A woman has bravely opened up about her acne after first experiencing the condition at the age of 15.

In 2007, doctors diagnosed Mandy Nazé, 29, from Paris, France, with nodulocystic acne, which is a severe form of acne.

Her face, forehead, chest, neck and back were badly impacted and she had a thick layer of pus and discharge which caused pain.

A few months later, she found a cyst on her groin from a painful long-term skin condition which causes abscesses and scarring.

It usually occurs near sweat glands where there are hair follicles around the groin, bottom, breasts and implants.

This left her fearing intimacy as she believed her partner would be disgusted by her abscesses, cysts and pimples.

She tried various creams that didn't help and was offered Accutane but refused to take it due to its side effects.

It wasn't until her doctor told her about the Diane-35 pill, a treatment used on severe acne, that helped to alleviate her symptoms.

A decade later, Mandy ditched the pill in favour of a naturopathic approach.

While stopping the hormone treatment initially caused her condition to worsen, she now found a natural solution that works for her.

It includes a healthy diet, medicinal plants, exercising several times a week, lymphatic massages, sauna and essential oils.

Now Mandy has seen her condition reduce significantly, leaving her cyst and abscess free for two years.

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She said: "It affected my relationship because it became difficult to deal with intimacy.

"The hardest thing about this skin disease is the unpredictability.

"You never know when a new flare-up is going to happen and when it does, you wonder how long it will last.

"Sometimes you have to cancel planned activities with friends at the last minute and you end up cutting yourself off socially.

"For many years, I couldn't even wear the clothes I wanted to wear like jeans because they were too tight."

Speaking about her relationships, Mandy added: "When I had a boyfriend, it impacted the intimate moments.

"Sometimes it just wasn't possible. I was afraid my abscesses, cysts and pimples would disgust my partner even though he loved me.

"I have always been very, very self-conscious about the scars left by my acne, especially on my forehead and back.

"I always wore makeup and refused to wear clothes with low backs, even though I really wanted to."

Mandy claimed the important thing for sufferers is not to close themselves off and to talk about how they feel.

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She says the most important thing for sufferers is not to close themselves off and to talk about how they feel to their close people.

She said: "I worked on my anxiety and mental health which is related to my skin issues. I learned to meditate and breathe properly.

"I feel better in my skin because I can finally enjoy a normal life.

"The advice I would give to all those who suffer with skin disease is that it's normal to devalue yourself sometimes.

"But you have to believe that you are worth more than your skin. Love yourself because no one will do it better than you."

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