An aesthetician who battled a painful skin condition that left her looking as though she had severe permanent sunburn says it made her feel like a fraud in her own job, as it destroyed her confidence.
Bethan Jones, a mum-of-two, developed papulopustular rosacea two years ago after the grief and stress of losing her granddad triggered a severe flare-up.
The condition – which causes redness, soreness, bumps and pus-filled spots – made her face appear constantly bright red and angry, with cracked, rough and bumpy skin.
For two years, the 33-year-old’s skin was in turmoil.
“It was as if a light had flicked and my skin just blew up,” Bethan, who owns a beauty clinic and is from Maesteg in South Wales, told Need To Know.
“The condition impacted my day-to-day life as I worked in the aesthetics field myself, so it made me feel like I wasn’t credible in my own job.
“It made me extremely self-conscious. I always worried that people were looking at my skin.
“I thought, ‘How is anybody else going to trust me to help them with their skin if I look like this?’
“I would cry about how my skin looked and felt.”
Bethan became terrified of people noticing her skin and constantly worried that clients were staring at her face.
She hated joining video calls and would often burst into tears over her reflection, devastated by the state of her skin.
And comments from family members pointing out how sore she looked – though meant kindly – only made her feel worse.
Desperate to hide the redness, Bethan tried to cover it with makeup, but the products only made things worse.
Her skin was so dry and sensitive that make-up would sting and burn on contact, leaving her trapped in a vicious cycle of irritation and embarrassment.
She said: “I was in a vicious cycle of trying to cover it up and making it worse with makeup.
“I have spent hundreds on treatments, used other medical-grade brands, been prescribed medication from the GP that would only temporarily help until the medication was stopped and then it would come straight back.”
The condition reached a breaking point during pregnancy, when hormonal changes triggered her worst-ever flare-up.
Her face became so sore it sometimes bled, and she says the skin barrier was so damaged it felt impossible to repair.
But everything changed when she came across AlumierMD, a professional, medical-grade skincare range, while researching new products to introduce in her clinic.
Within weeks, Bethan noticed a dramatic difference.
The angry redness started to calm, the painful papules began to disappear, and the cracks in her skin healed.
Six months later, her complexion was completely transformed.
For the first time in years, she could leave the house without make-up – something she once thought she’d never do again.
Bethan can now also easily identify her triggers – usually alcohol or too much sun – and if a small flare-up happens, it’s mild and short-lived.
She’s proud to share her story with clients who are struggling with similar issues and has become a go-to for people wanting to heal their skin without harsh medication.
The transformation even reshaped her business.
Inspired by her own recovery, she’s shifted her focus towards long-term skin health and invested in a high-tech skin scanner to help others find tailored solutions.
She added: “Of course, you can never completely get rid of rosacea – it’s a chronic condition.
“I occasionally have little flare-ups, but can now identify my triggers.
“For me, it’s alcohol or too much sun exposure.
“They give me breakouts, but they’re not severe – I don’t get that full flare-up across my face that I did previously.
“I used to cry every day, looking at my skin and wondering if it would ever get better.
“Now I finally feel like myself again – confident, happy and proud of the skin I’m in.”
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