67 replies to this topic

[RJT623]

My acne has been in the forefront of my mind lately, even more than usual. I'm just now starting to get over a really horrible breakout on my chin. I'm trying some new products, I'm eating better, exercising more, all that good stuff. But my mind has been wandering through the last two decades of my life that acne has taken over, and I thought of something that happened when I was about 15 years old. It still makes me cringe, but I wanted to share it and encourage anyone else who stumbles upon this thread to share their "most embarrassing acne memory"

 

Like I said, I was 15. My aunt was having a Mary Kay party - you know, when a bunch of women sit around and "oohh" and "aahh" over skincare products and makeup samples while an all-knowing consultant makes her recommendations. My mom encouraged me to attend with her...I said no way, everyone is going to look at me because I'm the one with the acne. She said no, no, it will be fine. So I reluctantly decided to go. I figured I'd chat with some family, have some snacks, sit through some product demonstrations and be done with it. Oh, no such luck...

 

The consultant had us all sit around the dining room table in front of our own personal facial stations...and guess what step one was? Remove your makeup. I froze. I wanted to hide. I wanted to cry. I know I was crying on the inside. At the time, I wasn't very skilled at makeup application, but I did the best I could to cover the mess that was my face. I didn't let ANYONE see me without full makeup. I made eye contact with my mom, and she just nodded her head, as if to say "it's okay, just do it". I wanted to run, but I was afraid that would be more embarrassing. Boy was I wrong. I should have ran. I took the makeup remover cloth that was supplied, and started wiping my face. One was not nearly enough to strip my layered foundation, concealer, and powder down to bare skin. The consultant said, "Oh honey, you'll need a lot more". Gee, thanks. So there I sat, wiping my disguise off. A pile of dirty cleansing cloths at my station. Everyone else had finished up with one cloth, barely a smudge of makeup on them. So they sat there and watched me struggle to clean my skin, watched my red, sore, acne-ridden face emerge. My tears blended in with my damp face.  I guess I can't blame them for staring - they weren't expecting what they saw. Oh sure, they all knew I had "some skin troubles" but no one realized it was full-blown acne. When I finally finished the consultant said something like, "Now that we're all through, let’s get started." I wanted to die. I sat there as she gave me samples of their oily skin line, had me wash and tone my face. Then she had me put my face in the light so she could help me choose the right foundation so I wouldn’t have "that awful line of demarcation". At least by this time most everyone was involved in their own facials and choosing their perfect products.  The focus wasn't on me anymore.  My mom purchased a starter kit for me and I used the products for a long time.  They were nice, though I don’t think they did anything to help my skin. The makeup was nice too, but too expensive to keep using. After all, my only income at the time was my baby-sitting money

 

And that’s not the moral of the story anyway. That incident scarred me also as badly as my acne has.  For the last 20 years of my life I have been hiding behind makeup, trying my damndest to look presentable. In that particular situation, I was somewhat "forced" to bare myself in public. It was humiliating. You may think, oh but at least you were around family. Honestly, I would have rather been with a group of strangers. I still had to face these people in everyday life and I was convinced that when they looked at me, all they saw was my bare skin from that party.

 

Life goes on, my acne got better, then got worse, and that vicous cycle continues to this day.  Over the years my makeup skills have improved.  My approach to controling my acne is multi-faceted.  As an adult, I would never put myself in a situation like that.  And my mom meant well and by no means was it her fault, I think she wanted desperately to help me. 

 

How about you guys?  Any embarrassing moments that you want to share?

Edited by RJT623, 05 March 2013 - 09:52 AM.

[AmbitiousOne]

I have soooo many embarrassing acne moments... One of them is when I went out without makeup and saw my hot professor on the street... I was so sad afterwards... *sigh*

[Foreverhealthy]

Maybe try changing your diet. That way you won't have to have acne anymore or any new "embarrassing memories". Do you eat dairy? cut it out if you do, it causes acne

Edited by Foreverhealthy, 04 March 2013 - 10:36 PM.

[RJT623]

@AmbitousOne - I feel for you on that one!

 

@Foreverhealthy - I don't eat dairy, and overall my diet is pretty good, and free of my personal triggers (dairy, caffeine, chocolate, sugars, etc.).

[Someclearday]

Omg every sentence of that made me cringe and you described those feelings so well that it brought up at few of my own.

