A widow who lived like a hermit for eight years due to a debilitating skin condition has finally found happiness after finding a "miracle treatment."
Hazel Lovegrove, 64, had angry red splotches all over her skin from rosacea which were so severe they looked like burns.
Stoic Hazel was diagnosed with discoid lupus on her face after tragedy struck and she lost four family members in four years - including her 26-year-old daughter.
Discoid lupus is an autoimmune condition which causes a severe red rash on the skin.
The condition left Hazel so self-conscious she barely left the house for years, frightened to show her face to the world.
The mum, from Salford, said: "My husband passed away, then my mum, Mary, died in 1999, aged 69. She'd had a stroke and never really recovered.
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"My daughter, Karen, was only 26 when she died in 2001. She had a one-in-a-million condition called Goodpasture Syndrome. It's an autoimmune condition affecting the lungs and kidneys.
"Then my dad, Kenneth, was 75 when he died from prostate cancer in 2003."
Hazel said the devastating losses "hit hard" and she's convinced the autoimmune illness was connected to the deaths in the family.
"My hair also fell out in patches. It was awful," she said.
Throughout her grief, her older daughter Donna, 43, helped her through. Hazel described her as a "rock."
"She misses her sister so much, but we're so thankful we have each other," she said.
As the rashes began to appear on her face, Hazel's confidence plummeted.
She said: "The worst thing was having rosacea all over my face. It was all red and lumpy."
At 44, she received her discoid lupus diagnosis and was prescribed creams to treat it - but they didn't work.
Then, for eight long years, she had laser treatment. Sadly, that wasn't effective either.
"They tried their best, but the more laser treatment they gave me, it seemed the deeper the purple circles on my face became.
"I ended up saying I didn't want any more because it just wasn't working," she said.
Meanwhile, Hazel was avoiding leaving the house at all costs. Even in summer, she'd pile on the layers and put up the hood on her coat to hide her face.
"I was on my own for 16 years and wouldn’t see people for days on end," she said.
One day in 2017, on a rare trip to the shops, she spotted skin clinic SarahLouise Aesthetics. Eventually, she plucked up the courage to walk in.
Hazel recalled: "The lady who runs it came out and asked me to make an appointment - so I did.
"She was so lovely. She told me that, despite rosacea being incurable, there were special chemical peels and creams that could definitely improve my skin.
"So, I decided to give it a go."
She was given a personal treatment plan using the AlumierMD medical grade skincare range which included chemical peels and creams to use at home.
The owner at the clinic was so moved by her story that Hazel has been offered treatment for free. After four years of treatment, Hazel now expects she'll need a chemical peel every three months to maintain her skin.
Just months after her first peel, she met Paul Lovegrove - who is now her husband.
She said: "I'd been on my own for a very long time and I went to see my sister, Lyn, who's older than me - nearly 66 now.
"She told me it'd been long enough and helped me to join a dating site. She set it all up, as I didn't know what to do and that's how I met Paul."
On their first date, which fell on Hazel's mum's birthday, Paul popped over for a cup of tea - at 6.30am.
"I'm always up doing early morning stuff, so I agreed and that was our first date," Hazel said.
"I didn't tell him about everything I'd been through until we met in person.
"And, while I'd had some treatment, my rosacea was still visible, so I did try to cover it with make up, but you could still see it underneath.
"It didn't matter, though, as we really hit it off."
Just a month later, on Hazel's birthday, Paul dropped to one knee and proposed
"Everyone else thought it was a bit quick, but for me it felt just right," she said.
On 22 September 2018, the pair tied the knot - and her skin barely concerned her.
She said: "Having clear skin gave me the confidence to join a dating site and to marry Paul - another thing I would never have done if my face still looked the way it did.
"I never used to take photos, but now I’m proud to share my wedding photos.
"Instead of feeling self-conscious, I feel elated - like I've been given back my life."
Do you have a story to share? Email jessica.taylor@reachplc.com
Sarah Louise, who gave Hazel her treatment, said: "Rosacea can be extremely harmful to someone’s psychological wellbeing, confidence and self-esteem.
“There are now meticulously designed skincare regimes developed around the treatment of this skin condition which can help you live a normal life.
"The earlier it is diagnosed and treated the better outcomes a patient will have dealing with their symptoms in the future."
