As told to Lauren Crosby Medlicott

One of the lowest points of living with acne was when someone very close to me described my spots as ‘ew’. I felt winded after hearing it. I went into my bedroom and bawled my eyes out. I was numb, heartbroken.

Until 15, I only had spots here and there. But during my A-levels, they got really bad, and I had acne all over my face and body. It was incredibly sore. At the same time, I was struggling with anxiety, depression and some difficult personal situations. I think all of that made the acne worse.

I had no idea how to deal with it. I’m fourth in a line of five sisters. None of them had acne like I did, so I had no one in my family who could relate to what I was going through. My family didn’t have a lot of money, so the best make-up to cover it or the best skincare products to help make it go away were always out of my reach.

I experimented with at-home remedies like fresh lemon, apple cider vinegar, bicarbonate of soda and coffee ground masks. I was always a meticulously clean person, but nothing helped. To people around me, my acne seemed dirty.

The spots were all over my face – the first thing people would see when they looked at me. Even though I could hide my back acne with clothing, I couldn’t hide my face. I would catch people staring at the spots and would often receive unsolicited advice.

“Acne shattered my self-worth – I don’t want anyone to feel the way I did”