0:00:01 > 0:00:06Hey, everyone. So, I am Katie Snooks and you can normally find me here.
0:00:06 > 0:00:10I've suffered with acne for the last decade,
0:00:10 > 0:00:14and honestly, it has controlled every single aspect of my life,
0:00:14 > 0:00:19from my social life, dating, and also my self-confidence.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21I don't feel beautiful at all.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24My confidence is really low today.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27I tried five different antibiotics,
0:00:27 > 0:00:31I even tried light therapy. None of them worked.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34Until recently, I finally had success.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37I have spent the last eight months vlogging my journey
0:00:37 > 0:00:41taking the sometimes controversial drug isotretinoin,
0:00:41 > 0:00:44more commonly known as Roaccutane.
0:00:44 > 0:00:48The success rate is high, but it's also hard to get.
0:00:48 > 0:00:49You can't get it from your GP,
0:00:49 > 0:00:53and it took me a couple of years to get referred to a dermatologist.
0:00:53 > 0:00:54I recently finished my treatment,
0:00:54 > 0:00:58and I just uploaded my last skin update on my YouTube channel.
0:00:58 > 0:01:03And the transformation in my skin has just been amazing.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14So I finally found a drug that cleared my skin,
0:01:14 > 0:01:17but I want to know how other people deal with their acne.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21Not just the treatments, but how they deal with the emotional side -
0:01:21 > 0:01:25the self-confidence, and the way you feel about being you.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29Time to catch a train. I'm off to Edinburgh.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34Libby and Lauren are taking me on a night out.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37Libby's tried Roaccutane three times without success
0:01:37 > 0:01:40so now she's trying something different.
0:01:40 > 0:01:41So the first time I went on it,
0:01:41 > 0:01:44it totally cleared up and it was really good.
0:01:44 > 0:01:45Cleared up for about a year,
0:01:45 > 0:01:48and then it just came back, all of it,
0:01:48 > 0:01:50and I feel like it came back even worse than the first time.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53So you lived with perfect skin for a whole year?
0:01:53 > 0:01:56I wouldn't say perfect, cos I still had scarring from, like...
0:01:56 > 0:01:58obviously the spots before,
0:01:58 > 0:02:00but I was happy with my skin,
0:02:00 > 0:02:03and that's, like, the only time in about eight years
0:02:03 > 0:02:05that I have actually been happy with my skin.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08You're trying a new treatment now. Can you tell me a bit about that?
0:02:08 > 0:02:10So it's a suction and laser treatment,
0:02:10 > 0:02:12and they just go around your skin
0:02:12 > 0:02:14and they suck, like, the bacteria out, and then they
0:02:14 > 0:02:17zap it with the laser to basically kill any leftover bacteria.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20So what is the first step in your make-up regime?
0:02:20 > 0:02:24So I always start with, like, covering the majority of the redness
0:02:24 > 0:02:27- with just some really high coverage concealer.- OK.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30MUSIC PLAYS
0:02:31 > 0:02:35- That looks like an amazing product. - It's so good. I love it.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39'This is BBC Radio 1, Saturday night.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41'This is Danny Howard, and a big shout
0:02:41 > 0:02:45'to the girls getting ready for a massive night out in Edinburgh.'
0:02:46 > 0:02:47Taxi's here.
0:02:47 > 0:02:49- Let's go.- Enjoy your night out.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55Libby's training to be a beauty therapist,
0:02:55 > 0:02:57and she says nights out like this
0:02:57 > 0:03:00are some of the times she feels most self-conscious about her skin.
0:03:02 > 0:03:06You feel like the odd one out, like you stick out like a sore thumb.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09Also I feel like...sort of through the night, your make-up comes off,
0:03:09 > 0:03:12like, it's not as nice as it is at the start of the night,
0:03:12 > 0:03:13so, like...
0:03:13 > 0:03:17Do you feel like you completely let go on a night out?
0:03:17 > 0:03:19Regardless of how you're feeling about yourself
0:03:19 > 0:03:20at that particular time?
0:03:20 > 0:03:23If I drink enough!
0:03:23 > 0:03:26If I've had enough drink, then yeah, but if I've not, then...
0:03:26 > 0:03:29Yeah, I'd say I do let go. Like, I'm with my friends,
0:03:29 > 0:03:31and I'm trying to enjoy myself, so...
