Melissa Davies, 26, a medical secretary from Bristol suffers from adult acne along with over 50% of women.

Melissa after

Melissa says:

“While all my friends are getting excited planning their trips abroad, I dread my summer holiday every year as my skin erupts just at the thought. The alcohol, the change in diet, the sun cream and sweating plus the stress of the fact that skin is going to break out always give me my worse acne outbreaks of the year and what is worse is everyone is always taking photos.

At other times of the year I can keep my breaks outs hidden or under more control but on holiday they are out there for everyone to see and I always get my worst outbreak of the year. I have to go to the beach wearing full make up as I don’t dare go bare faced when I am having a break out, which makes me look vain and I can’t enjoy the pool as I get worried all my make up will run off.

And as for going out and meeting guys, my friends are all confident with their tans and holiday glow and I am the one at the back trying to keep a low profile. Its not fair as I so a lot of sport and I am slim and toned so my body looks good in a bikini, its just my skin that lets me down.

It’s very upsetting because it ruins my holiday. I hate being the one who always looks so awful in photos. In the day I can wear huge shades to cover up my spots but at night they are often even redder and inflamed from the sun and sun creams.

I got acne when I was a teenager like many other girls and it made me very socially shy and insecure.

But unlike most of my friends, my spots didn’t go. They carried on and even got slightly worse as I entered my 20’s. I started getting really bumpy red and uneven skin as well as pussy spots. You are supposed to get more glamorous as you get older but I’m in my mid 20’s and still feeling like the spotty shy teenager I was back in high school.

melissa-before mediaIf I do any sort of partying, like drinking or staying out too late or eating junk food, my skin just freaks out afterwards, which of course makes summer holidays the worst thing ever for my skin.

I work on the front desk of a busy doctor’s surgery so it’s not helpful having such bad skin as people stare and it obviously looks unhealthy even though I’m a very healthy person.

The worst is when I get back form a summer holiday, as the acne stays for weeks after I get home. You are supposed to look glowing and tanned after a holiday. I always look spotty and awful. People always ask me with doubtful expressions if I had a good time.

I spend embarrassing quantities of my spare time researching and trying various anti-acne treatments to try and improve my skin. Patients at work are always giving me tips on treatments. I have a problem as I have dry skin but with spots and so most anti-acne treatments make my skin extremely flaky and dry.

It was through a patient recommendation that I eventually found Silver Serum. I didn’t want to use another acne treatment that would dry my skin out even more as the flaking is almost as bad as the spots.

However Silver Serum claimed to keep healthy skin nourished by preserving the ‘good skin bacteria’ while only attacking the bad acne bacteria. I didn’t even know the skin had good and bad bacteria but the more I read the more it seem dot make sense as I had experienced all the adverse effects of using standard anti-acne treatments that simply kill all skin bacteria and leave your skin dry and very sensitive.

After a few days of using the Silver Serum I was disappointed to see no improvement, if anything my skin was slightly worse. But my friend told me the same thing had happened to her and to persevere. SO I did what she said and sure enough by day five I started to see an improvement. By day seven I was getting excited, by day 14 I was delighted. My skin had improved dramatically. I had no pussy spots at all, but what was amazing was that the bumpy red spots beneath my skin had gone and my complexion was smooth and much more even and less red than it had been since I could remember.

I was able to actually go out one day without make up, which for me is a first. I was very pleased with this product as I didn’t feel any discomfort using it, which at first made me think it was not working as most anti-acne treatments really sting. But in just five days I started to see the effects and after two weeks my skin feels like the skin of a different person. My skin feels like it actually ‘loves’ this product.

I can’t wait for my summer holiday this year. I hope I’m going to look like I’ve finally ‘bloomed’ and I want to come back glowing and looking like I’ve actually been on a decent holiday rather than looking stressed and spotty."

Read our view of Silver Serum here