184 replies to this topic

[sunshine2410]

well for my it made me realize i was pretty before having acne. I've always had low self-esteem, even before acne. & when i got acne i realized how pretty i used to be. I guess that's good.

[sudeki]

Hey everyone. I am making this post so that we can help each other cope with the challenges that we face everyday due to acne. I for example miss out on a lot of things because of acne, because I am embarrassed and choose to hibernate in my room. I've read many peoples forums and we can all relate; acne is really really really depressing.
But I realize that I am giving up on life, and I don't want acne to control my life anymore

SO INSTEAD OF POSTING NEGATIVE FEELINGS TOWARDS ACNE, I WANT FOR A CHANGE TO SEE SOME POSITIVE POSTS ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE DOING TO MAKE YOURSELF FEEL BETTER ABOUT YOUR ACNE.


what are some challenges/fears from acne that you have overcome? How did it make you feel? Is it something that you were able to continue to overcome?

For example: I went out with a large cyst today. I woke up in the morning. depressed, didnt want to look in the mirror sat there examining my face. Normally i would not go out at all, just hibernate in my room, or go out wearing a hat (which in the end makes my forehead break out more). I got the courage to just say screw it, im going out to face the public and took a walk on a main street. It felt good just to walk and not care what other people might think. Im just starting to make little changes like this. cuz in the end, i think we really do analyze our skin more than other people. we are our worst critic.

I wanna challenge myself to not look in the mirror all the time, or to distract my attention away from my acne; or to go out with friends etc. I will keep you updated to let you know how i do.

this guy said to me the other day, its not what happens in life that important, its what you make of it. so true.

yes, sometimes i feel embarassed if my acne come up, and it will be even worse if my friend making a party and he/she invite me... oh.. i have bad feelings....

so do u have the solution about that...without healing my acne first, because it will take a long time.

[mm..Brian..]

This is such a great thread, reading it has really cheered me up today, so thanks all for your posts, they really do help!
*sigh* back to working on feeling better...

[texas12]

reading this today also made me feel better. especially now my acne is really flaring up - going back on accutane for a SECOND time at the end of the month...but these posts made me feel better. i love this support group. we're all great people despite our acne....we are not defined by it. i can't even believe i am saying these things because i have felt HORRIBLE about acne for the last 7 years and knowing that it does not define me does not necessarily make me feel so much better, but thinking about it all the time will help over time. good luck to everyone who is struggling with this horrendous issue and i feel your pain - just know you are not alone and if there is anyone in the world that understands you, we do on these message boards.

-s

[Veronify]

Hey its nice someone is being positive!! one good thing i will say about my acne is that i have become the make up QUEEN!! all my friends come to me for advice on the best foundations, concelers, mascaras ect, nd it ROX!!! its fun talking to them about it but i don't think they realise that my entire life revolves around foundation, i'm not joking. i just can't go out anymore with out being covered in it from my forehead to my chest, i feel naked without it. even when i'm on my own i re-apply and re-apply it. it really expensive too. I re-apply it every 30mins or so, it completely controls my life. I was at a friends house a few days ago nd noticed i'd forgotten my foundation, i completely FREAKED OUT, started cryin nd all, she let me borow hers so it was ok in the end, but at the end of the sleepover i'd nearly finished it. Sometimes when i look in the mirror i actually scare myself at how ugly i am, i used to be really pretty by now my face is just this black and red greasy mess lol, ahhhh wel i'm on tetracycline now (but it hasn't helped) and will hopefully be put on something stronger soon YAY!! This website is brilliant its great to talk to other people with problems like meeeeeeee!! so yeh think positive, things can get beta!

[mm..Brian..]

