US teenager with acne problems has become a massive hit on YouTube

A 19 year old girl with severe acne from California, US, has become a huge YouTube sensation after she uploaded a video of herself discussing her ordeal and then showed viewers how to expertly cover up the spots with the aid of make-up. Cassandra Bankson, who is clearly quite intelligent and far beyond her years, initially talks to viewers with her face apparently picture perfect and flawless. It is only when she begins to wipe away all the foundation and other bits of make-up that her acne problems are revealed.

She then gives viewers close-ups of the brightly red coloured blemished skin on her face, which she then shows is evident on her shoulders, neck and back areas. After the video received an incredible 7.6 million hits around the globe, Cassandra was invited onto the American breakfast television show, ‘Good Morning America’, to discuss the history of her problems and how she deals with them. She painfully discussed the bullying she received at school and how she meticulously tried various methods of covering her acne with different make-up and techniques. She explained how she has found modelling work after her portfolio snaps showed her with perfect skin, thanks to her talents at spot-concealing.

Cassandra commented on her acne struggles, saying, “I filmed the video last November but it took me a month to post it, I thought I was going to get the same hate I got at school over my skin. But I thought if it could help one person, one girl or guy with the same condition, it would be worth it.” She was surprised by the massive positive response to the initial video, with people all around the world posting comments thanking her for her tips and requesting her to share anymore useful bits of advice. When speaking on Good Morning America, she said, “It was a real eye opener. It (acne) is such an epidemic for adults as well as teens."

She is currently training to become a nurse and one day hopes to produce her own skin care range of products. In addition, since her first video, she has subsequently posted many other videos of beauty tips that she herself has come across and found useful.

If you suffer from Acne, you do not have to suffer like Cassandra. We are fully aware of the damage that acne can do to a person’s confidence and how it effects their daily life. At Medical Specialists Pharmacy we have several prescription products that have been proved to effectively treat acne.  For women we offer the oral contraceptive pill, Dianette, for as little as £9.99 per month. As well as working effectively as a contraception and combating acne in women, Dianette can also be taken for excessive hair growth on the face and body (hirsutism) in women and female hair loss.

Spironolactone is another prescription only medication for women, and unlike Dianette, it is non-hormonal and does not work as a method of contraception. It also helps water retention. Spironolactone has been used for over 20 years as an anti-androgen in the treatment of acne and hirsutism and is the most widely prescribed medication for these problems in the USA. At Medical Specialists Pharmacy, prices start from as little as £17.63 per month.

For both men and women, we also have Retin-A Gel(tretinoin 0.025%), which is a prescription only medication and is used in the treatment of acne, fine lines and wrinkles but is more suited to people with oily skin. The Vitamin A contained in the gel, is thought to loosen the cells in the surface of the skin. This helps to unblock pores, so that the skin’s natural oil producing glands can function normally. In addition, tretinoin increases the turnover of the skin cells, which aids the natural exfoliation of the outer layers of skin. This also helps to unblock pores and decrease the formation of blackheads (comedones) and spots. Prices of this product start from as little as £15.88 per tube.