A 33-year-old woman claims drinking a litre of mineral water daily from a source near the Queen’s Balmoral Estate in Scotland has cleared up her rosacea.
Kirsten Campbell, from Insch in Aberdeenshire, suffered with red and painful skin before she began drinking the bottled water instead of tap water every day.
Now, five years after her diagnosis, Mrs Campbell claims her skin is almost back to normal and the condition is under control – thanks to Deeside Mineral Water.
The mother-of-two began drinking the water ‘religiously’ after she read a string of scientific studies about its hydrating abilities, and now swears by the drink.
Each week she buys 10 to 12 500ml bottles of the water for 45p each, and says it also comes in bigger bottles for 82p a litre.
Deeside, which is bottled near Balmoral Castle, the Queen’s holiday home in the Cairngorms National Park, is reported to have more health-giving benefits than other waters.
Scientific studies into its effects on skin and arthritis have been published as far back as 1996, suggesting there may be some truth to the claims.
Kirsten Campbell, from Aberdeenshire, was diagnosed with rosacea in 2012, when she said her skin was ‘red and firey’, and she suffered painful bumps on her face
But after sticking to a regime of drinking Deeside Mineral Water and using sun cream, Mrs Campbell said her skin has returned to normal – something medicine did not help with
Experts have said in small studies that, compared to tap water, there were signs it could improve skin hydration and reduce symptoms in arthritis patients.
Kirsten Campbell, a financial controller living in Insch, about 27 miles from Aberdeen, was diagnosed with rosacea in 2012, aged 28.
She tried prescription face cream but could not carry on with the medicine when she became pregnant with her second child.
‘My skin was really red and firey and I had lumps on my face,’ Mrs Campbell told MailOnline.
‘My nose was very red and sore under the skin, and the bumps on my face were like having a really big spot which would never form a head and never pop.’
After trying medication but finding it didn’t help and that she could not continue taking it while pregnant, Mrs Campbell turned to sun cream and Deeside water.
She now drinks almost a litre of the water every day and is convinced it is responsible for clearing up her skin.
‘I knew I had to look after my skin with good hydration’
‘I did try medication,’ Mrs Campbell said. ‘But the cream descreases the skin’s ability to protect itself from sun exposure which made the rosacea worse.
‘I knew I had to look after my skin with good hydration, and avoiding spicy food and sun exposure.
‘Doctors also told me to avoid exercising because that can make it worse but I run so that was a problem for me. I exercise five times a week so I had to find another way.
‘I wear SPF 50 sun cream every day and drink five to six litres of Deeside Mineral Water a week.’
Now, nearly six years since she was diagnosed, Mrs Campbell says her skin is almost back to normal.
‘The redness has gone away and now the bumps are down to little dots,’ she said. ‘My rosacea is hardly visible and people wouldn’t know I had it unless I told them.
‘I have no doubt that Deeside Mineral Water is the reason why my skin now looks so good.’
Experience backs up company’s claims of skin benefits
Mrs Campbell’s experience chimes with claims made by the Deeside Water Company, which bottles the drink at a spring in the village of Ballater.
It says the water ‘acts like an anti-oxidant’ and claims molecules in the liquid form smaller clusters than in tap water, making it easier for the body to absorb them and making them more hydrating.
And a study done by scientists at the University of Leeds in 2008 found women who drank the Deeside water had fewer wrinkles and spots than when they drank tap water, and their skin was 23 per cent more hydrated.
The research used 22 female volunteers who spent 12 weeks drinking a litre of Deeside water a day, then 12 weeks drinking a litre of tap water daily.
After drinking the bottle water the same women had an average of one fewer wrinkle and four fewer spots.
Skin 23.4% more hydrated than when drinking tap water
And when tested using a corneometer – a device which tests skin hydration – skin on their cheeks and foreheads was an average 23.4 per cent more hydrated.
‘The results suggest a trend towards perceptible improvements in skin condition whilst using Deeside Water,’ the study said.
‘It’s not rocket science that water is good for the skin,’ Mrs Campbell added. ‘And I trusted the research the company has done and know the water is used in brand-name makeup.
‘I saw improvements immediately and it took about three to six months for my skin to completely return to normal.’
‘The water was historically known for its healing benefits’
Managing director of Deeside Mineral Water, Martin Simpson added: ‘We did a lot of research into the history of the water which dates back over centuries.
‘It was known for its healing benefits and is the reason Ballater grew up as a spa town.
‘We’ve completed many clinical and laboratory trials over the last 20 years to prove Deeside Mineral Water can benefit health.
‘The water has a unique combination of natural properties which support living cells and encourage well-being.’