A woman with a skin condition that causes bruise like rashes all over her face is embracing her natural look and going make-up free.<br /><br />Nancy Morel, 19, first noticed something was wrong with her skin when she was shopping with her mum, Jackie, 50, in 2015.<br /><br />Her lips appeared swollen - as if she had been stung by an insect - and when she arrived at A&E at Milton Keynes University Hospital, Buckinghamshire, they suspected it was an allergic reaction to ibuprofen.<br /><br />She was transferred to Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, for a diagnosis but doctors struggled to pinpoint what was causing her unusual symptoms.<br /><br />Over the years she has had countless tests but medics have been unable to say what has been causing her bruise like rashes.<br /><br />Nancy hit rock bottom when she had the worst break out she’d ever experienced on her face leading her to feel self-conscious and embarrassed in October 2021.<br /><br />Her late dad, Rick Morel, 64, battled bowel cancer and sadly passed away in July 2021 - but his courage gave her the confidence to "keep going" and help others as "he never let his disease get him down".<br /><br />Nancy, a content creator, from Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, said: “My whole skin flares up in what looks like rashes and bruises.<br /><br />“It constantly feels like hundreds of needles poking in and out - it’s very sore.<br /><br />"I used to cover my skin up with make-up they use on film-sets to cover tattoos, but now I choose to not cover it up and embrace it.<br /><br />“The doctors and the hospital still don’t know what it is and the day before my 16th birthday I decided to stop trying new treatments as it was affecting my day-to-day life.”<br /><br />At first, medical staff suspected Nancy had urticarial vasculitis – a rare disease where blood vessels swell up.<br /><br />Nancy has tried countless treatments and spent years looking for a diagnosis, but nothing helped.<br /><br />Nancy - who is the youngest of eight siblings and twin to sister Tilly - added: “It started interfering with my everyday life - I felt tired and sick.<br /><br />“It affected my behaviour and there were periods I couldn’t go to school.<br /><br />“Luckily everyone at my school was amazing and no one had a bad word to say about my condition.<br /><br />“They grew up learning about my condition with me.”<br /><br />Last year Nancy had the worst flare up she had ever had but remembering her dad’s kind words of encouragement and positivity got her through.<br /><br />“I was really upset about it but then I remembered my dad always used to say PMA - positive mental attitude - and I decided to change my mindset," she said.<br /><br />“He never let his illness control his life."<br /><br />Nancy can only use paracetamol to relieve the pain due to her allergies and has yet to try an ointment or cream that works.<br /><br />People often stare at her but she doesn’t mind and sometimes uses it as an opportunity to explain her condition to them.<br /><br />Now the teenager embraces self-love and uses her platform to help others with insecurities and skin conditions.
