If he has any kind of commitment and love for you he wont care. If hes been with you for a year then its likely he does feel this way so just have fun!

He will not care obviously he loves you as he has spent a year of his life with you. Get over your fear and enjoy your time with him. Maybe talk to him about how you are embarassed for him to see you without any makeup, I am sure he will make you feel better about it.

i was feeling the same way recently. although my boyfriend of 3 years had seen me without makeup before, i was always self conscious and would kind of hide my face.

we moved in together this month and i felt really uncomfortable for the same reason you do.

one day last week i was going to put makeup on before work and he grabbed my face and said "you are absolutely beautiful without makeup, acne or not. you don't need to wear it."

it was the biggest self esteem boost ever and it also felt like one of the sweetest things anyone has ever said to me.

please don't feel self conscious around him and just talk to him about it.. if he is commited to you and he loves you he won't care.

You sound like me 4 years ago.

My acne began the year after I went away to college...and I felt like I had to learn a new way of living. I also had to share a bathroom with other girls...I'd hide in my room until I knew there was no one in the bathroom. I became very good at this...but that's not the point.

I did date boys and it was hard. I would never have them sleep over, and god forbid it was raining outside and there was a "chance" of my makeup washing off...I'd freak out.

I'm 24 now, and am also engaged to a guy I met in college. He was the first guy I had ever let me see without makeup, and he accepted me for who I was. Even now, after being together for over three years, I find it hard to be around him without makeup, but he's so understanding and doesn't even "see" what I see. Boys are like that...what we magnify on ourselves and think is disgusting, most guys don't even notice. If I could go back, I'd try to exist without hiding. There's no point in it. You waste SO much time trying to hide yourself, you miss out on a lot.

If your boyfriend loves you, he won't care in the least. If he does, well then he's a shallow idiot.

thanks. it is always nice to hear that other people have gone through the same thing.

but i am still terrified. the worst part is that he is the kindest and least judgemental person i have ever known. i just don't want to let him down.

i tell him everything, but this is my one secret. i don't even tell my therapist about how horrible and depressed my skin makes me feel because i can't stand the idea of her lying to me to make me feel better. i am so ashamed.

i agree with everything that all of you said, and i wish that i was brave enough, but i just don't think i can do it.

sometimes i feel like it is my punishment to live like this.

Guys can sense when you're hiding something, even if they aren't sure what that something is. When I was dumped a few months ago, I thought it was because of my acne.

I've realized, though, that it was really just because I never let him see the real me.

Not only did I wear makeup and style my hair every time I went to see him, even if it was late and I was just going over to sleep, but I barely ever let any of my real feelings out. I let a lot of things that hurt me slide and I didn't speak up.

I tried to be like this perfect Stepford girlfriend because I thought that's what he wanted.

I never even let him smell my morning breath, lol. Seriously, I would get up and swish some mouthwash before he woke up every morning. He had to have known that I always wore makeup, as well, and it probably freaked him out. He probably wondered what was wrong with me.

Needless to say, he ended up dumping me for a girl that barely ever wears makeup.

While she does have fairly clear skin, it's nowhere near perfect. She's got greasiness, ruddiness, occasional mild acne, etc.

Once they're attracted to you and in love with you, it's okay to be a regular person.

They'll be freaked out if you aren't one. Guys are just people, too, after all.

For heaven's sake...please tell your therapist. I suffer from more than just acne....I actually have body dysmorphic disorder because of it....and I will try and fix my face by picking every single zit and every clogged pore until I "feel" like there's nothing left, and everything is "perfect." Trust me when I tell you...there is NOTHING like trying to hide the scabs and scars that I do it myself. The acne just comes back anyway because I keep picking at it. I got very good at lying to my dermatologist.

Anyway, I hate to break it to you...but your boyfriend probably doesn't think your acne is as big of a secret as you do. He does have eyes and can probably see when you're all broken out. Knowing this...guess what...he hasn't dumped you! That must mean that he's with you for all of the right reasons.

