Acne sufferer quits job to help others - 'I know your pain'
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A WOMAN left "mentally scarred" by her struggle with severe acne has transformed her skin by purchasing a £6000 laser machine, which she now uses on others.
Rebecca Bremner, who spent her teenage years longing for a cure, quit her clerical job with Macrae and Dick car garage in Inverness and flew to London to purchase the beauty system – thought to be one of only two in Scotland.
The mother-of-three, who previously qualified as a beauty therapist, underwent training on the machine, now has customers from as far afield as Stornoway and a growing waiting list.
And her efforts to throw a lifeline to others with debilitating skin problems by offering cut price treatments in her own home have secured her a place in the finals of the Scottish Hair and Beauty Awards.
"It’s amazing," she said.
"When the guy phoned me from the awards to say I’d made it into the finals I thought it was a joke. I was like ‘are you serious?’
"I honestly thought it was my partner playing a trick on me. I’ve never been so excited in my whole life."
The 31-year-old said buying the laser and treating others was something she had always wanted to do.
"I’m delighted to be doing this," she said.
"It’s like there’s been something missing for years and I’ve finally found it. I’m just over the moon."
Her teenage years were blighted by problem skin and there were days when she did not want to leave the house.
"I wore really thick camouflage make-up and it just adds to your skin problems because it covers everything and gets into your pores. It makes you feel so vulnerable.
"But this has made an extraordinary difference to my skin. I’ve got a clear face for the first time. My pores are small, my face is more even and I was able to go out of the house for the first time recently without the make-up on.
"It’s even got rid of the scarring. And I had frown lines so I’ve used the anti-wrinkle function on my forehead.
"What a difference it’s made."
The machine has six functions offering acne clearance, permanent hair removal, skin rejuvenation, pigmentation clearance and thread vein removal, and wrinkle therapy.
And Mrs Bremner, of Copperwood Drive, Milton of Leys, offers half-price treatments for clients who will need to come to her continuously, if they have, for example, polycystic ovaries, where thick hair growth keep reproducing.
She now wants to undergo mental health training so that she can help people to "feel better on the inside and out".
She added: "One of my clients came in the other day and I actually welled up when she said what a difference I had made to her life.
"I know what it’s like to have pretty terrible skin, it’s something that can damage your confidence for life. I really want to help people because I know how that feels."
Laser therapies are not widely available on the NHS, so people need to pay for them privately.
The laser industry was deregulated in 2010 and many practitioners are now offering the treatments that require a powerful laser beam, which must be used correctly to avoid burning and scarring.
Winners of the Scottish Hair and Beauty Awards will be chosen at a gala dinner at the Glasgow Marriott Hotel on Sunday.
