While many of us were blighted with acne during our teenage years, 30-year-old business manager Lucy was lucky for most of her youth. ‘I’d always had pretty clear skin growing up,’ she says. ‘I had the occasional spot here or there, but nothing significant. Acne was never something I experienced.’
As such, Lucy stuck to fairly low-maintenance skincare regime – a basic cleanser and moisturiser. ‘I simply never felt like I needed much,’ she recalls. All that changed, however, when she reached the age of 28.
‘I’d just come back from travelling round Australia for three months. I was with my partner and it was one of the happiest periods of my life,’ she says. ‘I felt really confident back then – I barely wore any make-up for the entire trip, and my skin looked great.’
While in Australia, Lucy’s partner had proposed, so they came home and launched straight into wedding planning. ‘We’d decided to get married two years after getting engaged, so I felt like I had plenty of time to prepare and enjoy the process,’ she says.
What she hadn’t banked on, however, was that she’d spend much of this time dealing with an aggressive skin condition that would rob her of her confidence and happiness. After having a hormonal coil fitted for contraception in August 2023, Lucy began to suffer from an extreme case of cystic acne – and it came as a complete surprise.
‘Having the coil fitted was incredibly painful, but the biggest impact was what happened to my skin. Nobody warned me this could happen,’ she says. ‘I was shocked when my skin changed so dramatically, but then I looked online and realised so many other women had experienced the same thing after hormonal contraception changes. It was upsetting to discover this, rather than being properly informed beforehand.’
Lucy became extremely self-conscious as her skin condition continued to worsen. ‘I started obsessing over my reflection and skin texture,’ she says. It wasn’t just her complexion that suffered either. ‘I noticed my hair thinning significantly,’ she says. ‘I remember showering and being shocked by how much hair I was losing every time.’
Having never suffered from acne before, the hormonal coil prompted a painful reaction from Lucy’s skin
Lucy was embarrassed and upset by her skin, at a time when she had hoped to be enjoying her ‘bridal glow-up’
Horrified by the impact the coil seemed to be having on her appearance, Lucy returned to her GP for help. ‘I was prescribed a topical cream and told to give my hormones time to settle,’ she says. ‘After a few months with no improvement, however, I started panicking and desperately trying to do anything I could.’ This included using products that were ‘far too strong’ for Lucy’s struggling skin, including her sister’s tretinoin, a prescription-strength topical retinoid. ‘It completely damaged my skin barrier and left my face red, sore and irritated,’ says Lucy.
Lucy recalls several incidents during this period that show how insecure her skin made her feel. ‘I remember once being in the supermarket and spotting one of my partner’s friends with his girlfriend. I thought she was so beautiful. I actually hid in the next aisle because I was too embarrassed to let them see my skin,’ she says. ‘I also remember a friend of mine videoed me opening a bottle of champagne, and I was absolutely mortified when I watched it because you could see the texture of my face so clearly.’
After a return trip to the GP, Lucy was prescribed lymecycline, an oral antibiotic belonging to the tetracycline group, prescribed to treat moderate to severe acne. ‘I had absolutely no improvement,’ she says. ‘At that point I was referred to an NHS dermatologist, but my wedding was getting closer and closer.’ In a desperate bid to speed things up, Lucy decided to go private, and visited the Dr Tom Clinic for help, having heard through friends and colleagues that he was a safe pair of hands.
‘After a consultation, Dr Tom recommended having the hormonal coil removed to see if my skin would settle naturally afterwards,’ says Lucy. ‘I waited around 12 weeks after having it removed [in August 2024], but when things didn’t improve, I finally made the decision to start Roaccutane. At that point, I just wanted my confidence and my old face back.
A combination of treatments – including Roaccutane – cleared and improved Lucy’s skin texture
‘Within a few months, my active acne had almost completely cleared and it felt like such a huge emotional relief after everything I’d been through. But while the acne itself had improved, I was left with a lot of dullness, scarring, pigmentation and uneven texture. That’s when I realised I needed support beyond simply clearing the acne.’
While the aggressive products Lucy had experimented with before were targeted at stripping away the acne, she switched instead to a routine that was focused on repairing and supporting her skin barrier.
‘During Roaccutane, my routine was kept really gentle and hydrating to help manage the dryness, sensitivity and irritation that comes with medication,’ she says.
‘I used AlumierMD products throughout, which my skin tolerated really well, and routine evolved as my skin recovered. Once my skin was finally healthy, we slowly reintroduced a low strength retinol alongside antioxidants like vitamin C. It was all very gradual and careful because my skin was incredibly sensitive post-Roaccutane.’
In the run-up to her wedding, Lucy also followed a bespoke treatment plan at the clinic, which included microneedling every four to six weeks and using a clinical-grade red light mask every evening. ‘For the first time in months, I felt like I was actually moving forwards instead of making things worse,’ she says.
In terms of Lucy’s lifestyle, she was already eating healthily and exercising, which she says ‘is part of why the acne felt so frustrating. People often assume acne must be caused by poor lifestyle habits, but that wasn’t the case for me at all. You can’t simply wash it away by changing your pillowcase or drinking more water.’
Looking back, Lucy can see that dealing with cystic acne in the run-up to her wedding had a huge impact on what should have been an exciting period of her life.
‘I’d always imagined this really fun bridal glow-up phase – instead I found myself dealing with a painful skin condition, stressing about scarring and noticing my hair thinning,’ she says.
‘It was frustrating watching other people online doing bridal prep while I was just desperately trying to heal my skin. I became consumed with worry that I’d spent all this money planning a beautiful wedding, yet all I’d be thinking about on the day was my skin. Whenever I met suppliers, photographers or hair and make-up artists, I’d immediately apologise for my acne before they could even say anything.’
Thankfully, by the time Lucy’s wedding day arrived, her skin was completely clear. ‘I felt overwhelming relief,’ she says. ‘Being able to wake up on my wedding morning and finally feel confident in my skin again meant the world to me.‘
