Woman clears up acne by going vegan after spending £10k on ineffective treatment

Woman clears up acne by going vegan after spending £10k on ineffective treatment

07/11/2020

Makeup artist and entrepreneur Ivana Kostova, 24, has spent more than £10,000 trying to tackle the acne she’s experienced since her teens.

But nothing worked – until she went vegan and saw her problem skin quickly clear up.

Ivana, from London, started developing spots when she was 11, but soon noticed her acne was worse than that of her classmates.

Desperate to help Ivana better about her skin, her parents spent over £10,000 on acne treatments, including weekly sessions with dermatologists at £50 a pop, £200 chemical peels, pricey skincare products, topical creams, and antibiotics.

She also tried going on acne medication Accutane, but found it didn’t work for her long-term.

‘Accutane helped me for a period of time – it cleared my skin for four months – but there were so many crazy side effects,’ Ivana said.

‘My skin became so dry that I was shedding like a snake every two weeks. I had styes on my eyes for four-months and I experienced very bad depression which had never happened to me before.

‘What I had wasn’t considered “normal” when I was a teenager. I was the only person in my school with acne that was at such a bad stage. At that age, you feel like it’s the end of the world.

‘By fourteen, my life revolved around my skin. I would beg my mum not to send me to school because of how bad and painful my skin was.

‘My parents helped me in any way they could. We spent thousands on skincare and treatments.

‘Boys were always making fun of me so I began wearing makeup when I was thirteen.’

Change came in 2014, when Ivana decided to change her diet.

She became vegan, upped how much water she drank, and tried out intermittent fasting, and soon noticed her acne cleared up.

Now a makeup artist, she’s able to use makeup as a way to express her creativity rather than covering up.

‘I no longer have to hide behind retouched images of myself,’ Ivana said. ‘After years of trying different treatments for my skin, I decided to completely change my lifestyle and habits. I studied how our mind is connected to our gut health.

‘That led me to becoming vegan for a year and I started to implement intermittent fasting, which I swear by.

‘I used to only drink one glass of water a day – now I can’t imagine not drinking my three-litres.

‘I also figured out that moisturiser was not my enemy and I stopped wearing foundation when I was 21. This was a five-year process.’

Ivana also discovered the skin positivity community online and began sharing photos of her acne with her followers in an attempt to break down the shame around imperfections.

She now hopes to inspire others to embrace and take care of their skin, and to feel confident rather than needing to cover up.

‘I was hesitant to post pictures at first but once I did, it was such a relief,’ says Ivana. ‘The community is always there to welcome people in and give advice or uplifting support.

‘We have to challenge the beauty industry on the example that we set for girls and women. The looks we see in magazines aren’t achievable by any means.

‘It’s time we see real people with real skin and bodies – we need to uplift people for being unique.’

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