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.
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Emily started taking CBD oil capsules, a legal part of the cannabis plant, to help with her skin.
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.”
“It was awful,” she said. “I tried everything, but nothing seemed to help.
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.”
Both her mental health and her social life suffered, because of her acne.
“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.”
“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.
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.”
