‘for 20 years i hid my face’

Adult acne left Gem Watson, 52, hiding indoors

Gazing down at a pregnancy test, I couldn’t understand what was going on. I hadn’t had a period for months, but the test was negative. Even more oddly, my breasts had started producing milk.

It was 2002, and at 32 years old, I’d recently married and was trying to start a family, but even though I had symptoms, there was no baby. Desperate for an answer, I made an appointment with my GP, and was referred to an endocrinologist – a doctor specialising in problems relating to hormones. They took blood tests, and an MRI scan revealed the cause of my phantom pregnancy.

FEELING EMBARRASSED

‘You have a tumour in your pituitary gland,’ the doctor said. I was shocked, but the doctor explained it wasn’t cancerous. The tumour was secreting a hormone called prolactin, which causes a woman to lactate after childbirth. Thankfully, it was small and could be treated with oral medication, but increased levels of prolactin could cause infertility problems. ‘You may not be able to conceive,’ the doctor said.

It was devastating. I was desperate to have children and had been trying for two years. Now I was being told it might never happen. But six weeks later, my phantom pregnancy symptoms became real when I started to feel nauseous. This time, the test was positive.

‘I’m going to be a mum!’ I cried, delighted. I was so happy, I didn’t even mind that the hormones had sent my skin into turmoil. My usually flawless complexion was breaking out in big, red angry spots. As a teenager I’d had clear skin, but now, aged 32, it looked worse than ever.

As the months passed, the spots got worse. Unlike little yellow pimples that could be popped, I had large cysts and boils that were embedded deep beneath the surface of the skin, and my face felt sore. Embarrassed, at a time when my body should have been blooming, all I wanted to do was hide.

After my son was born in 2003, the spots didn’t go away. I tried every product I could get my hands on, and I’d spend hours cleansing, toning and moisturising, both in the morning and before bed. My face was clean, but it looked so angry. Doctors diagnosed adult acne and gave me topical creams to try to clear the problem, but nothing helped.

MAKING EXCUSES

In 2007, I gave birth to my second son, and although I adored being a mum, my skin got me down. I caked on thick layers of make-up, but the texture was uneven and my acne still seemed obvious. I constantly felt self-conscious, and when people spoke to me, I couldn’t look them in the eye. I just wanted the