TV star and self-described “crap housewife” Jessica Rowe always looks glowing when she’s on our TV screens, or posing up a storm with her hilarious selfies on Instagram, but the 49-year-old says there was a time not too long ago when she was suffering from awful adult acne.
“When I was a teenager I had terrible acne. I hated my skin. I took various medical strength lotions and medication and all sorts of things for my acne, but it persisted and then it persisted still throughout my 20s and even my 30s,” Jessica told Now To Love.
Jessica suffered from polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a surprisingly common hormonal disorder that can wreck havoc on women’s skin.
“That was so tedious. I thought, ‘I’m getting wrinkles and pimples too? Come on! Why am I still getting acne as a grown up?’ You don’t think about that as you’re growing up. So I suppose my relationship with my skin and skincare has been dependent on what state my skin is in,” she said.
“Now, touch wood, I’m at a point in my life where my adult acne has stabilised because of different medications. I have a fabulous woman I go to and she gives me a facial about every six to eight weeks and she’s introduced me to serums.”
If you’re a skincare nerd keen to know exactly what Jess puts on her skin, she’s a big fan of skincare brand Osmosis, in particular their vitamin A and vitamin C serums.
“I alternate those serums. That’s been really good for my skin, because I found especially on my face, it just gets a bit dull looking. When I was on telly and you’re wearing a lot of makeup and you think you have a clean face and you really don’t. So I needed to be better at cleansing.
“I found getting regular facials and using a serum at night, that’s been good for rejuvenating the way my skin looks.”
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Jess pictured at a film premiere in 2000.
(Credit: Getty)
And just last year at the Channel 10 Upfronts, still looking fresh-faced almost 20 years later!
(Credit: Getty)Jessica also isn’t afraid to admit she gets Botox injections regularly.
“That’s a wonderful way to erase my wrinkles and I’ve always been open about that, because I think it’s disingenuous to say to other women ‘I just look like this’,” Jess revealed.
She gets the injections “maybe twice a year or three times”, depending on what on-camera commitments she has coming up.
“It’s a personal decision and if someone is considering doing it, it’s so important that you go to a qualified person,” she added.
“There are so many backyard clinics popping up and that’s not the way to do it. You need to see a trained professional.”
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At The Australian Women’s Weekly’s 2019 Women of the Future Awards.
(Credit: Getty)
Jess pictured in 2018.
(Credit: Getty)Now, Jess has been announced as the face of skincare brand Bio Oil’s newest product release, the Dry Skin Gel.
“It’s such an iconic brand and as I’m getting older, I’ve found my skin gets a lot dryer and it’s difficult to find a good moisturiser,” Jess said.
“This product is affordable, it’s not expensive and I love that it’s a gel so you don’t need to use a lot of it. The formula changes from a gel to an oil as you rub it into your skin. It’s such a beautiful moisturiser.”
She says the product came in handy recently when her skin was going through a particularly bad dry patch.
“We had a lovely holiday away and I got a bit of sun, healthily, wearing sunscreen, but my skin was that much drier with the sun and Bio-Oil Dry Skin Gel has been so beautiful to use. Each morning out of the shower, I dry myself off and put on the gel. It’s a really simple, easy way to get moisturised skin with no fuss. And it’s pink!”
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Jessica Rowe in the new campaign for Bio Oil’s newest product, their Dry Skin Gel.
(Credit: Supplied)
The product is pink and comes in a white tub.
(Credit: Supplied)If you turned on your television the last time Jess was on our screens, starring in Channel Seven’s hit reality show The Real Dirty Dancing, you would have seen the mother-of-two flaunting her incredible figure – and those rock-hard abs! – as she won the coveted role of Baby.
So, how on earth does she keep a torso like that in shape?
“You know what, I am lucky in the sense that genetically, I’ve always been like this. Our body shapes play an enormous part and you can’t fight your genetics,” she said.
“I’m not a crazy exerciser and never have been. I’m not terribly diligent with what I eat. I’ve always had a strong core and I do Pilates once a week. I might do a reformer class or a jumpboard class or mat class, but I think like anything, you work out what is right for you.”
Her advice for anyone struggling with working out is to find a type of exercise that you enjoy.
“Because exercise can be a punish and there’s no point putting your body and your mind through something that you don’t enjoy. Find something that you enjoy and then you’ll keep turning up,” she advised.
“For me, Pilates is close to home and I’ll often do it with a girlfriend, because I’m less likely to cancel.”
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But her most poignant advice for women is to be a little kinder to yourself.
“We put ourselves down and we are our own worst enemies. We talk to ourselves in a way that we would never talk to our friends or our partners and we have to quit doing that and replace it with being gentler on ourselves. You are good enough and what you are doing is fantastic.
“The older I get, I’m happier in my skin, so I feel better about myself. And remember, no one pays as much attention to your face as you do. Everyone is too busy worrying about themselves.”