Hey its nice someone is being positive!! one good thing i will say about my acne is that i have become the make up QUEEN!! all my friends come to me for advice on the best foundations, concelers, mascaras ect, nd it ROX!!! its fun talking to them about it but i don't think they realise that my entire life revolves around foundation, i'm not joking. i just can't go out anymore with out being covered in it from my forehead to my chest, i feel naked without it. even when i'm on my own i re-apply and re-apply it. it really expensive too. I re-apply it every 30mins or so, it completely controls my life. I was at a friends house a few days ago nd noticed i'd forgotten my foundation, i completely FREAKED OUT, started cryin nd all, she let me borow hers so it was ok in the end, but at the end of the sleepover i'd nearly finished it. Sometimes when i look in the mirror i actually scare myself at how ugly i am, i used to be really pretty by now my face is just this black and red greasy mess lol, ahhhh wel i'm on tetracycline now (but it hasn't helped) and will hopefully be put on something stronger soon YAY!! This website is brilliant its great to talk to other people with problems like meeeeeeee!! so yeh think positive, things can get beta!

My life revolves around foundation too haha, no-one has actually seen me without it for a looong time >.<

[=D.]

My acne isn't so terrible that I would shut myself in the room all day, but it's still bad enough that I hate talking to people (especially of the opposite gender) when I'm on one of the "bad days".

I haven't really done anything courageous about my acne. I'm sure everyone's like this but on the days when my acne is almost cleared (or at least a lot more clear than usual), I am much more social and I go to parties (no alcohol =D) and I have a LOT of fun.

It's so not fair, having acne. It keeps me (well, keeps us) a lot of times in an inferior, shameful mode.

But the good news is: I don't use makeup! =D I'm so proud of myself.

I hate it when I try to cover everything up with makeup. First, it feels all gross and sticky, and second, it makes me feel like I'm ashamed of my body...which I'm not.

[JFerreira23]

Ehh, the one positive thing about it for me, is that it taught me that good ol "don't judge a book by its cover". We all learn that as kids because it's unarguable ethically and morally right. However in today's society I've found that that saying is almost impossible for some people. Anyway I didn't realize how much of a judgmental asshole I was until I got all this and realized I could care less about how people look. I've met a lot of cool people in my time. Some of the coolest people I've met, were people I'd never think I'd talk to. And believe me the whole segregated cliques that there are in high school carry on in the outside world too. People are too quick to judge. And a lot of people I've met end up telling me, "y'know dude, I'd never expect a person like you to be this cool" and it feels good, cuz not only have I learned a lesson that's bettered me as a person, I've spread and taught the lesson which overall betters society. You gotta be honest man. If it wasn't your acne it's be your weight, if it wasn't your weight, it'd be your nose, if it wasn't your nose, it'd be your eye color, and so on so forth. I tend to be thankful that I live in society where the only thing I have to worry about in the morning is a pimple and not whether my house is gonna get blown up, yknow? Hope all this helped.

[Krissss]

My acne has been looking pretty bad lately and I absolutely dread the oiliness of my face. But you know what, even though I do care about how i look a lot, I don't let my insecurities get in the way of me being myself and just trying to be as awesome as I can be. Does that make sense? I sound kind of conceited. But really, acne (and your appearances in general) doesn't define who you are. There are those people who are beautiful, but they're just boring! Just be you. With or without the imperfections.

So I guess that's a positive thing that I've learned having acne. Also, it has made me a less judgmental person to other's physical imperfections.

[Heroic Slushie]

I'm a guy. "Naturally" I judge people of the opposite sex by their appearance, not by their personality. Acne has helped me establish friendship with people of the opposite sex based on their character and not their appearance. Now I'm reaping the benefits. I do not have any friends that are airheads .

[gandalf]

I've had moderate/severe acne for a couple of years, but I believe that it's helped me grow as a person. It's boot camp for the rest of my life... lol. Sometimes I think about what I've learned from my acne when I'm feeling down about it. Its like in "The Sound of Music" where they list some of their favorite things, and then they don't feel so bad. Here's what I've got:


-I've learned to be more empathetic. Everybody has their own insecurities and struggles. I think that I come across as happy/friendly to people, even when I feel bad about my skin. Who's to say that those people don't have their own problems?

