Woman labelled ‘pizza face’ because of her acne finally has a clear complexion – thanks to cannabis

Emily started taking CBD oil capsules, a legal part of the cannabis plant, to help with her skin.

Dubbed “pizza face” and “a spotty freak” during her eight-year battle with virulent acne, an attractive young woman revealed how she finally has a clear complexion – thanks to cannabis.

So self-conscious she did not want to leave the house, after years of trying everything from antibiotics to homemade face washes, Emily McClarron, 25, started taking CBD oil capsules, a legal part of the cannabis plant.

Emily now with partner Connor (Collect/PA Real Life)

Stock controller Emily, of Rayleigh, Essex, tried the controversial treatment after declining the powerful anti-acne drug Roaccutane, which can cause depression, saying: “The cannabis capsules make me feel more relaxed and stress was a huge trigger for my skin-breakouts.”

She continued: “I read online that cannabis oil can help relieve inflammation, provide pain relief and reduce anxiety. There may not be many conclusive scientific studies on it, but it’s certainly worked for me.”

When persistent, angry spots first erupted on her cheeks and chin at 17, Emily began a tireless trawl through every skin treatment she could find.

Emily had bad reactions to everything she tried for her skin, pictured here (Collect/PA Real Life)

“It was awful,” she said. “I tried everything, but nothing seemed to help.

“I’d try and cover up the spots with make-up and just felt so down and depressed about how I looked. All I would see when I looked in the mirror was the acne.”

Back and forth to her doctor over the years, Emily, who has been dating plasterer Connor Lepine, 27, for nine years, was prescribed everything from antibiotics to gels, in a bid reduce her livid red skin, but nothing worked.

“I had bad reactions to everything,” she said. “I had a rash all over my body and my face swelled up like I had been stung by a wasp.

“With one gel I even felt like the top layer of skin had burnt off. I begged my doctor to refer me to a dermatologist, hoping they would be able to suggest something else.”

Emily now and partner Connor (Collect/PA Real Life)

She added: “I was at my wits’ end. My skin was so bad, strangers asked me ‘What’s wrong with your skin?’, called me a ‘spotty freak’ and ‘pizza face’ which hurt a lot.”

Finally referred to the specialist earlier this year, after eight years of suffering, Emily was offered the powerful acne drug Roaccutane.

“I knew I didn’t want the drug as, even though it works for a lot of people, it does come with a lot of bad side-effect warnings, including depression and mood changes,” she explained.

She added: “I was already really down, because of my skin and didn’t want to risk feeling any worse.”

Emily's cannabis capsules (Collect/PA Real Life)

Both her mental health and her social life suffered, because of her acne.

Emily continued: “My fella would ask me to go out to the pub, or for dinner, but I wouldn’t want to leave the house.

“My anxiety got worse, as I was so insecure about how I looked. Connor would tell me I looked gorgeous, but I didn’t believe it.”

Feeling helpless, Emily turned to her kitchen cupboard and started making her own skin care products.

“I didn’t want to put a really strong drug into my body, but didn’t know what else to do,” she said.

Emily's acne made her feel down (Collect/PA Real Life)

“So, I started researching how to treat acne online and read that honey and turmeric can help. I was honestly at the point where I would have tried anything.”

Mixing the two ingredients together, Emily started using her concoction as a face mask, then making a face wash from honey, jojoba oil, evening primrose oil and lavender oil.

Noticing a change in her skin, but not a transformation, three months ago Emily discovered cannabis capsules and began taking one 10mg tablet every day.

Containing CBD oil, which does not make people “high” and is legal, Emily started to notice her stress levels – a trigger for her acne – plummet.

She continued: “Since I started taking the capsules, combined with homemade skin products, people have told me how amazing my skin looks.

Emily was cruelly called “pizza face” because of her skin problems (Collect/PA Real Life)

“When I tell them it’s down to cannabis capsules, they do ask if it’s legal, which of course it is. Before this, if I was feeling anxious, I’d have a really bad break-out if, but the tablets have made me feel much calmer, so I am not getting the terrible acne I was.