0:03:31 > 0:03:34When I ever have a problem about anything I can always go to them
0:03:34 > 0:03:36- and they're so nice about it.- Yeah.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38- I love them. - Do you feel like Libby at any point
0:03:38 > 0:03:42gets jealous of you and the friends that don't have acne
0:03:42 > 0:03:44and have never really suffered with it?
0:03:44 > 0:03:47I wouldn't say so. Libby's not, like, a jealous person.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51But I do see that she is, like, you know, not confident in herself,
0:03:51 > 0:03:53and it is a real shame.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55She'd never be jealous of anyone.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57Do you think her acne has held her back
0:03:57 > 0:03:59kind of with dating and her self-confidence?
0:03:59 > 0:04:01As far as I've known Lauren -
0:04:01 > 0:04:05it's been since, like, high school, since we started there -
0:04:05 > 0:04:08she's never... I've never known her to have a boyfriend.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10Which is a real shame, cos she's not...
0:04:10 > 0:04:13There's so many girls that aren't as pretty as her.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15She's had acne the whole time you've known her?
0:04:15 > 0:04:17Never known her without,
0:04:17 > 0:04:19and I just hope something does happen for her
0:04:19 > 0:04:21that she can gain her confidence back.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23She's not really dated many guys
0:04:23 > 0:04:25since I've been friends with her, but...
0:04:25 > 0:04:28- Do you think that could be because of that?- Yeah, definitely.
0:04:28 > 0:04:32If Libby never looked good before she went out, she wouldn't go.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35She'd just be like, "I'm not going out."
0:04:35 > 0:04:38Do you think her confidence has been affected by having acne?
0:04:38 > 0:04:40Like, sometimes we have to come in in the morning
0:04:40 > 0:04:43without any make-up on, and... I think Libby
0:04:43 > 0:04:46is quite self-conscious coming out into college
0:04:46 > 0:04:48with absolutely no make-up on.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51Like, if you are giving someone a facial that's got great skin
0:04:51 > 0:04:54but you've not got great skin. So yeah, definitely.
0:04:54 > 0:04:55Cheers!
0:05:02 > 0:05:05So it has been lovely to spend the evening with you,
0:05:05 > 0:05:08and after spending the last couple of hours with you and your friends,
0:05:08 > 0:05:13I've been thinking... Are you kind of pinning all your hopes
0:05:13 > 0:05:16- on this current treatment that you're on?- Yeah, I'd say I am,
0:05:16 > 0:05:19just because of the amount of money I've paid towards it.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21It's like my own savings and things like that.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24But if it doesn't work, it doesn't work, and I'll try something new.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26Hopefully not as expensive!
0:05:26 > 0:05:29But I have noticed a difference in my skin, like,
0:05:29 > 0:05:33and I've only had two treatments of it, so fingers crossed.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35MUSIC PLAYS
0:05:38 > 0:05:40It was lovely to meet Libby,
0:05:40 > 0:05:42but after meeting her, it really dawned on me
0:05:42 > 0:05:44how much she's spending on this acne treatment.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47It's costing her £600,
0:05:47 > 0:05:50and that's on top of all the make-up she's buying as well.
0:05:50 > 0:05:54I can relate to her so much, and I really know how it feels
0:05:54 > 0:05:57to pin all of your hopes on one acne treatment.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00Day 1 of Roaccutane.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04This is my skin. I've taken one pill, so it's kind of the first day,
0:06:04 > 0:06:06but nothing's really happened yet.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08I've woken up and my lips feel weird.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12I'm very worried about these big ones all coming at the same time.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16Cos that'll be very painful and very unattractive.
0:06:16 > 0:06:20Day 18. I wasn't going to film today because, er...
0:06:21 > 0:06:23..I didn't...feel like it,
0:06:23 > 0:06:26but I thought I would be completely honest
0:06:26 > 0:06:29and show you guys today's really hard.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32My skin hasn't been this bad in a really long time.
0:06:35 > 0:06:40I put so much hope and so much faith into every single thing I tried,
0:06:40 > 0:06:45er, for acne, and when things didn't work,
0:06:45 > 0:06:48it just crushed me even more.
0:06:48 > 0:06:52I'm wondering, what are the other solutions available
0:06:52 > 0:06:54for people like Libby?
