The promise of clear skin after puberty never happened for me. Spots have been a daily companion since I was 14 and although it isn’t nearly as debilitating as it was in my teens and early twenties, covering up spots and blotches is a necessary part of my morning regime. The thought of having a full-on, time-of-the-month break-out on your wedding day puts the fear of God in to any bride, but it’s a very real possibility for me.

So! Even before the venue had been picked, I was doing my research on how to achieve clear skin by Christmas (W-Day). Over the years I’ve tried acupuncture, reflexology, cutting out dairy and peas (very hormonal apparently), red light, blue light, colonics, homeopathy and more. All do something but not to the necessary extent. Apart from this one facial I had years back by Debbie Thomas. Debbie combines an inordinate amount of techniques and therapies in the one hour. Depending on your condition you can expect to find any or all of the following; microdermabrasion, hydradermabrasion, skin peels, blue light therapy, Radio Frequency, deep muscle manipulation, skin needling and depigmentation. Now although Debbie works out of Hari’s in London, these are the treatments you need to research if you want to tackle your skin. A namby pamby cleanse is not going to cut it.

I got back on the phone to Debbie and signed up to a course of treatments. After facial one, my skin “renewed itself”, by which I mean it flaked off. I was alarmed as I desperately layered on more Vaseline in the hope that this was the right result. It was, by day 4 my skin was much clearer and balloon plump. After facial two, my skin barely reacted to the facial. As the course progresses, I should see scaring disappear, any deep level germs banished and clear, new skin.

At home products are just as important to the process. Debbie swears by SkinMedica and SkinCeuticals. This is what she recommends for spotty skin;

Use SkinMedica's acne foaming wash, £26.99, morning and night.

Use SkinCeutical’s Phloretin CF, £137, and Daily Moisture, £54, in the morning. In the evening use SkinCeutical’s 0.5% Retinol, £42, before SkinCeutical’s Daily Moisture, with SkinCeutical’s Hydrating B5 serum, £56, when your skin needs a boost.

You can buy them on Derma Care Direct and can often get them cheaper if you ship from US. It is expensive, but these product do last between 6 and 8 months.

I’ll let you know how I get on but so far, the products and Debbie’s mix of treatments is winning the war...

Debbie Thomas at Hari’s, from £70