“The cannabis hasn’t cured me, but it has helped take control of my severe acne once and for all.”

Now Emily is even looking into selling her homemade skin products to help others, and already sells cannabis oil capsules across the UK.

Emily now and partner Connor (Collect/PA Real Life)

She said: “Now my skin is 99 per cent better. I still have some scarring, but now I have been able to have treatment to help them, and even finally feel confident to go out without make-up on, which I never did before.

“I have got to the point where I don’t care what people think, I feel so happy with the way I am.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said Thursday joined scores of advocates and survivors of domestic abuse to mark the 30th anniversary of the landmark Violence Against Women Act, a law he wrote and championed as a U.S. senator because he wanted to “change the culture of America” around this touchy issue.

Biden said that back then “society often looked away” and that violence against women was not treated as a crime in many places. He said a national hotline was not available to those suffering abuse and few police departments with what are known now as special victim units.

“My goal was to do more than change the law,” he said at a White House event marking Friday's 30th anniversary of the law. He said his goal was “to change the culture of America" by providing more protection and support for survivors and accountability for perpetrators.

“I believed the only way we could change the culture was by shining a light on that culture, and speaking its name,” he said.

Biden wrote and championed the legislation as a U.S. senator. It was the first comprehensive federal law that addressed violence against women and sought to provide support for survivors and justice. It sought to shift the national narrative around domestic violence at the time; that it was a private matter best left alone.

The White House said that between 1993 and 2022, annual rates of domestic violence dropped by 67% and the rate of rapes and sexual assaults declined by 56%, according to FBI statistics. A national domestic violence hotline has fielded more than 7 million calls since 1996, Biden said.

“It matters. It saves lives," he said Thursday.

During a hearing on domestic violence in 1990, Biden told the committee that "for too long, we have ignored the right of women to be free from the fear of attack based on their gender. For too long, we have kept silent about the obvious.”

He spent years advocating for the law, moved by horrible stories of domestic violence. Congress passed it in 1994 with bipartisan support. Then-President Bill Clinton signed it into law on Sept. 13, 1994.

“The Violence Against Women Act is my proudest legislative achievement,” Biden said at the event on the White House lawn. It was attended by hundreds of people, including survivors of domestic violence, advocates, administration officials and members of Congress.

The president also spoke about continued efforts to strengthen the law, including announcing that the Justice Department was awarding more than $690 million in grants, along with efforts to serve orders of protection electronically and strategies to address online gender-based violence, a growing problem that law enforcement struggles to combat.

Federal agencies also sent reminders on housing rights for survivors of domestic violence who live in federally funded homes, including that they can request emergency housing transfers.

"Today, officers, prosecutors, judges, families, and society at large understand what should have always been clear: these crimes cannot be cast aside as somehow distinct or private,” said Attorney General Merrick Garland. “Instead, we recognize that they are among the most serious crimes that our society faces and that we must continue to improve access to justice, safety, and services for survivors.”

Jen Klein, the White House gender policy adviser, said the measures are meant to keep pushing efforts to help survivors of domestic violence.

“While we have made tremendous progress since VAWA was signed into law in 1994, we also know that much work remains in the fight to prevent and end gender-based violence,” she said.

The law was reaffirmed in 2022, but it almost didn't happen. The sticking point was a provision in the last proposal, passed by the House in April 2019, that would have prohibited persons previously convicted of misdemeanor stalking from possessing firearms.

Under current federal law, those convicted of domestic abuse can lose their guns if they are currently or formerly married to their victim, live with the victim, have a child together or are a victim’s parent or guardian. But the law doesn’t apply to stalkers and current or former dating partners. Advocates have long referred to it as the “boyfriend loophole.”

Expanding the restrictions drew fierce opposition from the National Rifle Association and Republicans in Congress, creating an impasse. Democrats backed down and did not include the provision.

That provision was later addressed in Biden's bipartisan gun safety legislation signed by Congress in 2022, and now prohibits people convicted of misdemeanor crimes in dating relationships from purchasing or possessing firearms for at least five years.

President Joe Biden walk over to talk with reporters before leaving the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, to travel to New York. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)