0:07:00 > 0:07:04So I've come to meet one of the UK's leading dermatologists.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06- Have a seat. Nice to see you. - Lovely to meet you.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10I met Libby a few days ago, and she's tried Roaccutane three times,
0:07:10 > 0:07:12and it hasn't worked for her,
0:07:12 > 0:07:15and now she's paying her own money for a new light-therapy treatment
0:07:15 > 0:07:18that she's kind of pinning all of her last hopes on.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21I was wondering if there are any other treatments left
0:07:21 > 0:07:23available for her or people like her.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25I wouldn't say there's anything imminent
0:07:25 > 0:07:28that's going to topple Roaccutane off its perch,
0:07:28 > 0:07:32but there are...particularly light-based treatments now
0:07:32 > 0:07:34that seem to be
0:07:34 > 0:07:37gaining more evidence to suggest they may help.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40For Libby, I think getting support from consultant dermatologists,
0:07:40 > 0:07:45privately, if it's not possible because the NHS is so burdened,
0:07:45 > 0:07:48would probably at least make her feel more empowered and enabled.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51So I've just finished my course of Roaccutane after eight months
0:07:51 > 0:07:54and before I started I was googling it and researching it
0:07:54 > 0:07:56an awful lot. There are a lot of
0:07:56 > 0:08:00kind of controversial things about Roaccutane on the internet.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02Is it really that controversial?
0:08:02 > 0:08:06Well, Roaccutane is an extremely strong medication for acne
0:08:06 > 0:08:09and acne is not a life-threatening disease,
0:08:09 > 0:08:12so it's always a matter of balancing up the pros and the cons,
0:08:12 > 0:08:14but it doesn't come without risks,
0:08:14 > 0:08:18and it's understanding the risks, informing the patients of the risks
0:08:18 > 0:08:20so they can make their own decision.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22But it can be extremely effective
0:08:22 > 0:08:25for people who have severe and/or stubborn acne.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27It's understanding what the risks are.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33Someone who knows all about those risks is Jessica.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38I'm off to third-wheel her date night with boyfriend Brendan.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42Jess hasn't used Roaccutane cos she's been diagnosed with anxiety.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45Dermatologists say the side effects range from dry lips
0:08:45 > 0:08:49to, much more rarely, kidney damage and even mental health problems.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53- So how did you two meet?- We met at my dad and my stepmum's wedding.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57- Do you want to show us your moves? - Why not?- Your skills?
0:08:57 > 0:09:01- Backflips?- No, I don't think so!
0:09:01 > 0:09:04- How long have you had acne? - Round about ten years now.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07I'm 22 now, so it kind of all started when I was about 12.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10I'd get, like, really bad whiteheads on my face
0:09:10 > 0:09:12and my friends were like, "Let's pop your spot!"
0:09:12 > 0:09:14And I'm like, "No, no, that's horrible!"
0:09:14 > 0:09:17I think you forget the physical side of it as well.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20Kind of worse on my shoulders, but it does go down my back as well,
0:09:20 > 0:09:21and I like to call it "backne".
0:09:21 > 0:09:23Can we see that as well? Do you mind?
0:09:23 > 0:09:25Let's have a look.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30See, they don't look too inflamed at the moment.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33They just look a little bit... It looks like scarring.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35- Yeah, I think...- But it has been worse in the past?- Yeah, definitely.
0:09:35 > 0:09:40How about when you first met? Was that kind of awkward?
0:09:40 > 0:09:42I think I was a bit embarrassed,
0:09:42 > 0:09:45and especially because of my shoulders -
0:09:45 > 0:09:46I kind of like made a joke out of it,
0:09:46 > 0:09:49but I think it was... It's hard.
0:09:49 > 0:09:51And do you have any ways in particular
0:09:51 > 0:09:53to make yourself feel better whilst you're like,
0:09:53 > 0:09:55really suffering with acne?
0:09:55 > 0:09:58Just, like, having somebody, and having your friends and family,
0:09:58 > 0:10:00and then just know that they're always there.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02None of my friends and family,
0:10:02 > 0:10:04my boyfriend, they don't care about my skin.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06So spending time with them,
0:10:06 > 0:10:10- and I just make sure that I use, like, a moisturiser.- Hiya.
0:10:10 > 0:10:12- You're exhausted!- Yeah, I'm a bit tired after that.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15- Now it's your turn. Show us your moves.- OK!
0:10:15 > 0:10:18Brendan... I'll join you in a minute!
0:10:18 > 0:10:22Er, so, I just wanted to talk a little bit about how kind of
0:10:22 > 0:10:25Jessica's acne has affected your relationship at all.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27She does have a bit of low confidence sometimes,
0:10:27 > 0:10:30especially when wearing tops where her back's revealed,
0:10:30 > 0:10:33because she feels quite conscious about that.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36Has it ever, like, caused any friction in your relationship,
0:10:36 > 0:10:39her low self-confidence because of her skin?
