DIET CHANGE CLEARS UP LIFETIME ISSUE

A woman who battled with severe acne for most of her life has seen her skin clear-up by making one simple change — her diet.

Amy Saunders, 27, first saw her skin flare up when she was 11, on a family holiday to the Caribbean.

Thinking it was just sun cream she assumed her skin would return to normal once she was home, but it never did.

She spent the next 15 years battling breakouts, using medications and make-up to cover up her face.

Throughout her teen years she put down her bad skin to hormones, but when she came off the contraceptive pill aged 24 her skin flared up like never before.

Amy, from Brighton, said: “Even whilst on the pill, my skin was never clear and I would never leave the house without a full face of make-up but the reaction my body had after coming off the pill was indescribable.

“Not only did my acne explode all over my face, but I also struggled with terrible PMS that left me feeling depressed and caused me to take time off work each month.”

Her skin looked so bad she would receive negative comments from strangers, some of which have stayed with her.

In a bid to find a natural, healthy, way to clear up her skin, she began documenting her lifestyle changes on Instagram and a blog.

Overhauling her diet was one major change which has allowed her skin to heal and clear up, and she now follows a high-fat, low-carb diet.

Amy said: “After the initial healing which involved dramatic diet changes, gut-healing probiotics, supplements and the switch to non-toxic, natural cosmetics, I now keep my skin under control by using gentle, natural skin care products.”

She said she also ate a “healthy, whole food diet rich in healthy fats such as seeds, avocado, salmon and butter and plenty of fermented foods like sauerkraut or kimchi”.

“However, things changed dramatically when I started exploring the HFLC (High Fat Low Carb) diet and found that by increasing my intake of healthy fats, my skin very quickly started to clear, my periods became regular and I stopped craving sugar and junk food,” Amy said.

Now enjoying clear skin, she said: “After 15 years of hating my reflection and being so self-conscious of my skin, I’m still getting used to looking at a clear complexion every day.”