One of our longstanding clients shares their journey of before finding James Vivian, and what has happened since..

"It was clear, my skin wasn't"

"I was lucky enough to have great skin through puberty, teenage angst and well into my 20s.

At the pivotal age of 25, adult-acne came into my life. 

For a good 10 months I battled with the internal conflict of ‘is it really that bad?’, ‘maybe it’s just my hormones being bitchy?’ and ‘wait, another one?!’. At a certain point I realised that unfortunately, slathering makeup and crappy skincare over the problem did not help.

It was clear my face wasn’t, and so, I decided to bite the bullet and engage with a Dermatologist found on Google.

A long waiting list and small fortune later, my experience with said Dr was glacially clinical, unhelpful and honestly, pretty upsetting.

There’s something poignant about the whack your self-esteem takes when you have persistent acne. There is no face-to-face interaction, FaceTime call or post-face washing experience where you aren’t hyper conscious of what state your face is in.

(Speaking of, Zoom meetings can honestly go to hell).

The sheer amount of cash spent, online articles read, hope wasted on fad products (promising the world but delivering jack) is a testament to the effect my acne had on me.

Going to bed every night hoping you’ll awake to your pre-acne immaculate skin, then having to deal with the reality of the reverse when you look in the AM mirror, sucks. It really sucks.

For me personally, the stress of it all only exacerbated the amount of congestion and pustules on my face.
A stress that must have been felt by those around me so much so, that my manager at the time thought it best to intervene.

“Hey, you know my husband does skin, go talk to him, get a treatment, fix that up.”

Ben, James' husband.

And with that, my first foray into the Dermal Therapy experience began.

Cue James Vivian of 580, High Street Prahran.

Although the building is technically clinical, the mood certainly did not reflect that. The space itself is a haven of moody French music, satirical art and filled with a warmth and care that only those who have visited would understand.

My initial consultation with James was, in one word, humbling.
I bought with me my very extensive cohort of products, each of them proving to him I had been clutching at straws when it came to self-treatment. The confidence I had in each of these bottles waned after about 3 applications, then, I would move onto the next…

Rather than telling me I was doing most things incorrectly, using products that were making my skin worse, and creating more damage with all the garbage ingredients, James instead listened to my story.

He asked about my journey, how I was feeling, and how I had gotten to the place I was at that day.

His holistic skin health philosophy was refreshing and put my skin concerns into perspective. Before this conversation I had never really considered exterior factors playing such a pivotal role in what was happening on my face.

The stark difference between this experience and the one with the Dermatologist was James’ gentle, attentive bedside manner. I felt like I was truly being listened to.
My first skin experience with James felt cathartic and like the shift in approach my skin was needing.  

The treatments, products and technologies at James Vivian are second to none. This goes without saying.

Personal touches like the gentle fanning of your face when you’re red, or the follow up phone call the day post treatment, make you feel as though the JV gang are as invested in your skin as you are.
And well, they are.

For me, the real magic happens in the conversations had with him or his team. The term service doesn’t even begin to touch on the completely tailored experience James Vivian provides.

It truly feels like a relationship. A complex connection between a client and dermal clinician where you learn a lot about skin, products, and external triggers impacting your overall skin health.

Thank you JV for helping me during a particularly shitty time, helping me understand that my acne was my bodies way of telling me something, deciphering that message, and providing me with the tools to better my skin.

To be completely honest my skin isn’t as great as I would hope, but it is a lot better than what it was, and it is getting better each day.

I’ve learnt so much about how different lifestyle choices affect my skin, and so for that, I feel so much more in control.

If you’re feeling unhappy with your skin, I implore you to have a conversation with James and his team.
Take the leap and prioritise your face. Don’t settle for mediocre skin or mediocre Dermal Clinicians."

If you're thinking of biting the bullet and coming in for a consultation, please book your complimentary session here.