0:10:39 > 0:10:41I've always been able to notice
0:10:41 > 0:10:43when Jess is being quite down about things
0:10:43 > 0:10:45so when she's being quite quiet or quite upset
0:10:45 > 0:10:47I've kind of approached her and spoke to her about it.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49You sound like a great boyfriend!
0:10:49 > 0:10:52Shall we go back in? Let's go join Jess.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02It was really lovely to meet Jessica last night,
0:11:02 > 0:11:05and although she's feeling confident and happy at the moment,
0:11:05 > 0:11:08I am concerned, because I know from experience
0:11:08 > 0:11:11that if you have acne, it's always there in the back of your mind,
0:11:11 > 0:11:16no matter how many kind of smiles you can put on for other people.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18I'm supposed to be going out tonight.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20SNIFFS
0:11:20 > 0:11:22Supposed to be going out tonight.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25Er...and now I really don't want to.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28Not only is it breaking out, it's also so itchy.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30Er...
0:11:30 > 0:11:32And it hurts, it's painful as well.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35It becomes really infuriating and frustrating
0:11:35 > 0:11:39when girls with clear skin on social media,
0:11:39 > 0:11:42especially some of the ones I follow on Twitter and Snapchat,
0:11:42 > 0:11:46they're, like, "Oh, I've got a spot! Everything's ruined!"
0:11:46 > 0:11:49And they've got the tiniest, tiniest little spot you can't even see.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51I've got something going on with my eyes.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54I've got some kind of eye infection. Never really had one before.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57It makes me want to gouge my eyes out, so I'm just...
0:12:00 > 0:12:01..really frustrated.
0:12:03 > 0:12:07Today, I'm going to meet Sarah. She got in touch with us about her acne.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09She suffered with it for an awful long time.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12And we're also going to be meeting her son George.
0:12:12 > 0:12:13He also has acne.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17I'm unsure about how much he's going to talk to us about it,
0:12:17 > 0:12:19but let's go and have a chat.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21- I'm Katie.- Hiya.
0:12:21 > 0:12:25So your mum got in touch with us about her acne.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29- How did you feel when you found out? - Not too bad, really.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31I think it's quite good that you're doing a documentary,
0:12:31 > 0:12:33because then people understand what it's like.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37Almost everyone has or suffers from acne at some point in their lives.
0:12:37 > 0:12:38But when you're going through it,
0:12:38 > 0:12:41- it kind of always feels like you're the only one.- Yeah.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44I mean, I look at myself in a mirror and think,
0:12:44 > 0:12:46yeah, this is worse than everybody else.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49I don't really see...like, look at other people specifically.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52I kind of just criticise myself for it.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55You sometimes wear make-up to cover your acne.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57Can you tell me a bit about that?
0:12:57 > 0:12:58Of course it was a bit of a shock at first,
0:12:58 > 0:13:01everyone's like, "Ooh, you're wearing make-up."
0:13:01 > 0:13:04But then everyone suddenly realised, like, what's the difference?
0:13:04 > 0:13:08Because...all the girls in my year would slather themselves in make-up
0:13:08 > 0:13:12as soon as they got a spot, and then...at the stage I was,
0:13:12 > 0:13:14I think that everyone could empathise with me
0:13:14 > 0:13:16and see why I was doing this,
0:13:16 > 0:13:19cos I was at such a bad point.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22- And it made you feel better about yourself?- It did.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25I mean, it covered it up. When I looked at myself in a mirror,
0:13:25 > 0:13:29I didn't look atrocious, I just looked...normal.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31Do you have any pictures, and do you mind me having a look?
0:13:31 > 0:13:33You can have a look, yeah.
0:13:33 > 0:13:38'George is 15, and it takes him real guts to show me these pictures.'
0:13:38 > 0:13:41So these are ones back on my holiday,
0:13:41 > 0:13:43and as you can see, I look pretty bad.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46- It's not at my worst, though. - That's not at your worst?
0:13:46 > 0:13:48'He's now on Roaccutane,
0:13:48 > 0:13:52'but showing the camera photos of when he wasn't is a step too far.'
0:13:52 > 0:13:53It looks really painful.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57Cos it's not only kind of... your T zone,
0:13:57 > 0:14:01- it is your entire face...- Mmm. - ..that is covered with quite big...
