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.”

NEW YORK (AP) — The man accused of burning a woman to death inside a New York City subway train used a shirt to fan the flames, a prosecutor said Tuesday at his arraignment on murder charges.

Sebastian Zapeta, 33, who federal immigration officials said is a Guatemalan citizen who entered the U.S. illegally, was not required to enter a plea and did not speak at the hearing in Brooklyn criminal court.

Zapeta, wearing a white jumpsuit over a weathered black hooded sweatshirt, will remain jailed at the city's Rikers Island complex and is due back in court on Friday. His lawyer did not ask for bail.

Zapeta is charged with two counts of murder, accusing him of intentionally killing the woman and killing her while committing arson. He is also charged with one count of arson. The top charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole.

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez called the attack a “gruesome and senseless act of violence” and said it would be “met with the most serious consequences.”

The apparently random attack occurred Sunday morning on an F train that was stopped at the Coney Island station. The victim's identification is still pending.

Authorities say Zapeta approached the woman, who may have been sleeping in the train, and set her clothing on fire with a lighter.

Zapeta then fanned the flames with a shirt, engulfing her in fire, Assistant District Attorney Ari Rottenberg said in court Tuesday.

Zapeta then sat on a bench on the subway platform and watched, Rottenberg said.

According to Rottenberg, Zapeta told detectives that he didn’t know what happened but identified himself in images of the attack.

Zapeta's lawyer, public defender Andrew Friedman, did not speak to reporters after the arraignment. A message seeking comment was left for him.

Video on social media appears to show some people looking on from the platform and at least one police officer walking by while the woman is on fire inside the train.

NYPD Transit Chief Joseph Gulotta said Sunday that several officers responded to the fire and one stayed to keep the crime scene “the way it’s supposed to be" while the others went to get fire extinguishers and transit workers.

“Officers who were on patrol on an upper level of that station smelled and saw smoke and went to investigate. What they saw was a person standing inside the train car fully engulfed in flames,” Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.

They eventually put the fire out, but “unfortunately, it was too late,” Tisch said, and the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

Zapeta was taken into custody Sunday afternoon while riding a train on the same subway line after teenagers recognized him from images circulated by the police.

A Brooklyn address for Zapeta released by police matches a shelter that provides housing and substance abuse support. The shelter did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Federal immigration officials said Zapeta was deported in 2018 but later reentered the U.S. illegally.

The crime deepened a growing sense of unease among some New Yorkers about the safety of the subway system, amplified by graphic video of the attack that ricocheted across social media.

“It creeped me out real bad,” said Deandre Nelson, 22.

Others said the attack hasn’t changed their daily routine or how they feel about the subway.

“I don’t think it gave me pause," said Collin Burroughs, 24. “I think it mostly just made me sad.”

Overall, crime is down in the transit system compared to last year.

Major felonies declined 6% between January and November compared to the same time period last year, according to data from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. But murders are up, with nine killings this year through November compared to five during the same period last year.

There have also been several high-profile incidents, including one in September where police inadvertently shot two bystanders and a fellow officer when they opened fire on a man holding a knife in front of a train.

Earlier this month, a Manhattan jury acquitted former Marine Daniel Penny in the chokehold death last year of an agitated subway rider. The case became a flashpoint in debates over safety, homelessness and mental illness on the system.

Policing the subway is difficult, given the vast network of trains moving between 472 stations. Each stop contains multiple entry points and, in many stations, multiple floors and platforms.

This story has been corrected to show that the name of Zapeta's lawyer is Andrew Friedman, not Ed Friedman.

Associated Press reporter Melissa Goldin contributed to this report.

Sebastian Zapeta, accused of setting a woman on fire inside a subway train, appears in court in New York, on Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024. (Curtis Means/Pool Photo via AP)

Sebastian Zapeta, 2nd left, accused of setting a woman on fire inside a New York City subway train, appears in court, Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Curtis Means via Pool)

Sebastian Zapeta, accused of setting a woman on fire inside a subway train, appears in court in New York, on Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024. (Curtis Means/Pool Photo via AP)

Sebastian Zapeta, accused of setting a woman on fire inside a New York City subway train, appears in court, Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Curtis Means via Pool)

Sebastian Zapeta, accused of setting a woman on fire inside a New York City subway train, appears in court, Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Curtis Means via Pool)

Sebastian Zapeta, accused of setting a woman on fire inside a New York City subway train, appears in court, Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Curtis Means via Pool)

A suspect, identified by police as Sebastian Zapeta, is facing murder and arson charges in New York City for allegedly setting a woman on fire inside a subway train and then watching her die after she was engulfed in flames, police said Monday, Dec. 23, 2024. (WABC-TV via AP)