About ten months ago, I started breaking out in cystic acne (search my user name for pictures). I've had acne since the age of 12, but never anything like this. I'd heard that acne can worsen after having a baby, and this seemed to be the case with me.

Because I have celiac's and IBS, I did not want to try Accutane or oral antibiotics. I once did Clindamycin wipes, but this gave me colitis after a few months. So this time I tried Epiduo, which got rid of nose blackheads, but that was it; I tried the regimen, but it just made me red (I'm 36, so maybe it's better for younger skin); I tried apple cider vinegar, but while it soothed my stomach, nothing much happened with my skin.

So I tried Acnease. Three months on and my acne is 95% improved. I want to be as impartial as possible, so I will say that:

Nothing seems to help the breakouts I get two days before and two days into my period. But they are less severe than they were (I had 4-5 new cysts daily when the cystic acne outbreaks began).

I still get maybe one pimple a week, but it's small and not a cyst.

I am still taking 12 tablets a day, as the reduction to "maintenance level", while not taking me back to square one, didn't help as much.

Taking Acnease leaves me ever so slightly bloated, but I figure it's worth it to have better skin.

The cost of taking 12 tablets would be prohibitive for most people.

I was already on a gluten-free, cow's milk-free diet, and had been for years. While taking Acnease, I changed nothing in my skincare routine (Desert Essence face wash with Clarisonic, coconut oil moisturiser; Lorac concealer), a regimen I began five months ago.

It could be that my hormones re-balanced after having a baby, but things seem to go haywire if I scale back the Acnease tablets, so, for me, maybe this stuff is working.

Now to deal with the leftover red marks!