0:14:01 > 0:14:05Yeah. Yeah, it was quite bad. And it wasn't just on my face,
0:14:05 > 0:14:06it was on my back and my neck
0:14:06 > 0:14:08and getting to sleep was a struggle.
0:14:08 > 0:14:12I mean, it was kind of as though I had to feel my face in the day
0:14:12 > 0:14:15- and my back at night.- Mmm. - But, er...yeah.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18Cos it... I'm sorry to say this,
0:14:18 > 0:14:21but it also... It almost makes you look like a different person,
0:14:21 > 0:14:25because the kind of cysts are so big
0:14:25 > 0:14:28- they kind of distort your face... - Yeah, it did.- ..and that's so...
0:14:28 > 0:14:30I was quite swollen as well, so...
0:14:30 > 0:14:33Thank you so much for showing me these pictures
0:14:33 > 0:14:37and thank you for talking to me today. You're super inspiring.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40I thought we had a unique story, me and George,
0:14:40 > 0:14:43because we've both got acne, we're both on Roaccutane -
0:14:43 > 0:14:44I can't imagine
0:14:44 > 0:14:46- many people are in that situation. - OK.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48'If showing the world his acne at its worst
0:14:48 > 0:14:53'is too much for George, his mum has had decades to grow in confidence.'
0:14:55 > 0:14:57- Here we go.- Oh, my gosh!
0:14:58 > 0:15:01That was pretty much rock bottom.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03That was horrendous.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08How did... Like... What did... Like, when you woke up every day,
0:15:08 > 0:15:11- what did you...?- Ugh. Literally every time I looked in the mirror,
0:15:11 > 0:15:13it changed.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15It was like it was moving around, it was getting worse and worse.
0:15:15 > 0:15:20When George was kind of nearing the age that you started getting...
0:15:20 > 0:15:23Were you kind of like worried about that?
0:15:23 > 0:15:26I always said as soon as they got spots, they'd go to the doctors.
0:15:26 > 0:15:27Did it make you feel guilty at all?
0:15:27 > 0:15:30No, it just makes me feel a bit sad.
0:15:30 > 0:15:34I can't feel guilty cos it's nothing I've done wrong, you know.
0:15:34 > 0:15:38But it makes me a little bit sad, and I feel for George,
0:15:38 > 0:15:39that he's had to go through this,
0:15:39 > 0:15:42and he's dealt with it really, really well.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45You know, he's... He's a very resilient kid.
0:15:47 > 0:15:51Seeing acne that bad has really touched a nerve.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54I can remember exactly how I used to feel when mine was that bad,
0:15:54 > 0:15:58and it just isn't... It isn't fair.
0:15:58 > 0:16:00You just want someone that you feel like you can turn to
0:16:00 > 0:16:04and who will have answers for you, but...
0:16:04 > 0:16:07obviously, that doesn't happen for everyone.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10I was lucky enough to have found a dermatologist I could connect with.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13This has also got me thinking about Jessica.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15She hasn't really nailed any solutions yet,
0:16:15 > 0:16:17despite putting on a brave face.
0:16:17 > 0:16:21So I've decided to put her in contact with Dr Tamara.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23PHONE RINGS
0:16:26 > 0:16:29- Hello, Dr Tamara!- Hi, Jess.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32So I thought I'd just tell you a bit about myself.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36I'm 22, I've had acne for about ten years now.
0:16:36 > 0:16:38I did see a dermatologist,
0:16:38 > 0:16:41er, and I was offered Roaccutane,
0:16:41 > 0:16:44but we kind of decided it wasn't the best thing for me.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47Er, so I was just wondering if there was any alternatives.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50Well, I would say every patient is different,
0:16:50 > 0:16:52and again, I'm meeting you for the first time,
0:16:52 > 0:16:54but Roaccutane may be a treatment option
0:16:54 > 0:16:57for someone with your skin type, but it's not just your skin,
0:16:57 > 0:17:00it's the emotional side of things, and anxiety.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02There are a lot of different options for the treatment of acne.
0:17:02 > 0:17:04So I have a few questions for you.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07Er, do you think there will ever be a cure for acne?
0:17:07 > 0:17:11In many patients, Roaccutane, or isotretinoin, can cure the acne -
0:17:11 > 0:17:14in other words, turn it off and it doesn't come back.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17But it's not all patients. We always live in hope of a cure.
0:17:17 > 0:17:21I've heard lots of things, that your diet, your skincare,
0:17:21 > 0:17:24er, affects your acne.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26Is there any truth behind that?
