I was advocating and inspired by the work but my skin and immunity were failing me

Getting to good looking skin has been a process for me! A journey of having good skin, then a horribly imperfect, sickly dermis and currently having great skin.

So before being introduced to dermafrica and having the privilege of  sponsored cosmelan treatments, my skin was sorely troubled. I was working in a plastic waste community and on a project that was ultimately for a waste for energy phase 2 envisaged pilot ( google WEF and similar in Ethiopia!).

This project saw me go to a waste dump and engaging plastic trolley pullers on a very personal level, daily - for months. The conditions were infesting and anyone with a immune system not used to this was at risk of theirs being weakened. And mine was next.

The waste trolley pullers are a homeless community of people who founded a means to survive by collecting plastic for recycling. They start at 4am daily, walk the streets and pick out of trash bins plastic together with other recyclable items. They pull heavy loads and my platforms share pictures of me in some of their environments. This community sell their daily collections of plastic etc. to the waste dumps and this is how they earn a days meal, get to fuel their drug addictions and maybe a bit more like sending money home in some instances. They earn a living but live impoverished and unhealthy lives on the streets.

Part of my many months journey with this community meant engaging at all levels. Chatting about their day to day activities and in exchanging beliefs, our project vision and often departing with a hug. Often me holding on more because I was so proud of them finding their own way but also so saddened by things.

Often I left in tears, speechless and angry. They were the most marginalized but contributing significantly to the recycling dumps!

However more than that I also left with skin and immune problems. The result of being in an environment of germs and waste I am not used to ..and in being non-discriminatory whereby refusing to wear gloves. I simply refused to show up where we could not exchange a hug when leaving or shaking hands when introducing myself and the project. Dignity transcends vanity and will always. I also refused to show up as if they were wall paper to ordinary and middle class citizens so while I dressed well, I shook hands bare handedly, looked into trash piles and hugged knowing some probably took a bath just once for that week and were terribly unhygienic by nature of work and living conditions. Not necessarily because they didn't know or didn't want better for themselves..

However, no matter how much I disinfected and cleaned myself later under a shower with germ specific tonics etc, I had a skin issue and a weakening immune system. I was left with a topical skin virus on my face and developed weakening levels in immunity that needed lots of vitamins to to fix inside out. This was over and above all other business and personal stresses in my life which did not help. I also saw my once perfect teeth which were the result of having braces put in as an adult taking major strain from lowering calcium levels and overall immune issues.

My body seemed to not be doing well with so much of activity in waste filled and dirty conditions I was exposed to in engaging this community - but the work, vision and their lives simply inspired me.

My skin held little value compared to the overall insights, daily reflections and happiness this community brought me. And still does (I will stop anywhere and everywhere to speak with the waste trolley pullers knowing a bit more about their lives).

To say the least, when I met dermafrica my skin was flawed, marked and "infected".  Under all their sophisticated equipment facilitated by their Joburg based doctors since I am Joburg based too (For Beautiful Life- Dunkeld facilitated my treatments) my skin showed it was not good even with immunity improved due to intravenous vitamin drips which I was also advised to start.

A series of consultations, skin prepping ( mesoestetic brightening peel booster) and an intensive skin peel (cosmelan) together with ongoing skin treatment (mesoestetic cosmelan 2) has my skin fully fixed and I am healthy and doing great. I am still cautioned to take a few months out of immune risking environments so my advocacy regrettably remains a bit removed from the plastic trolley pullers and waste dumps - for now.

But since this is a journey about my skin's recovery and the enhancing of, I can only say thanks to mesoestetic, dermafrica, For Beautiful Life and to their respective teams.

Try mesoestetic. There's a treatment for any skin imperfection of concern and for general skin perfection desires you may be after.

( sample image is with compliments of dermafrica and is not of me).