A woman has revealed she turned into a recluse after her doctor described her acne-ridden skin as the ‘worst case he had ever seen‘.
Charlotte Hall was so self-conscious about her appearance which became blemished from the age of 12 that she did not have a boyfriend until she was 24.
Now 27, the after school assistant tried all kinds of treatments – including antibiotics and the controversial drug Roaccutane –but nothing had any long-term effect.
Charlotte finally found relief after using a £12.95 cream which contains colloidal silver – and has found the confidence to date.
Silver Serum claims to kill the bad skin bacteria which causes acne while increasing the good bacteria that combats the condition.
Sales of products containing the ingredient – water infused with particles of the metal – have soared since Strictly star Debbie McGee, 59, revealed it’s the secret to her age-defying agility.
Charlotte Hall suffered with the skin condition since the age of 12 and didn’t have a boyfriend until she was 24
The 27-year-old has now found cream claimed to kill bad skin bacteria without harming the Dgood bacteria
CELEBRITIES WHO SWEAR BY COLLOIDAL SILVER
Debbie McGee is a fan of colloidal silver
Sales of colloidal silver products have rocketed thanks to the ‘Debbie effect’.
The 59-year-old widow of magician Paul Daniels credits a supplement called Active Silver with keeping her youthful.
One of the favourites for the Strictly Come Dancing crown this year, she revealed she starts each day with a spoonful of finely ground silver particles.
Hollywood actress Gwyneth Paltrow is also a fan and uses hers as a spray when she goes on flights to ward off germs, she revealed on her lifestyle website, Goop recently.
Many believe the ingredient helps fight bacteria and viruses, boosts the immune system and can be used to treat everything from acne to eye infections.
Charlotte, from Ashford in Kent, said: ‘Until relatively recently my life revolved around my acne and an almost OCD-like routine with make-up and cleansers to try to disguise it.
‘I barely dared to leave my house because I was so self-conscious about my skin and I didn’t have a boyfriend until I was 24.
‘I felt I looked so disgusting I could barely even speak to boys, let alone go on a date or be intimate in any way.
‘I’m not exaggerating when I say that my entire world has changed since my acne cleared up and if I hadn’t discovered Silver Serum for my skin I don’t know where I’d be now.’
Social phobia
Charlotte says she was laughed at at school because her face was so incredibly oily – causing her to rush to the toilet every hour to blot her face.
She would spend hours before going to school or leaving the house trying to mask her spots.
‘I’d wear gallons of make-up to try and cover up my acne but it would slide off my face within a few hours and I’d have to replace it,’ she said.
‘I was worried about anyone seeing my skin without make up. That was out of the question. I didn’t even want my parents or my twin brother to see me bare-faced.
‘As a teenager that meant saying no to invites from friends and sleep-overs.’
By her late teens, Charlotte’s acne had gone from bad to worse and her dermatologist told her it was ‘the worst case of acne he’d ever seen’.
‘I’d developed a serious social phobia about going out at all,’ she said.
‘I was completely psychologically scarred about my skin. I didn’t even like to go down to the corner shop near my house and I’d only ever leave the house if I absolutely had to.’
‘Going to school was an emotional hurdle every day. It was challenging trying to maintain friendships and any semblance of a social life. It’s claimed a lot of my youth.’
Endless treatments
Charlotte was prescribed antibiotics, the contraceptive pill and many creams and gels over the years, but nothing worked.
During a bad flare up in the first few weeks of university, her GP prescribed her with accutane.
The drug – marketed under the brand name Roaccutane in the UK – is known for it’s dramatic effect of clearing up acne but comes with potentially serious side effects including suicidal ideation and pancreatitis.
Charlotte says that within two months of using Silver Serum daily – along with prescribed retinol cream – her skin was about 60 per cent better
‘My skin improved a little on Roaccutane but the side effects were awful and I felt tired, depressed and ill all the time,’ explained Charlotte.
‘There were several points at which I didn’t feel I could carry on at all.’
Charlotte then tried a course of microdermabrasion and light therapy but described the treatment as ‘agony’.
‘It was like being shot in the face several times, I was crying so much I could not carry on. I just felt like never leaving the house ever again.’
Natural remedy
It was while reading endless blogs and articles on-line while shut away in her room that Charlotte came across Silver Serum.
Feeling sceptical but at her wits’ end, Charlotte ordered herself a pot.
‘I had already tried a number of natural alternatives, including garlic gel, honey and oatmeal, and some did have a mild effect but nothing close to the results I was hoping for,’ she said.
The after school assistant says she didn’t have a boyfriend until age 24 but now has the confidence to date
She said that when people look at her now they wouldn’t know that she has acne
Silver Serum claims to work by helping increase the skin’s good bacteria to naturally fight the bacteria that causes acne.
She now uses the product in combination with a prescribed retinol cream every day and says the difference is ‘incredible’.
‘I was genuinely surprised when within a week I could start to see a difference. The serum was immediately soothing on my skin and within days the redness and inflammation had started to calm down.
‘Within two weeks my spots had started to decrease. Within two months of daily use I would say my skin was about 60 per cent better.’
‘When people look at me now they wouldn’t say I have acne. In fact people have even told me I have lovely skin.
‘As my skin has improved so has my social life. I’m always out with my friends, I travel at least three times a year and I’ve been on some amazing adventures to countries I never thought possible.
‘Getting rid of my acne has literally opened up a whole new world to me.’
HOW DOES SILVER SERUM WORK?
Silver Serum claims to help reduce skin infection and inflammation
Silver Serum from Skin Shop contains a patented form of silver called MicroSilver that is claimed to seek out and kill bad skin bacteria while leaving good skin bacteria intact to keep skin smoother and less inflamed.
MicroSilver has been found in two studies to reduce inflammation and infection in skin lesions.
After a two-week trail period, it was discovered to be effective at reducing the severity and symptoms of skin infection in 70 per cent of patients
In a longer trial involving patients with severe skin infection, 93 per cent were able to come off other medicated treatments after applying MicroSilver to their infected skin.
Silver Serum contains 0.1% MicroSilver ingredient and helps reduce skin infection and inflammation.
Silver Serum is free from parabens, sodium lauryl sulfate SLS, methylisothiazolinone and fragrance.
