My Acne Story (and probably yours too!)
As soon as I turned 23 years old, adult acne hit me like a truck! As a teenager, I never really had acne. Maybe a pimple here and there on my forehead, thanks to my greasy bangs.
I can’t tell you exactly what caused my adult acne (there was a lot going on in my life), but I can tell you how having full blown acne all over my face affected me.
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During this time, I was quitting my job and moving to a new city, trying something new. My breakouts had just started, but I was so busy and stressed out, I didn’t think anything of it. It was the first time I ever had breakouts on my cheeks and chin, so I just thought it was due to stress and that it would pass with time, as long as I drank a lot of water, right?
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I really didn’t think my breakouts were a big deal, that’s until they started to get bad enough that people started noticing and pointing it out. Suddenly, I am receiving unsolicited advice from everyone I have a conversation with. People that I haven’t spoken to in years are sending me messages via social media of “things I should try for my acne.”
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I finally decided to go to a dermatologist, an office a friend of mine worked at and had recommended. As soon as I walked in, my friend’s reaction to my face was “omg it’s getting so bad, hopefully they can give you something for it.” That didn’t make me feel any better.
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When I was in the room waiting for the dermatologist, the medical assistant thought it was appropriate to come in and literally GASP at my face and say “whatever the doctor offers, take the strongest!”
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The doctor finally came in and gave me three options that increasingly sounded far too medically harsh. I was offered a bunch pills that would “balance my hormones.” She also gave me a nice list of side effects that come with each option. As someone with some experience in the medical field (having graduated with a Human Biology bachelors degree and worked as a medical scribe) I was shocked at these options. Why all this harsh medication that will literally cause the rest of my body insane side effects for something as simple as a few pimples??? Mind you, despite the hurtful words I had received up to this point, I still believed my acne wasn’t even that bad.
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I took the lesser of all evils and most affordable option (I had just quit my job, so no medical insurance). This was a 3 months course of pills as well as other VERY expensive topical medications. Nevertheless, I felt excitement of the thought alone of having clear skin again.
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A month into the treatment, my acne went from bad to way badder! I visited the dermatologist again. She advised that “purging” is normal, but admitted that my new breakouts did seem a bit severe for a purging phase. Ultimately, she advised to me go on the harsher medication. I once again declined. I just refused to take medication that is literally known to have side effects such as birth defects! And for which we still don’t know the long term effects on the body. That, plus I was already down a thousand dollars from the first prescription. She advised to finish the first course and come back again.
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My acne had taken over most of my face, and it was painfully inflamed. I remember waking up in the mornings and my face being so painful and dry from the topical medications. I had just finished the 3 month course of the pills, which clearly did not help (besides giving me insane side effects and a lifetime supply of UTIs).
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I was embarrassed of my face.
I was embarrassed to even sit and have dinner with my family as I felt my face was the elephant in the room. My mother always trying to figure out “what caused my acne” (she even suggested it might be because of my dog and that I should get rid of him!)
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I remember an old family friend came to visit, and when she saw me she literally asked me “what happened to your face?” Then her and my mother proceeded to have a full-blown conversation about what could’ve caused my acne and things I should try to get rid of it. I sat there clearly uncomfortable at the fact that my face was once again the main topic of discussion.
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I was so embarrassed, sometimes I would even wear makeup at home (not like it made a difference on the appearance of my acne).
I was even embarrassed to go out and meet new people, as I felt all people saw was my acne (I had now moved to a city where I knew nobody and had no friends). Acne was starting to take a massive toll on my confidence and ultimately on my life.
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I finally decided to take matters into my own hands and look for other more affordable options. Upon my research, I came across Bentonite clay. People on the internet were raving about how this is the oldest, best known natural remedy for acne. I was skeptical, but had nothing to lose.
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I gave it a try. I stopped using all topical medication, and decided to challenge myself to use this natural remedy for 2 weeks. I applied the clay mask every night. It didn’t matter how tired I was or how late I got home, I was determined to be consistent with it.
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I remember the 8th day of using the clay mask because I literally bursted into tears. My acne was FINALLY clearing out, I could see the difference! I couldn’t believe something so simple was clearing my acne. Why had I never heard of this before? Why doesn’t EVERYBODY know about this? Why didn’t the dermatologist tell me about this, does she not know? And why did I have to spend $1000+ when the solution was a natural product that cost me less than $100?!
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There may be several answers to all these questions (A lot to do with the politics within the medical field and why I know the dermatologist kept pushing me towards the harsher medication). But all I knew was that I found an actual holy grail and more people needed to know about this.
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I then dedicated some time to also do research on other natural options that could help with my dark spots and scars. I came across essential oils, another proven all natural remedy that has been around for thousands of years.
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I put all this together and that is how the Complete Natural Acne Routine was born! I constructed an entire, very simple routine consisting of all natural ingredients proven for thousands of years to be most effective for skin conditions.
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I started sharing this with friends who were also struggling with problematic skin. My followers started noticing how clear my skin was, so I started sharing the products with them as well. Eventually so many people were seeing results with these products and the demand was rising, so I decided to actually start a brand! And now I’m so proud to say that thousands of other people with similar acne stories have seen the same results that I have!
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If you’re feeling as helpless as I once did, I urge you to give these natural products a chance! I really do hope they help you as much as they helped me!
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3 comments
Hello Mariela
Your inspiring journey from battling acne to creating a natural solution is a testament to your resilience and dedication, turning personal challenges into a brand that truly cares
I’m Samuel, a rising freelancer on Upwork. I came across your job posting and am excited about the opportunity to work with you on rebuilding your Shopify store for your skincare brand. I’ve taken a close look at www.glomelanin.com, and I completely understand your vision
Here is the portfolio of my past work https://bit.ly/4fUU1Yz
I understand you might be busy, and I apologise if my message seems intrusive. I just wanted to express how motivated I am to work on your project. I wouldn’t reach out if I didn’t believe I’m capable of handling it.
Thanks for your time Mariela! l will be glad to hear back from you and I’d really love to work with you on this project
Best regards
Samuel
Amo este producto curo mi acné con solo un tratamiento esta es la segunda ves que lo compro es para mi hija adolescente.
Mariela, I love your “product origin” story! Trusting your instincts has paid off!!