Real dogs. Real recoveries.
Before & After Using Dermagic
Every dog is different, but the pattern of recovery on our four-step system is remarkably consistent — a few months of gentle, patient use, and a coat that comes back. What follows are eight recoveries in the owners' own words — the starting point, the setbacks, the turning point, and where each dog ended up.
6 months, October 2020 – April 2021 · Alopecia X · Black Skin Disease · yeast infection
Kelly the Pomeranian
When Kelly's owner started her on the Dermagic system in October 2020, the little Pomeranian had a long strip of bald, darkened skin down her back, matching patches behind her ears, and a live yeast infection layered on top. What follows is the six months it took to bring the coat back — including the mid-recovery setback most owners aren't warned about.
Day 1 · October 2020
December 4
December 12
End of December
January 2021
April 25 · 6 months in
October 2020 — starting out
Kelly's first day on the Dermagic protocol was as much about setting expectations as it was about applying lotion. Black Skin Disease combined with Alopecia X and an active yeast infection is the kind of case that doesn't move week by week — it moves month by month. The routine began with daily Skin Rescue Lotion massaged into every affected area, gentle bathing on a controlled schedule, and the discipline to hold the line even when nothing visibly changed.
December — the setback
Eight weeks in, Kelly started losing fur on her chest — a new area, on top of the existing patches. This is the moment most owners assume the treatment isn't working and quit. Dermagic's read was the opposite: this was normal. The lotion was doing exactly what it was meant to — driving the yeast up and out — and the visible shedding was that process happening. The instruction was to pull back to every other day instead of daily.
“Sometimes, this is just necessary. We never want the dog to experience discomfort during treatment.”
By December 4 her skin was still red and fur was still coming out. Only a week later, on December 12, the first real signs of regrowth were visible — little bits of new fur pushing through, redness starting to ease. Late in the month Dermagic held off on introducing the Cell Restoration Creme. Kelly wasn't ready for it yet. Rescue Lotion, less-frequent bathing, and a look at her diet was the right stack for now.
January to February — the long stretch
This is the part of the recovery no photo captures well. Flakiness continued for weeks. The lotion was expelling infected skin and yeast — visible as flakes, felt as an insistence that something was still wrong. It's the phase where willpower matters more than product.
“It is important to continue using the Skin Rescue Lotion every day — even if you're completely discouraged.”
April 2021 — coat
By April 25, six months to the week from starting, Kelly's coat was back — soft, wool-like, indistinguishable from the fur she was born with. A few small patches were still filling in. But the arc had turned somewhere in mid-February, and by spring the dog in the photos looked like a different Pomeranian.
“Her new fur looks and feels exactly the same as her baby fur — very soft and wool-like.”
Products used
- Skin Rescue Lotion
- Cell Restoration Creme
- Dead Sea Salt Scrub
- Hot Spot Salve
6 months · Alopecia X
Lucy Lu the Golden Retriever
With Doug
Doug's Golden Retriever, Lucy Lu, had lived with Alopecia X for over a year before he found Dermagic. She'd been through a specialist dermatologist and a run of over-the-counter medications, and none of it had moved the needle. Six months on the four-step system later, her chest was fully coated again — with no recurrence.
Before
4 months · Peach fuzz
6 months · Full coat
A year of no answers
Lucy Lu had struggled with skin allergies for as long as Doug could remember. About a year before starting Dermagic, her chest hair began falling out and the skin darkened and turned scaly. A dermatologist visit and multiple over-the-counter treatments moved nothing. Doug went looking for a natural alternative.
“Lucy Lu had and to some extent still has issues with skin allergies. Over a year ago she began to lose her chest hair and her skin became black and scaly.”
Four months in — peach fuzz
Doug ran the full Dermagic program in rotation: Cell Restoration Creme, Skin Rescue Lotion, and Dermagic Shampoo. At the four-month mark, Lucy Lu's chest skin had turned back to a healthy pink and a fine peach-fuzz of new hair was beginning to come through. Barely visible in photos — very visible under the hand.
“The second photo is her chest after about four months of treatment. As you can see her skin is turning back to pink and not seen well is the 'peach' fuzz beginning to grow back.”
Six months — full coat, no remission
By month six, Lucy Lu's chest was fully coated again. Doug's own words: no recurrence of Alopecia X. She started going into busy places again — dog parks, town, the environments he'd been quietly avoiding while she was self-conscious about her coat.
“Now she proudly goes out in public with a full coat and is not embarrassed.”
Products used
- Skin Rescue Lotion
- Cell Restoration Creme
- Dermagic Shampoo
From age 10 · still going at 16 · Black Skin Disease
Yogi the Pomeranian
With Tom & Debbie Gilman
Yogi was ten years old when he was diagnosed with Black Skin Disease in 2005. His vets treated it as cosmetic and told the Gilmans to expect further age-related decline. What Tom and Debbie describe instead is a small dog who came back — pink skin, appetite, curiosity, and the specific personal quirks they'd nearly forgotten he had.
Before (left) · After (right)
The prognosis they refused
By the time Yogi was diagnosed, he had already lost energy, was eating less, and was engaging less with the world around him. The vet's read was cosmetic, layered with age. The Gilmans didn't accept that as the whole picture.
Three weeks in
The first photograph in the Gilmans' account was taken in mid-June 2010, about three weeks into using the Skin Rescue Lotion. It shows pink healthy skin re-emerging in the treated areas. But the improvements they lead with aren't skin-deep.
