Maedeh: Hi Alexa! Welcome to The Skin Coach in Georgia Podcast, and thanks for sharing your story.

If I could for a second, I'd like to take you back to May (six months ago). Tell me how your skin looked and felt and kind of the backstory of dealing with acne.

Alexa: Oh, yeah, I was at a rough, rough spot when I saw you back in May, my face was really, really in bad shape. I had a lot of acne, more than I've had in years, it was really sensitive and painful and swollen. And I was also just emotionally pretty defeated. I've been dealing with acne for 20 years, and I kind of got it under control in my 20s. But once I turned 30 It started acting up again. I think with hormones and just my products kind of stopped working and I just wanted to get to the root of what was happening.

Maedeh: Did you seek professional help for your acne from an esthetician or a dermatologist?

Alexa: Yes, and I've been burned quite a few times by estheticians, dermatologists, and naturopaths before I saw you. I saw dermatologists and was on accutane a couple times. I also saw estheticians. And I had just started going the natural path route in the last year or so before I saw you and that was the way I wanted to do it was figuring out what was going on with my body, internally with my diet. Unfortunately, I did see a naturopath that was not good for me. she was very restrictive about my food. And I kind of came in with a lot of food fear because I was restricting all these things and it wasn't really doing anything.

Maedeh: How long were you under the care of a professional?

Alexa: I was under the care of quite a few people for three to six months. I would see them wouldn't see too much progress. Dermatologists would see me for five to ten minutes, put me on birth control, antibiotics, and Accutane. Accutane helped for a little bit, it cleared my acne for a year or two, but the acne came back.

Maedeh: Yes! We've got to get to the root cause of acne, learn the do's and don'ts to be able to manage acne and keep it under control. Well, I could totally feel your skepticism when I first met you and I totally understand. I would be skeptic too, if I were in your shoes. Especially when someone has tried a lot of things in the past with no real or lasting results.

What was different about Urban Skin Care Clinic and my approach to acne that made you feel this actually may work?

Alexa: I vetted you before I came in to see you! I looked at your reviews and saw a lot of before and after photos, I saw actual photos which was really comforting. I liked the way you talked about my diet and supplements to take because all the estheticians I had seen concentrated just on what I was using (skincare wise) and that was the route I wanted to go as I was working with a nutritionist but I also wanted to deal with the topical stuff, I knew that they were connected. So, I felt a little more trust with you. Because you did say that was connected.

Maedeh: How do you feel about your skin now that your acne free and glowing? Oh my goodness, this makes me so happy.

Alexa: Oh, it makes me happy too. Thank you so much. I feel great. I'm not wearing makeup right now. And you know, I feel like I can go outside without wearing makeup, I just wear makeup for fun now. I haven't had a pimple in over a month and a half and when I do breakout, they're really tiny. I don't have acne anymore. My face is glowing and it feels very nourished. Before I had my acne under control, my skin was really dry or irritated.

Maedeh: Let's talk about the mental aspect of acne and how it has changed your mental state now that you're acne-free?

Alexa: Oh, my gosh. Physically, there has been a profound change. I mean, the mental health has been profound, too. When I was first seeing you back in May, I was not in a good place. I think I was crying every day. Looking in the mirror, just feeling trapped inside my skin, inside my body and not knowing what was causing it. And I was feeling a lot of frustration. I think for the first time in my life, I was starting to feel unattractive, which is something that I never struggled with that much. Even when I did have acne, it's like I always kind of had it under control. And then in the last couple of years, it just felt like I hadn't. So, my self esteem was pretty low and I didn't like that. It was affecting my relationship. Now that I feel like I have my acne under control and my health under control, I just have more answers on why I was breaking out and how to mitigate that which makes me feel powerful. I feel more confident.

Maedeh: Acne sufferers who are on the clear side know this, that there's a purging period. What kept you going on those days?

Alexa: Well, you were really helpful with that. I remember you giving me a big hug when I initially left your office and it was actually really, really sweet. You put me in contact with one of your other clients that you had been seeing. I talked to her and she was a couple of months ahead of me, she was really helpful to talk to because she was actually someone that had gone through your process and was on the other side of it. She told me about the purging. And you were really available when I texted you saying I'm breaking out, you were very comforting with just telling me that was part of the process.

Maedeh: What advice do you have for someone who's struggling with acne right now?

Alexa: I would say that I've been dealing with acne for 20 years. And I think I was always trying to find the fast and the cheaper way. And I just ping ponged between different people. It was a mess. I was actually spending more money between different practitioners and going on YouTube and trying to figure it all out by myself. It drove me crazy and it wasted a lot of my time. So this year, when I decided to invest in doing this with you, I also invested in a nutritionist, it's like the most money I've ever spent on myself but it was worth it, and I would do it all over again. Having those answers and knowing how to get my acne under control was super important to me.

So if I were to tell anyone, I would say that you're worth investing in yourself, especially if your acne is debilitating you on a mental level. Thanks again.

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I hope this interview gives you hope, that clear skin IS possible!

So, if you are ready to say goodbye to acne, Request an acne consultation & first treatment here!