0:17:26 > 0:17:29Well...whether or not one develops acne
0:17:29 > 0:17:31is pretty much genetically determined,
0:17:31 > 0:17:33but there are other outside factors.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36Stress can trigger it. You really need effective strategies
0:17:36 > 0:17:39to help you manage it, so you feel happy
0:17:39 > 0:17:42that it's acceptable and that you're coping with the condition
0:17:42 > 0:17:45rather than the condition is ruining your life.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48- Thanks so much for talking to me. Bye!- All the best!
0:17:48 > 0:17:51And that's really what it's all about, isn't it?
0:17:51 > 0:17:54You finding ways to deal and cope with the acne
0:17:54 > 0:17:57rather than letting it control every aspect of your life.
0:17:57 > 0:18:01Somehow, you have to find a way to stay positive.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04Everything is looking...so good!
0:18:04 > 0:18:07I'm really, really happy with how my skin's looking.
0:18:07 > 0:18:08What is this, though?
0:18:08 > 0:18:11For the first time in a really long time,
0:18:11 > 0:18:15I'm just using, like, a stick concealer foundation,
0:18:15 > 0:18:17which I've never been able to do before
0:18:17 > 0:18:20because my skin's always been so blemished.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23Day 205. This is my skin.
0:18:23 > 0:18:25Still really happy with it, apart from this,
0:18:25 > 0:18:27but apart from that, perfect. Loving it.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30Today is my last-ever day of Roaccutane.
0:18:30 > 0:18:35I...am the happiest I've ever been within myself
0:18:35 > 0:18:39for a really, really long time. Like ten years since I've had acne,
0:18:39 > 0:18:41and I couldn't be happier.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44Yeah. This is my skin! How good is it, guys?!
0:18:44 > 0:18:46I've been lucky so far, but the one thing I've learned
0:18:46 > 0:18:49is that your skin doesn't define who you are.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51So whatever stage of your acne journey you're on,
0:18:51 > 0:18:54you've got to find a way to feel good.
0:18:55 > 0:18:56MUSIC PLAYS
0:19:05 > 0:19:07MUSIC PLAYS
0:19:10 > 0:19:13I'm a keen photographer. It's what my degree's in.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16So I wanted to do something to make all the people I've met feel better.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25So what were your thoughts after chatting to Dr Tamara?
0:19:25 > 0:19:27I do feel a little bit more confident
0:19:27 > 0:19:30about going to talk to my doctor about seeing a dermatologist.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32She definitely put my mind at rest,
0:19:32 > 0:19:35and I'm a bit more open now to going on Roaccutane.
0:19:35 > 0:19:37It's good that you actually spoke to her,
0:19:37 > 0:19:40because you haven't spoken to anyone about your acne for a while.
0:19:40 > 0:19:41No, it's been about four years now.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45So it was, er, nice for her to put my mind at rest.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47- Cute!- Aww!
0:19:52 > 0:19:54Big smile!
0:19:55 > 0:19:56Do you guys have one thing
0:19:56 > 0:19:59that you would say to someone suffering from acne?
0:19:59 > 0:20:01Go to the doctors.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04And if the doctor doesn't give you the answer you want,
0:20:04 > 0:20:06go to another doctor, and keep asking for it.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08And ask for a referral to a dermatologist
0:20:08 > 0:20:10if the medication's not working.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12Yeah, I'd just say that you're never alone.
0:20:12 > 0:20:16There's always somebody else out there who's suffering as well.
0:20:16 > 0:20:17Try and find someone to talk to.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20Even if they haven't got acne, they'll always want to talk to you.
0:20:20 > 0:20:21Yeah, nice.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32Don't pick your spots, because it leaves you with so many scars.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35And...every time I get a new spot now, I just don't touch it.
0:20:35 > 0:20:37Look how beautiful that is.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39- Do you like it?- Yeah.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48It's been absolutely amazing to meet so many inspiring people
0:20:48 > 0:20:50along this acne journey
0:20:50 > 0:20:53who all have great ways of dealing with their acne
0:20:53 > 0:20:56to make themselves feel better. You can go and talk to your doctor
0:20:56 > 0:20:58and see what treatments are readily available.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00You can also visit a dermatologist.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03Listen to their advice and take it in,
0:21:03 > 0:21:04because they are the experts.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06So whatever stage of your acne journey you're on,
0:21:06 > 0:21:09there are still ways to feel great about yourself.