Tara Dekker can pinpoint the moment her confidence began to unravel.
Her daughter was about 18 months old and life, like it is for many young mothers, felt permanently busy and exhausted. She had two small children, her relationship was under strain due to long distance, and she was doing her best to keep it all together.
At first, it was just a few pimples along her chin and jaw – the kind most women brush off as hormonal. Within weeks, however, those small breakouts spread rapidly across her cheeks, forehead and jawline.
These weren’t minor blemishes. They were deep, inflamed cysts sitting under the skin, the kind that throb and refuse to surface.
‘It honestly felt like it happened overnight,’ Tara, 29, tells the Daily Mail. ‘Suddenly, my whole face was covered.’
Tara had never dealt with acne before. She had cruised through her teenage years with clear skin, so the speed and severity of the change felt shocking. And, unlike occasional breakouts, this didn’t settle. The cysts were painful enough to make everyday things uncomfortable.
Washing her face hurt. Smiling hurt. Even lying on a pillow hurt. But the physical pain was only part of the story.
After her acne cleared up thanks to a supplement, Tara Dekker had a Mother’s Day photo shoot with her husband – something she says she never would have had the confidence to do before
Adult acne – deep, painful cysts – destroyed Tara’s confidence. She stopped wanting to socialise and felt uncomfortable being looked at by her boyfriend, to whom she is now married
The emotional toll arrived quickly and quietly, and soon overshadowed everything else. Tara remembers becoming hyper-aware of her face in public. School drop-offs and pick-ups made her anxious. Working behind the counter at a fast-food chain, serving customers face-to-face all day, suddenly felt unbearable.
‘You feel like that’s all people can see,’ Tara says. ‘I just didn’t want to leave the house any more.’
Her confidence collapsed in ways she hadn’t expected. She stopped wanting to socialise, avoided catching up with friends and even felt uncomfortable being looked at by her boyfriend, to whom she is now married.
After years together without issue, she found herself shrinking away from attention. ‘I hated making eye contact,’ she says. ‘I thought he must look at me and think I looked horrible.’
Photos disappeared, too. Tara avoided cameras entirely during those years, something she now regrets.
Within 10 weeks of taking a traditional Chinese herbal supplement, the improvement was undeniable. (Tara is pictured earlier this month)
These before and after photos show the changes to Tara’s skin after taking Zilch Acne Formula
‘When I look back, there are hardly any photos of me with my children when they were little,’ she says. ‘I just didn’t want to be in them. That makes me really sad now.’
Like most people dealing with severe acne, Tara became determined to fix it. And like many women, she discovered how quickly the search for clear skin becomes exhausting – and expensive.
She began visiting skin clinics regularly, undergoing acne treatments that involved needles and electrical zapping designed to target inflamed lesions. She booked chemical peels and invested in professional skincare programs.
Each treatment offered hope, but the results never lasted. ‘I was going constantly,’ she says. ‘And every time you think, “Maybe this will be the thing that works.”‘
Over time, the cost added up.
Tara estimates clinic treatments alone cost her close to AUS$8,000 (£4,100) across several years. On top of that came endless skincare products recommended online, by pharmacists or by well-meaning friends. Salicylic acid washes, glycolic cleansers, eco skincare brands, pharmacy creams, supplements and speciality pillowcases all promised hope.
Some products helped briefly before the acne surged back; others made things worse. In desperation, she tried stripping her routine back completely, washing her face only with water and using aloe vera masks. She experimented with natural remedies like tallow, which worsened her already oily skin.
At the same time, she turned to diet in case the problem was internal. Dairy, gluten, sugar, alcohol and caffeine were all removed. She tried to eliminate processed foods and even swapped perfumes, soaps and cleaning products to reduce potential hormone disruptors.
Nothing brought lasting relief.
During this period, Tara was diagnosed with PCOS, a condition that can contribute to persistent hormonal acne. While the diagnosis explained part of what was happening, solutions still felt elusive.
Doctors prescribed antibiotics, which helped temporarily. But as soon as she stopped, the acne returned, often worse than before. A dermatologist recommended Roaccutane, but Tara hesitated.
Tara avoided cameras entirely during her acne years, something she now regrets
‘The side-effects scared me,’ she says. Side-effects of Roaccutane, a powerful retinoid used to treat severe acne, include depression, suicidal thoughts, mood alterations, birth defects in unborn babies if taken during pregnancy, and gastrointestinal disorders.
It’s easy to understand why Tara was reluctant to take it.
Eventually, exhaustion set in. ‘You just get tired of trying,’ she says. ‘You start to think this is just how your face is now.’
Looking back, Tara realises how deeply her skin affected her mental health. At its worst, she cried almost every night, overwhelmed by the feeling that nothing was working.
‘You wake up every morning and there are new pimples,’ she says. ‘It feels endless.’
Comments from strangers compounded the problem. Most people were trying to help, offering product suggestions or advice. But sometimes remarks crossed a line. A customer once suggested she should go to church and pray for her skin to improve.
Even compliments could sting. When her acne briefly improved, people would comment on how good her skin looked, which only made her aware they had noticed how bad it had been.
‘You start to feel like people are always looking,’ she says. ‘And you just don’t want to be seen any more.’
Relief eventually came from an unexpected place.
Tara began following women online who documented their acne journeys. Seeing others with the same struggles helped her feel less isolated, and she started noticing that some credited improvement to treatments rooted in traditional Chinese medicine.
These approaches focused less on harsh topical treatments and more on addressing inflammation and imbalance internally. One supplement kept appearing in success stories, but Tara remained cautious after years of disappointment.
For nearly 18 months she watched from the sidelines before finally deciding to try it when her finances improved slightly. The supplement, Zilch Acne Formula, uses a blend of traditional Chinese herbs intended to calm inflammation, support circulation and promote skin healing.
‘I thought, “I’ve tried everything else,”‘ she says.
The tablets themselves weren’t particularly pleasant. They were large, had a strong herbal smell and required a high daily dose because her acne was severe. Still, within two weeks, Tara noticed changes.
‘The redness started calming down, and I wasn’t getting as many new pimples,’ she says.
By around 10 weeks, the improvement felt undeniable. For the first time in years, her skin was healing instead of constantly erupting. She did experience a purge phase, but it involved small whiteheads rather than painful cysts.
After about six months, Tara felt confident enough to stop taking the supplement.
Today, at 29, Tara’s breakouts are rare and mild. Hormonal pimples appear occasionally, but nothing like the cystic acne that once dominated her life. If inflammation begins to flare, she briefly resumes the supplement and things settle.
More importantly, her confidence has returned. She’s back in photos with her children, and enjoying family days out without worrying about her skin.
‘That’s honestly the best part,’ she says.
Looking back, Tara wishes she’d found relief sooner, but she also knows everyone’s journey is different. Her message to others still struggling is simple: keep searching for answers and don’t assume you have to live with it forever.
Because, as she learned, acne isn’t just cosmetic.
‘It affects everything,’ she says. ‘Your confidence, your relationships, your mental health. People don’t realise how much it hurts.’
And now, when Tara looks in the mirror, she finally sees her face again. Not the acne that once made her want to hide it.
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