I went to school to be an esthetician. Although my skin wasn't as bad then as it is now, it was still awful. The first day of school we walk into this lab, and I think this is where we start watching the demos. Nope, we were the "client" and we'd be getting facials that day. I stammered and tried to incoherently babble my way out of it but no luck. I sat there as this girl removed my makeup with who knows what kind of clogging cleanser. I was on retin a at the time so my face was on fire, plus my anxiety didn't help. So the instructor comes around "oh wow you are RED! Let me get everyone over here so they can see a good example of melasma." As the other students gathered around it was all I could do not to jump off that tale and run. I've had a few more incidences like that in school but none that traumatizing. I swear by the end of my program I wanted to write a letter to the school about the harm of almost every day facials and too frequent skin treatments lol

[RJT623]

@Someclearday - That must have been so hard!  Having to go through the facial, and then be the class example...  I admire you for choosing a profession like that, and having to be a guinea pig in school.  Did you survive going through your courses?  Are you a practicing esthetician today?  And you know, it's never too late...you could still write that letter

[pokeblaa]

when my friend come close to my face and started to count my pimples ><

 

and seriously every day with acne is embarassing.

Edited by pokeblaa, 05 March 2013 - 02:29 PM.

[AmbitiousOne]

Guys, I cannot thank you enough for your bravery to post these stories!! I keep repeating this but God knows how good it feels when you realize that you are not alone facing such embarrassments!

 

Today I went to the bank. I was in a good mood because my acne seemed subsided on the chin. So I just put a concealer on my chin and cheeks. I felt so happy that i did not have to put much makeup. Lo and behond! At the bank I get this pain on my temple and there it is: a HUGE CYST. I just laughed it off. I guess besides chin acne, I will be getting temple acne too .

[Someclearday]

@Someclearday - That must have been so hard!  Having to go through the facial, and then be the class example...  I admire you for choosing a profession like that, and having to be a guinea pig in school.  Did you survive going through your courses?  Are you a practicing esthetician today?  And you know, it's never too late...you could still write that letter

It happend a lot actually, but that was the worst because it was the first time it happened. What's lame is that I chose to do that because my skin had cleared up a lot and I wanted to help other people because I knew what it felt like and I had become kind of a self taught skin expert anyway lol but now I'm all broken out again so I haven't actively been looking for a job. I feel like why should I give advice, my skin looks awful:/
I worked in a spa for a little while but it was way too slow. Not really worth it. I'm looking into derms etc because I like the more clinical stuff

[AmbitiousOne]

But having said that, I am not depressed and this is thanks to your stories. We really need to post these stories to encourage each other!

[RJT623]

@Someclearday - I can totally understand how you feel...but maybe you could still pursue a job in a derm's office...I think your best attribute for working in that environment would be the empathy and understanding that you can provide the patients with

 

@AmbitousOne - sorry for the debut of a new cyst at the bank...I think we've all had those moments where we can feel one popping up and feel a bit defeated   But good for you for laughing it off! 

 

Thank you all for sharing your stories and participating in the conversation.  I know it helps me to "talk" with others in the same situation

[AyeAye]

I remember many MANY years ago when I was 21 and i started sleeping over at a new boyfriends place. Every Friday and Saturday night I went to bed with a full face of makeup and then got up really early the next morning to reapply before getting back into bed. Even though it was killing me because I knew it was making my acne worse I couldn't bare to show my boyfriend my awful skin. After a few weekends of this he asked me why I always wore makeup and I didn't need to because I was sooooo beautiful. I explained about my skin but he said to me not to be so silly and go wash it off because he thought I was the most gorgeous and sexy woman he had ever met.

So with those lovely words ringing in my ears I went to his bathroom, washed off my makeup and came back into his room. His only comment was "oh, I see what you mean". I think I nearly died. But once he got over the shock he still thought I was gorgeous

We ended up being together for 5 years and that became one of our favourite anecdotes. We had plenty more over the years but none acne related I'm afraid.

I love these stories, such a good idea

[RJT623]

@AyeAye - What a bittersweet story...that he encouraged you to remove your makeup, but then was kind of shocked. But it sounds like you had a good few years together!

I'm enjoying these stories too

[RedRuby]

Oh man, I have so many embarrassing stories as well. But, I guess the most embarrassing one that rings in my head was when I used to have really severe acne. I went to my aunts house for a family gathering and she asked me "What happened to your face" All my family members turned to stare at me. I felt like I wanted to die!! LOL .......And then of course you know they tried giving me advice on how to treat it, what to eat to cure it, and blah blah blah etc. . . .

