A model who suffered years of bullying due to painful cystic acne has revealed how she completely cleared up her skin by implementing a new healthy diet and meditating – after years of trying to battle her blemishes with prescription treatments.
Maya MacPherson, 29, from Maui, Hawaii, first began suffering from severe acne when she was 14 years old and a freshman in high school.
In the following years, her acne temporarily reduced but returned in full force when she turned 27 – leaving the model feeling self-conscious and depressed, rarely leaving her house for fear of how others would react.
Solution: Model Maya MacPherson, 29, has revealed how she cleared up her skin after struggling with acne for years, simply by changing up her diet and lifestyle
Struggle: The lifestyle brand owner, who lives in Maui, tried all manner of traditional methods for clearing up her acne, including regular facials, birth control, and prescription medication
Surprise! It wasn’t until she tried switching her diet to focus on plant-based foods, and tackled her stress levels that she noticed her skin beginning to clear up
Inside out: Maya now eats an almost entirely plant-based diet, and meditates regularly to keep her stress levels in check
Desperate to find a cure, Maya tried everything from chemical peels, laser, microneedling and birth control, but nothing worked.
The model also changed her bed sheets every few days after being told that they can carry bacteria that both causes and aggravates pimples.
She even went on a medication known as spironolactone, which is traditionally used to treat high blood pressure, but has proven incredibly effective in clearing up acne and is often prescribed for that use.
But much to Maya’s frustration, the drug did little to clear up her painful and swollen blemishes – and she spent years trying to hide her skin away from others for fear of facing cruel comments about her acne.
‘If I could stay home to avoid interacting with people, I would,’ the model, who owns a lifestyle brand called Mayas Papayas, told Jam Press.
‘I didn’t want people to see me or catch them staring at the masses on my face.
Early on: The model began struggling with acne when she was just 14 years old (pictured)
Ongoing: Over the next 13 years, she struggled with regular acne flare-ups, and by the time she turned 27, her skin was at its worst
Upset: Maya was often called names such as ‘crater face’ and ‘pizza face’ at school and girls would joke about ‘connecting the dots’, referring to her many pimples
Under cover: After being relentlessly bullied over her skin, Maya began hiding away from people for fear of what they might say
‘It made me feel dirty. I also didn’t want to make anyone feel uncomfortable or pity me for my skin problems.’
Maya was often called names such as ‘crater face’ and ‘pizza face’ at school and girls would joke about ‘connecting the dots’, referring to her many pimples.
Topical: Maya (pictured at age 14) tried all manner of traditional skincare solutions for her acne
She said: ‘I would try to cover my face up with foundation and it would cause a mess.
‘I also changed my sheets every five days, got facials every three weeks, wore no makeup during weekdays – nothing worked.’
It wasn’t until Maya made some permanent lifestyle changes – such as amending her diet and meditating to reduce stress – that her skin finally started to clear up.
According to the model, focusing on clearing her acne from the inside out was the key to finally overcoming her blemishes once and for all.
‘I became more aware and in tune with my body and started listening to it – I fed it what it wanted to eat,’ she said.
‘If something felt off-balance, I would tune into my body and skin’s needs.
‘I also reduced my stress levels, which affects my acne, through meditation, yoga, reiki and breathwork.’
Transformation: It wasn’t until Maya made some permanent lifestyle changes – such as amending her diet and meditating to reduce stress – that her skin finally started to clear up
Healthy: Maya realized that her body was craving more fresh fruits and vegetables, and slowly she learned to listen to those needs
Thoughtful: ‘I became more aware and in tune with my body and started listening to it – I fed it what it wanted to eat,’ she said
Taking note: Maya also began examining the ingredients that she was using on her face, and realized she was unwittingly applying dozens of chemicals to her skin
Maya says the combined lifestyle changes helped her clear toxic and clogged areas of her body related to skin and digestion.
As for her diet, the model now mostly eats plant-based foods with the exception of fish two or three times a week to get Omega 3 vitamins.
She said: ‘I believe that if you want to heal your skin, it must start from the inside out – eating less processed foods and more real foods really changed my skin a lot.
‘I became aware of what went into my body and the effects it could have internally and externally. After all, your skin is your largest organ.’
Maya also began reading the ingredients in her skincare and make-up, and threw out any products with compounds that she couldn’t pronounce – advising her 35,600 Instagram followers to do the same.
The model said: ‘Whatever you lather on your skin will flow into your bloodstream on its own little journey inside your body.
Caution: ‘It’s our job – and choice – to protect our skin and body from toxic chemicals, and ingredients that can potentially do more harm to you than good,’ Maya explained
Personal choice: Maya’s daily skincare routine now consists of hydrating products such as niacinamide (a form of vitamin B) and a good vitamin C serum, along with SPF
Goal: Maya admits that she never thought her skin would be as clear as it is now, but she says she is incredibly grateful for the lessons she has learned about her body
Emotional: ‘I look at my skin and I am shocked at how wrong I was. Anything is possible. It was a journey to get here, and I am very grateful for it,’ she said
‘It’s our job – and choice – to protect our skin and body from toxic chemicals, and ingredients that can potentially do more harm to you than good.’
Maya’s daily skincare routine now consists of hydrating products such as niacinamide (a form of vitamin B) and a good vitamin C serum, along with SPF.
Her acne has all but completely cleared up and she feels grateful for her skin journey.
The model added: ‘I’ve heard your body changes every seven years and that’s why people who experience acne might see a flare-up into their adulthood.
‘I think knowing this piece of information could be helpful to others struggling.
‘I am amazed my skin could get to the place it is today.
‘I remember thinking that there would never be a day that I would live without having at least one pimple on my face. That was impossible in my head.
‘But now, I look at my skin and I am shocked at how wrong I was. Anything is possible. It was a journey to get here, and I am very grateful for it.’
Fight acne with top skincare picks
Take control of your complexion: Renee Rouleau Rapid Response Detox Kit ($132.50)
Cleanse: The Inkey List Salicylic Acid Cleanser (left, $9.99), Tata Harper Clarifying Blemish & Oil Control Cleanser (right, $72)
Exfoliate: Olehenriksen Lemonade Smoothing Scrub (left, $32), Peter Thomas Roth PRO Strength 10% PHA Exfoliating Clarifying Liquid (right, $58)
Slather it on: Image Skincare Purifying Probiotic Mask ($45)
Make it up: Sand & Sky Australian Pink Clay Porefining Face Mask ($49.90)
