We met MAFS bride Vanessa Romito earlier this week and DAMNIT if we didn’t immediately feel for her.
The contestant, 33, revealed her lifelong struggle with skin/acne problems and secondary self-esteem issues. In fact, she was convinced her new husband Chris wasn’t attracted to her from the get-go.
And once, again, we felt it deep down in our teenage (and yeah, adult) souls.
So we had to reach out and ask Vanessa to share her story with us.
Speaking to Nova, Vanessa explained that she started getting acne around 11 years old before it developed into cystic acne by Year 7.
“My pimples become so big it obscured my vision,” she revealed.
“The pain made it so bad that some days I could barely speak. I would cry because of how I looked which was made worse by the constant bullying.”
“I took days off school. My mum would sit with me while I cried and she used to tell me ‘nothing is forever’,” she continued.
“Then she made me look in the mirror and I would say, ‘I know there is a pretty girl inside’.
Vanessa – paired with youth worker and father-of-two Chris – added that she had tried multiple medications and even Roaccutane to no avail – although she conceded that she wasn’t aware of sun risks with the latter and had frequent exposure.
“The dermatologist never explained that I should avoid being in the sun as much as possible. At the time I was doing athletics and was constantly outside which made my skin blister and scar.”
In the end, Vanessa turned to research, discovering her problem was linked to gut issues and food allergies.
Catch-up on the latest Finding A Unicorn podcast (post continues):
“I am allergic to over 50 everyday food items such as carrots, peas, coconut, honey, spinach. Things which you would never expect. So the best thing for me is to try and avoid these foods as much as possible.”
“You could be allergic to certain foods which can cause inflammation in your gut and stop your body from working properly,” she explained.
If you or someone you know is struggling with acne, Vanessa’s message is simple:
“Learn how to heal your body naturally, check your gut health and get tested for any food allergies.
“I have received a lot of positive support on instagram from people with similar stories so please feel free to reach out to me if you are going through something similar and remember, you are not alone.”
Image: Supplied
