My Acne Journey
Like many of us, I first started struggling with acne in my early teens. For years, it was something I was able to manage and keep under control, that is until I decided to come off the contraception pill..
I’d been on Rigevidon for 12 years and in October 2023 I made the decision to stop. This was something I had thought about for a while, I no longer wanted to keep pumping artificial hormones in my body. I was 27, I was starting to think about the future, about one day starting my own family but not only that, I knew the pill can change who you are in many different ways.. I was 15 when I went on it, I wanted to know who I was without this. For me, the cons had begun to heavily outweigh the pros.
Once I make up my mind about something, I tend to just go for it, so waiting around for a GP appointment to discuss the side effects quickly went out the window. A few Google searches later and I decided I’d just deal with whatever came my way. The only thing that worried me was the possibility of my acne returning as this is a common side effect due to the body’s hormonal balance shift. At the time, I was already in the process of launching Selina Caroline Skin so I just reassured myself that I’d be able to handle it.
Most women experience hormonal breakouts within the first 3-6 months after stopping the pill, but when that time passed, my skin still looked fine! That is, until November 2024 (a year after I stopped), when I started experiencing more and more breakouts, at first it was manageable, especially alongside professional skincare treatments.
Then in January 2025, the breakouts became more consistent, the timing literally couldn’t have been worse! I’d not long opened Selina Caroline Skin and now my acne was back. By February my acne has escalated even more. I was constantly busy, stressed, sleeping and eating terribly, and I had no time to prioritise skin treatments!
Over the next few months, I really focused on trying to manage my stress levels, making sure I was regularly exercising, eating better and trying to get into a consistent routine with skin treatments, this was helping and I thought perhaps I was through the worst… little did I know the worst was yet to come.
July 2025, my stress levels are at an all time HIGH, I wasn’t eating right, sleeping terribly, this was also the month of my birthday and I had two weddings therefore, I was drinking alcohol a lot more than usual, which made my skin go into complete overdrive. I developed the worst cystic acne I’ve ever experienced, painful red, under the skin spots. I was completely broken… something I thought had been getting better hadn’t, I felt like I had failed.
That for me was the turning point, I knew I had to change things and really prioritise myself. Everything I was advising and doing for my clients was working! But when it came to myself I neglected everything. I started treating myself like a client and stripped EVERYTHING back.
Fast forward to today, and my acne is gone!
The first thing I did was stop obsessing over my skin, once I stopped caring so much, my acne started to calm down, it was almost like it was feeding off all the attention I was giving it. I really prioritised myself, making sure I was only using skincare products that protected and healed my skin barrier, ZERO active ingredients. I took vitamins EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. I tried to eat as well as I could (although if I’m totally honest this was definitely something I could’ve done better, I do unfortunately have the sweetest tooth ever). I only drank alcohol on rare occasions as I knew this triggered my acne, I managed my stress levels, made sure I slept at least 8 hours every night and exercised regularly, even if that was just going on a walk. I still experience the odd spot here and there when I’m due on my period, but these aren’t anywhere as bad as before. Of course, I’m left with scarring, but I’m being consistent with my own professional skincare treatments to heal these. Every day my skin is getting better and better.
When clients come into clinic regarding their skin concerns, a worry of mine is that they may feel embarrassed or ashamed, just like how I felt about my acne! But this is why I wanted to open up about my own struggles. When I tell clients I know how they feel, I really do mean that, I hope this has shown people that I can relate in every way. In hindsight, I believe this happened for a reason, it’s made me a much better skin specialist. I’ve learned so much more about acne, both physically and emotionally. Now that I’ve been through this again, I feel even more confident in my ability to help others.
It’s definitely not an easy road, I had MANY breakdowns, so many nights spent starring in the mirror trying my hardest not to pick every spot, waking up in the morning and running to the mirror to see how many more spots I’d woken up with. I would cancel social plans because I didn’t want anyone seeing me that day, I would even brush my teeth in the dark because I didn’t want to look at my skin in the harsh bathroom lighting. These are only some of the things having acne will make you do, the real list is a lot longer. My biggest lesson in all of this is to be kinder to yourself, comparison truly is the thief of joy, it does get better! Listen to your body, it always tells you when something’s off and take time to understand what it needs.
So, am I glad I came off the pill? ABSOLUTELY!!! I don’t want to scare anyone from doing the same, everyone’s experience is different, and most women I’ve spoken to haven’t had any side effects at all. But even with all the challenges, it’s been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, I’ve truly never been happier. I feel more like myself now than I have done in the past 12 years and that’s even with the acne.
If you’re going through something similar, please know you’re not alone, I hope me being open about my own struggles shows that!