’t know anything about the condition or the severity of its impact on the sufferer. You were so brave to expose your vulnerability by sharing your story. I’m sure by doing so you have given confidence to other sufferers and inspired them to seek medical help if they have not already done so.
You have also enlightened and educated ‘unaware’ people like me.
Thank you for sharing such a brilliant article.
Janet