“My husband and I both now feel that your products saved Yogi's life.”
The little quirks came back
Dr Adelia (Dermagic's founder) had told the Gilmans to expect Yogi's energy and appetite to return alongside the skin. Both did. What they weren't prepared for was that his personality came back with them.
“The amazing thing was little quirks to his personality also returned.”
At sixteen
By nearly sixteen — the far edge of a Pomeranian's life expectancy — Yogi was alert, socially engaged, and interested in his surroundings again. One of the smaller signs the Gilmans noticed: he'd stopped needing to urinate three times in a row on his outings, a pattern that had been part of his routine since before treatment started.
Their conclusion
“We don't feel there is any other explanation other than his improved health from using Dermagic.”
Products used
- Skin Rescue Lotion
A Note on Results
These are individual recoveries — not guarantees. Every pet responds at its own pace, and some skin conditions don't respond to any protocol. The best predictor of a good outcome is consistency over eight to twelve weeks or longer.
Dermagic products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or replace veterinary care. Always consult your vet about any serious or persistent skin condition.
From the Archive · 2010–2015
Five More Stories Worth Knowing
The photos from these early Dermagic case studies have been lost to link rot over the years — but the stories are still here, in their owners' own words.
2011–2012 · 6 months · Black Skin Disease
Sir Winston
Pomeranian, age 5 · With Mary & John Houska
September 2011 · mid-recovery · March 2012 Sir Winston was five years old when the Houskas started him on Dermagic in September 2011 — and he'd been losing hair for two years already. Mary and John describe what those two years had done: he was sleeping more and more during the day, his appetite was waning, and his social skills were slipping too. Melatonin and thyroid medication had both been tried, and neither had made a difference. By winter 2011 the hair loss across his back, stomach and tail was severe enough that they were dressing him in protective clothing outdoors.
They started Skin Rescue Lotion on 17 September 2011 — pushed over the line by Dermagic's 90-day guarantee. Six weeks later, on 29 October, Mary noted new hair beginning to return and Winston seeming more lively, more energetic, with his appetite lifting. Through late November and into December, pink healthy skin was showing on his chest and new hair was coming through across his body.
By 18 March 2012 — six months to the day — the change was dramatic enough that people who'd seen the September photos didn't recognise him.
“It is, to us, a true miracle.”
Products used
- Skin Rescue Lotion
2010 · 6 months · Complete hair loss
Whitnie
Pomeranian (a.k.a. Puff Whitty) · With Cherie D., Regina, Saskatchewan
Before (left) · After 6 months (right) Cherie found Dermagic Skin Rescue Lotion on the shelf at Metro Pet Market in Regina, Saskatchewan. Whitnie — nicknamed Puff Whitty — was fully hairless at the time, and Cherie had already been through the standard route without result. Six months on the lotion later, Whitnie had her coat back in full.
“Big thank you for helping us along throughout the past six months. Whitnie is gonna love you guys forever.”
Products used
- Skin Rescue Lotion
2011–2012 · 5 months · Post-surgery hair loss + blackened skin
Gunner
Mixed breed · With Stacy
November 2011 · February 2012 · March 2012 Gunner's fur never grew back after a surgery in 2011. Where the surgical clippers had shaved, the skin stayed bare and turned dark. The November 2011 photo shows a crisp shaved outline still visible months on. Stacy ordered Skin Rescue Lotion and started massaging it into the skin every day from November.
By February 2012 the difference she could feel was sharper than the difference she could see — the skin had warmed up. It had felt cold and dead to the touch when she started.
“His skin felt warm. The old black skin was cold and dead feeling.”
Around then, pink skin began returning and whiskers of new hair started to appear. By 29 March 2012 — five months in — the coat was substantially back and closing on complete.
Products used
- Skin Rescue Lotion
2011 · ~2 months to visible improvement · Bilateral alopecia + blackened skin + allergies
Gus
Not specified · With Angela
Before · Progress · Full recovery Gus had a thyroid diagnosis, bilateral alopecia (Alopecia X) and an allergy problem that had him biting his own paws until they bled. Angela started Dermagic on two fronts at once: Hot Spot Salve for the paws — which she described as instant relief — and Skin Rescue Lotion for the skin and hair loss.
About two months in, in late April, the blackened skin was clearing and hair was coming back.
“His skin is not black and his hair is growing back! We are so happy! Thank you Dermagic!”
A few months later, Angela's final update was one line:
“His hair has completely grown back! We are so excited!”
Products used
- Hot Spot Salve
- Skin Rescue Lotion
2015 · 6 months · Black Skin Disease with yeast overgrowth
Striker
Pomeranian
Day 1 · Full coat 6 months later Striker's Black Skin Disease came layered with a deep yeast overgrowth — the kind of infection that takes as long to reverse as it took to establish. His case is the one that reminds owners that recovery on Dermagic is measured in months, not weeks. Six months of consistent Skin Rescue Lotion with Hot Spot Salve on the flare spots, and his coat was fully back.
“Persistence, patience, and perseverance.”
Products used
- Skin Rescue Lotion
- Hot Spot Salve
Been on the Journey?
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We're building this gallery from real Dermagic customers across Europe. If your dog has come through a skin recovery on the Dermagic system and you'd be happy to be featured, we'd love to hear from you.
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The four-step Dermagic system is the same botanical routine behind every one of these recoveries — Cleanse, Rescue, Target, Restore.