- I've learned that interacting with people isn't about impressing them with money, looks, intelligence... or whatever. Its about acknowledging them as friends, taking an interest in them, and giving them the recognition every person wants.

- I'm making peace with imperfection- Both my own, and other people's.

- Hopefully, I'm learning to be less selfish and more humble.


Do you think that true happiness and inner peace come without struggle and soul searching? Is acne even as much of a struggle as the genocide, starvation, blindness, and other painful/debilitating diseases that people around the world face every day? What's sad is that humans go through so much suffering, but they learn so little from it.

While I do what I can to have clear skin, I would never pray for it. I'd rather have the strength and peace to deal with whatever life throws at me. If I spend too much time being angry about my skin, feeling sorry for myself, or being self-conscious, then I know there's still more for me left to learn. And once i've learned, it won't matter what my skin is like.

I think we let our appearance take over our lives when we are more worried about impressing other people than reaching out to them in kindness and love. Would the homeless people that I could talk with and serve in a shelter care about my acne? Does the person who is lonely and unpopular care whether the one person who reaches out to him has clear skin? We'll do ourselves a favor if we stop viewing acne as some type of curse, and start viewing it as an obstacle that will bring out the best in us!

[Heroic Slushie]

We'll do ourselves a favor if we stop viewing acne as some type of curse, and start viewing it as an obstacle that will bring out the best in us!

Quoted for profound truth.

Acne can be a good thing if you look at it in a certain way.

[Miss Bennet]

[/quote]
why post positive things?? we will do it when our acne is better.. until then all i have is negative effects
[/quote]

well.. what r u doing to treat it? I could give u a million things ive tried that might help u if u want me to. Here, ill list them now.


1)Differin
~This cleared my skin up when used with a very gentle cleanser and moisturizer but then i started to change what I was doing so my skin freaked out.

2)Mario Badescu
~This is supposed to work nicely. There are lots of different products to choose from. Check it out. (This didnt work for me but everyone's different).

3)Steaming my face with boiled lavendar red clover tops and strawberry leaves. Just boil a pot of water with these ingredients (the herbs should be dried) and stick your face over it until you get too hot. Drinking the 'Essence of teinchi flowers' tea. Using a gentle natural cranberry cleanser by MyChelle and a pumkin renewal cream by MyChelle. Using Cactus magic acne treatment.

4)Cleansing Tea Tree pads by Dessert Essence and Blemish spot treatment by Dessert essence
~this is drying so you'll need to use a good moisturizer like eucerin, barrier repair by dermalogica, or pumkin renewal cream by MyChelle

5)Ziana spot treatment with gentle cleanser and moisturizer
~ basically, your classic retinol. this will probably work for moderate acne or just as a spot treatment for other products that ur using

6)Duac topical gel
~i didnt try this for long enough to really know

7)Zapzyt 10% benzoyl peroxide
~this site doesnt like it but i dont really know

[UFOrescue]

I'm so proud of myself today! I woke up with my skin looking a lot worse than normal (as in normal for me atm which is really mild) and a really bad anxiety. Normally I would have caved in and not gone to school, but today I managed to push myself and put on makeup and went to school anyway. I basically argued with myself that I promised when I started Uni that I would not let my acne go before my education, like I let it do in JH and HS. So, I generally suck at makeup so my acne was still very noticeable. I had a huge smile on me the hole day (in order to distract anyone from looking at my skin) and I noticed my classmates, who have not seen my face with acne this bad, did not react any differently towards me. In fact, I had a really good time today at school and talked more than usually. In short, today was really nice!

[Tyga]

I am proud of you too, UFO. So your acne is mild at the moment? That's good that you were able to still attend school, and that nobody treated you any different. Education is very important, and I am happy you made that promise to yourself. I notice when I smile, I have a better day. Frowning never gets me anywhere. Best of luck in the future.