[Jabberwocky80]

I taught middle school for years, so much to my dismay I was constantly in the spotlight.  I developed cystic acne (and the resulting depressed scars) that forever marred my previously smooth skin due to a traumatic experience when I was in my late 20's.  I've had several embarrassing experiences.

 

The year that I waded through hell was the same year I taught at a terrible school.  My 8th grade students were horrendous...flat out rude, disrespectful, and WAY too "grown" for their age.  For some reason some of them starting calling me "Alien".  I suppose it was due to the bumps and lumps of the cysts and the resulting scars.  It didn't dawn on me until one day when they were calling out "Alien!"  "Alien!"  right in class, regardless of how I asked them to quiet down.  I spoke with my principal about the situation, but he was always as useless as teats on a boar hog and offered me no suggestions or solutions.  Finally I spoke with the offending students together after class and made sure I told them that I knew that their blurting out was directed towards me and that it would stop here and now.  It did, but it still sticks with me like a fish bone in my throat.

 

When I moved to another school I thought I'd found my home.  It seemed like heaven compared to that previous school.  One day I picked up a note in class from a female student to a male student, and the female was discussing me.  It said something like "that yellow-haired cracker-face"...whatever that means.  I spoke with her and threatened to do everything within my power to either get her thrown off the softball team, call her mother inform her of the letter in addition to convincing the softball coach to run her until she puked and have her sit out a few games, or all of the above.  Yes, I said those things to her and I don't feel sorry for it.  I never knew this student felt this way about me.  I thought we "got along" very well.

 

Last but not least...a former student visited with my soon-to-be in-laws -- mother-in-law, father-in-law, sister- and brother-in-law, and niece and nephew by marriage -- (this former student's mother and the mother of this visiting close family friend of my in-laws were lovers) and told them that I was "a crater face."  I had left my in-laws' house before the girl said that, but that frigging hurt me to no end.  No, this particular student and I didn't develop a close relationship, but it severely hurt me that she called me that in front of my fiance's family.  I've always been extremely sensitive about my acne and scars, and my in-laws are the type to notice any little "imperfection" and point it out (although they've never said anything about my acne and scars because my husband privately told them I am very sensitive).  What hurt worse is that my in-laws didn't DEFEND me.  They didn't tell this stupid little wench to shut up, or chastise her for her ugly words...besides my in-laws always pointing out one another's flaws, they are "big" on manners and etiquette.  (Yes, it's weird how they can be so "open and free" at point out flaws yet are big on following etiquette.)

Edited by Jabberwocky80, 07 March 2013 - 04:34 PM.

[RJT623]

@jabberwocky80 - Those are definitely some rough situations that you experienced ;(. I think the worst was the one involving your in-laws...they should have defended you and put that girl in her place!

@RedRuby - Mortifying! I love how everyone thinks they know how to cure acne...and most of these people never had acne!

[RedRuby]

Goodness! People can be so shallow n nasty!! Especially young kids. I just here them talk n i think to myself "oh i hope your face explodes in acne" lol that will teach them to keep their mouth shut. Little Brats! Lol

[AlexanderJ86]

I have a past with severe bullying. I was bullied about my looks. I've never had friends and I still don't have friends. I've never been able to really connect with society. I spend ~90% of my time behind a computer. The other 10% of the time I do have contact with other people, but the contact itself is superficial and unpersonal. My mentor told me that I had to develop my social situation and to do more stuff, but it is not really working out for me yet. I guess I just have to do more stuff.

[QuietJamie14]

I have soooo many embarrassing acne moments... One of them is when I went out without makeup and saw my hot professor on the street... I was so sad afterwards... *sigh*

 

Try it the other way round: I am the professor who has to stand in front of a hall of students with a face full of acne/eczema and no makeup (I'm male)!

[Aka*Tom]

I have soooo many embarrassing acne moments... One of them is when I went out without makeup and saw my hot professor on the street... I was so sad afterwards... *sigh*

 

Try it the other way round: I am the professor who has to stand in front of a hall of students with a face full of acne/eczema and no makeup (I'm male)!

 

THIS!

 

I'm currently a teaching assistant in France (also male), so I'm not even in the comfort zone of my own country! Having to be in front of classes, talking to young kids etc is the worst experience ever.