Cindy's Story

Cindy’s Struggle with Acne

Acne can be heartbreaking, distressing, and demoralizing.

For some people, it’s a phase during adolescence. For others, it’s a condition that lasts decades. This was the case for Cindy, who started having trouble at age 14. By 21, she had developed chronic cystic acne, which continued in varying degrees of severity until she was almost 50, when she met Charmaine.

“It’s been a life-long journey,” says Cindy. “When you are living the experience of managing chronic acne, everything seems to matter, but I recognize each person’s experience and perspective is unique.”

It is important to note that, particularly within the past 10 years, Cindy has followed a healthy, active lifestyle with a clean eating protocol and regular physical activity. In 2016, she was in a figure competition and is planning to compete again.

“This matters because many acne sufferers face scrutiny: ‘If you cleaned up your diet, or if you were more active’ etc.,” she says. “For those who take that to heart, it can foster an unhealthy relationship with self and food.”

She knows because she has researched nutrition, cleanses, and supplements extensively.

“While I do believe diet and exercise play an important role in overall good health, they are not the only cause of, or solution to, acne,” she says. “Hormones wreak havoc, as does stress, environmental exposure to toxins, and other factors.”

She also researched and tried almost every acne remedy out there.

A Long List of Ineffective Remedies

“I was never willing or able to accept it, and so pursuing endless remedies gave me some sense of hope and control over what otherwise felt like an utterly powerless situation.”

She was under the care of several dermatologists over the years and was prescribed Accutane three times. It cleared her skin, but the results lasted only about two years. It was drying, and she was also concerned about the effect on her liver. She tried vitamin A creams, which also dried out her skin, as well as several brands of birth control pills noted for targeting acne. For many years, she used topical Clindamycin (the oral version led to side effects), first in a lotion and later in Dalacin-t.

Cindy knew her condition was connected to hormones, a fact confirmed when her skin cleared completely during both her pregnancies. Upon analysis by an endocrinologist, she learned her hormone levels were within range but that she was very sensitive to normal hormonal fluctuations. That led to six years of Spironolactone (Aldactone), an androgen blocker developed for heart disease but which also acts as a shield to hormonal fluctuations.

When she was training for the figure competition, she sought nutrition guidance from a naturopath, who recommended a mixture of castor and olive oil as a spot treatment.

“I was surprised at how quickly castor oil helped. It didn’t prevent breakouts but it worked to speed up the healing process.”

Because castor oil worked well as a spot treatment, Cindy — of her own accord—started applying it all over her face, which led to the rough texture and tiny bumps symptomatic of congested skin. Then one of her go-to remedies, Clindamycin in Dalacin-t, was unavailable.

“I panicked because I had nothing that was working for me,” says Cindy, who was in her later 40s by this stage. That panic and stress made her especially vulnerable when a salesperson at a department store cosmetic counter pitched a product line.

“I threw caution to the wind because I didn’t know what I was going to do. I ended up spending a bunch of money on skincare products, but things went downhill from there and got worse.”

Discouraged and distressed, Cindy’s trust issues, common among acne sufferers, deepened.

“I looked at everything with cynicism and suspicion, not knowing whether it was going to help or make the situation worse. The thought of it getting worse is almost immobilizing. It was almost better to do nothing than to risk it becoming worse.”

Cindy Meets Charmaine

Cindy attributes meeting Charmaine to intuition and meeting the right people.

“As luck would have it, my husband and I did an overnight stay at a resort and he treated me to a pedicure.”

She had never been to an esthetician before but felt an instant connection to a young woman at the spa: she had lovely skin but had experienced similar issues with acne. She suggested Cindy see Charmaine. In April 2018, Cindy had her first appointment.

“When I met Charmaine, one of the first things she said — very gently, because Charmaine is always gentle – was that I should stop using those department store products and start using her products.”

Of course, Cindy was skeptical — the department store salesperson had just told her the same thing. But she followed Charmaine’s advice and changed to a mix of medical grade skin care products and agreed to a treatment plan.

“I was really eager for good results, and I wanted Charmaine to do the Laser Genesis but she said we shouldn’t because the foundation of my skin wasn’t strong enough. We needed to build up the health of my skin before we subjected it to that level of treatment.”

The Nivali Treatment Plan

Charmaine started Cindy with HydraFacial MD treatments and laser light therapy to calm the skin, kill bacteria and slow the production of skin oil (sebum). This was eventually followed by a mild chemical peel to clear the congestion in the pores. It was after this process that Cindy’s skin was ready for Laser Genesis.

“With Laser Genesis, I have noticed a huge, huge difference in collagen buildup, and I have the lips of my youth.”

Currently, Cindy has Laser Genesis every six or seven weeks, with occasional Hydrafacials. For deep hydration, extractions, and a fusion of antioxidants and peptides. She also uses a derma roller at home, using a device approved by Charmaine, to further increase collagen, speed up exfoliation and help products penetrate deeper into the skin. Her next step: Fractora Skin Resurfacing, to address scarring, large pores, and fine lines and wrinkles.

“Charmaine is very patient with me,” says Cindy, who calls herself a “why” person because she asks a lot of questions.

Charmaine is always well prepared to answer those questions.

“She is extremely knowledgeable, and it was her knowledge of treatments and how things work and why they work, right down to the science behind it, that was instrumental in my developing trust in her.”

Cindy adds that Charmaine never pushes or tried to “sell” products and treatments, but instead gently educates and suggests.

“Charmaine’s recommendations have led to the skin I always dreamed of and love,” says Cindy who is now 100% medication free. She adds that she is a living testimony of Charmaine’s motto for improving skin health and appearance: slow and steady wins the race.