[UFOrescue]

I am proud of you too, UFO. So your acne is mild at the moment? That's good that you were able to still attend school, and that nobody treated you any different. Education is very important, and I am happy you made that promise to yourself. I notice when I smile, I have a better day. Frowning never gets me anywhere. Best of luck in the future.

Awww... Thank you so much! Best of luck to you too, buddy! Yeah, my acne is mild atm, but I also have a ton of allergies giving me surprise breakouts and an itchy, red and blotchy skin sometimes. I think I played around a bit too long with my friends kitty on Sunday... Also, you know how the acne changes every day a little.

[Tyga]

How I do! I'm clear one day, and the next I am greeted with a colony of pimples on my forehead. I enjoy this thread. Shows that we all have the courage to face our fears and step out in the world. I had to pep talk myself through the beginning of high school. Lot of early mornings in front of the mirror, trying to find anything to get me through the day.

[NightDreamers]

severe acne could make you more considerate of others peoples feelings cause you know what its like to have something so horrible and so out of your control happen to you (for years)

[leslieann84]

hi, i just wanted to give a quick idea...just check it out...it can't hurt. Go to www.facerealityacneclinic.com. This is what got me clear. Took about 3 months and it's a long distance program but I promise you that it will work.

[AnotherDay]

I agree, I really do think acne has made me a better, kinder and more accepting person than I would ever had been! Trials and hardships really do teach us excellent lessons if we are willing to learn. The fact is we can't avoid the ups and downs in life so we might as well benefit in any way we can.

I have also learned that I tend to worry and notice all my blemishes and flaws way more then other people do. So obsessing over it doesn't help, it's better to put my chin up, smile and focus on OTHERS rather then myself.

I've also found that when I have a bad flare up I tend to want to revert to my old ways(hiding from people,getting depressed, not wanting to go out, staying in my room, not going out and doing fun things I want to and planned on doing because I had a break out, etc.) and sometimes I end up hurting my friends and family or letting them down because I'm to worried over my acne.
For example the other day a friend came up and gave me a sideways hug and asked me how I was and I was having a "bad day" so I hardly replied and tried not to make eye contact, I just wanted to be invisible.
By only focusing on myself and my wants (wanting to hide) I in effect "blew off" a good friend. I should have cared more about his feelings and the kindness he showed me and smiled at him and returned the kindness, then about my insecurities.
I wonder what people think when I respond in this way to them? How easy it could be to give them the wrong idea or make them feel insecure or rejected accidentally!

Everyone has insecurities or flaws they worry about and think people judge them about. Rejection is a big fear for many people, everyone wants to be accepted and loved, flaws and all.

Really people notice and remember your smile, friendly attitude and kindness way more than your acne. I've even been told by people I was pretty! Acne and all.
A friendly, kind, joyful person who is interested in others is a very attractive person!! Making others feel loved, important and accepted will take you miles further then having flawless skin.

Strong friendships and solid communication skills are more useful and more valuable then clear skin and do not require clear skin to gain.

In the end I, myself, have held myself back and limited my life way more than acne has. It's always been my choice. My acne may have been painful and emotionally difficult but not physically limiting. I could always still walk and see, and talk and hear and do the things I wanted to do, I just choose not to.
Looking back I don't think wasting so many years of my life and falling into serious depression and suicidal thoughts over my acne was a wise choice.
It would have been better to have been brave and lived and enjoyed my life as best and most fully as I could. It never would have been easy and maybe not always doable but I could defiantly have done better and made wiser choices. The best thing to do now is to learn from this and move on to a better future.

One last thought is learning to love and accept yourself as you are for who you are. I often remind myself this by thinking of a loved one and what advice I'd give them if they had acne and felt bad about it or disliked them self for it. I'd wrap them in love and acceptance and encourage them to live their life. I'd hate to see them harshly judge themselves or hate themselves because of acne, or limit their life over it.
I try not to judge myself more harshly then I'd judge a love one, truly we are our own most cruel and judgmental critic!

So smile and find joy, your not your acne and there is a whole beautiful person there that wants to live and share in the world!