A young high school teacher who suffered severe cystic acne has revealed how she cleared up her skin after she tweaked her diet and skincare regime.
Elizabeth ‘Liz’ Claire Nguyen, from Sydney, started developing mild pimples in her teenage years – but she noticed her skin worsen in her early 20s.
The 25-year-old said multiple doctors and dermatologists would simply offer her ‘band-aid solutions’ like antibiotics and birth control that would leave her acne so inflamed, she couldn’t rest her face on a pillow without being in pain.
Despite her excruciating six-year battle, Liz managed to transform her skin in just a matter of months without using roaccutane – as she shared the ‘before’ and ‘after’ pictures showing her complexion noticeably clearer.
Before and after: Elizabeth ‘Liz’ Claire Nguyen, from Sydney, who suffered severe cystic acne has revealed how she cleared up her skin after she tweaked her diet and skincare regime
Despite her agonising battle for six excruciating years, Liz managed to transform her skin in just a matter of months without using roaccutane
But long before finding a solution, the English teacher said she struggled for years after the ‘little bumps’ she developed during puberty spiralled into severe cystic nodules that eventually caused permanent indentations in her cheeks and forehead.
‘Every morning, I struggled to get up because it meant I had to stare back at the mirror only to see a monster. Washing my face meant I would feel all the large sore bumps on my cheeks and forehead,’ Liz told Daily Mail Australia.
‘I had large, painful sacks of pus underneath my skin and couldn’t sleep on my face because it would be so inflamed. I was no longer myself… I became this quiet and depressed girl who wasn’t fun anymore.’
And much to her frustration, the prescribed medications she was put on for six agonising years did little to clear up her painful and swollen blemishes.
With the ‘ongoing stress’ from high school to university, Liz said she noticed she was suffering the worst flareup when she was on multiple courses of antibiotics and hormonal birth control pills.
‘I had so many dermatologists and doctors look at my skin for a couple of seconds and immediately say they want to prescribe me antibiotics,’ she recalled.
‘They simply gave me “band-aid solutions” that caused a number of side effects.’
The 25-year-old started developing mild pimples in her teenage years – but she noticed her skin worsen in her early 20s
It wasn’t until Liz made some lifestyle changes – such as taking Chinese herbal medicine and following a healthier diet – that her skin finally cleared up for good
After desperately trying everything to treat her blemishes, she started doing her own research and working alongside a herbalist, acupuncturist and naturopath.
‘I realised my acne was triggered by internal imbalances. My liver and gut needed so much more support than I realised,’ she said.
‘Not only was it stress that triggered my acne, poor diet and lack of sleep but also the over reliance of antibiotics and birth control pills in my years of many mistakes.
At her worst, Liz said she was no longer a ‘bubbly, fun, loving’ girl.
‘The worst part wasn’t other people calling me names like “pizza face”, “strawberry face”, “greasy oily pan” or “ugly”… it was the self hatred,’ she recalled.
‘I became so toxic I lost my self worth and at one point I truly believed I didn’t deserve to feel loved.’
She was able to banish the active acne through using 2.5 per cent benzoyl peroxide lotion which can be purchased over the counter at any chemist store.
But Liz said she realised her skin issues were ‘deeper than that’ and eventually her acne returned in ‘full force’.
‘It was painful and all over my face. I realised topical treatments could only do so much,’ she said.
Much to her frustration, the prescribed medications she was put on for six excruciating years did little to clear up her painful and swollen blemishes
After taking the herbal medicine for three months, she said her skin miraculously cleared up – and she hasn’t suffered a severe breakout over the past three years since finding the tablets
It wasn’t until Liz made some lifestyle changes – such as taking Chinese herbal medicine and following a healthier diet – that her skin finally cleared up for good.
‘The best thing that helped me was taking natural Chinese herbal tablets for two to three months to detox along with a healthier diet devoid of excessive sugar and dairy consumption,’ she said.
‘I exercised more, slept adequate hours and ensured my body was hydrated enough. I also believe that having a positive mindset helped lower my stress hormones and aided in the healing process.’
She started seeing results within weeks of taking Zilch, a 100 per cent natural supplement made up purely of 17 potent Chinese medicine herbal ingredients, which was developed by Australian doctor Vivian Tam.
After taking the herbal medicine for three months, she said her skin miraculously cleared up – and she hasn’t suffered a severe breakout over the past three years since discovering the tablets.
According to Liz, focusing on clearing her acne from the inside out was the key to finally overcoming her problematic blemishes once and for all
By sharing her story, Liz – who documents her acne journey on Instagram – said she wants people battling severe acne to draw hope from her experience
According to Liz, focusing on clearing her acne from the inside out was the key to finally overcoming her problematic blemishes once and for all.
‘I feel confident now that I have control over my health. I’ve been able to accept and love myself so much more after battling with cystic acne,’ she said.
By sharing her story, Liz – who documents her acne journey on her Instagram where she has more than 55,000 followers – said she wants people battling severe acne to draw hope from her experience so they can find a solution to their problematic skin.
‘In a world that is so focused on external beauty, I wanted to shatter society’s perception of beauty because too often it’s associated with unrealistic unattainable standards,’ she said.
‘Not just for myself, but for all the other people in the world as well. I wanted to get the world to see acne in a different light. This acne positivity movement is only going to get bigger and better from here on out.’