I thought it was a miracle that my fiance stayed with me even after I showed him what my skin looked like after I mutilated my face to a pulp.

The bottom line is that acne should not be a reason to keep you from having a serious relationship. We all have our insecurities, but I guarantee you...he's probably self conscious about his penis size just as much as you are concerned about your face.

I know exactally how you feel. I don't think I have ever shown anyone other than my family and one bf my face without makeup. I am still scared to do it but I know for a fact that in the past my 'cover ups' of not wanting to have sleepovers or just hang out with my b/f's was a main reason on why my relationships didnt work.

Honestly if you have the courage to do it just do it. like all these other posts if he really likes you, your acne wont be noticed by him or he just wont care cuz he likes you.

Its kinda funny how that works because when I was seeing this one guy I went on a trip with him and we were in a hotel so I had no choice but to take my makeup off at night. In the morning he opened the curtains and i immediatly thought to cover up my face, but I didnt because I thought I would just give it a chance. Sure enough because I didnt show that I was insecure about it he did not say anything...

I wish that i had a therypist to talk to about my acne! Do it, you never know they might make you feel alot better about it.

Start out slow, just by taking your makeup off and only having the light of the tv on, and then once you get a little more comfrotable you could try with at light on. I know that sounds kinda weird and crazy ha ha but little steps can be a lot easier on you!

I was thinking about this very topic the other day. Only, I was thinking about all the things I would have missed out on if I was afraid to be seen without makeup.

I broke out recently and I was hesitant to go to karate class because I didn't want anyone to see my skin. I can't wear foundation, or I'll get it on my gi (the white karate uniforms we wear) when I start sweating. Ultimately, I decided to hell with it - no one's going to look at me and think, "Oh, her skin looks so bad!" - no, they're going to think, "Hot damn, she's punching hard today!"

If I was afraid to be seen without makeup, I couldn't go camping, hiking, rockclimbing, or do any sort of strenuous activity. In other words, life would suck because I love that stuff.

Basically, you can be the girl with skin that looks clear (because you have makeup on) who is always stressed out and never does fun stuff because she's too concerned about her appearance.... or you can be the girl with bad skin who doesn't let it control her life and does fun stuff regardless.

Which do you think people will be more attracted to? Which person will you be prouder to be?

PS, I think your boyfriend will be too excited about getting nookie and sleeping in your bed to be concerned over your skin. That's how men are. My boyfriend could never tell if I was wearing makeup or not and he didn't really care.

hey,

here's some advice i got about going to uni with acne and i think it might be worth you having a look at their replies- they certainly had some good tips and ideas for me and i think they might be relevant and help you a little...

http://www.acne.org/messageboard/index.php...p;#entry2189168

let me know if this link works otherwise its under my posts on my profile page

also i had a therapist which was mainly to help me through depression and i shared with her my concerns about my acne and week on week she supported me and really helped me to work through problems of low self confidence with my skin and it was just so great to talk about everything to do with my skin to a non-biased helpful person whose job is to listen and support without judgement- i really really urge you to chat to yours about this as for me it was just such a great relief to chat to someone and it helped me more than i can say- im forever grateful that for me i had the amazing opportunity to talk to someone openly and honestly about my acne without feeling like i was not being understood...

please let me know how it goes and if this is any help to you

all the best

xxx

If your acne is so bad-serious that you feel you always have to have makeup, truth is I think your boyfriend must kinda know something is there. He has been with you for 1 year, I'm pretty sure that if you just talk to him and explain he won't care at all about your acne. Plus you'll have someone you love to help you through it, or at least someone you can feel comfortable around without makeup. I use to be the same way, I wouldn't even go to the gas station without makeup. I started using less and less makeup everyday. At first it was very hard and I felt so self conscious but now I can go out with just a little loose powder for my red marks and feel ok about it. And please don't go to bed with makeup on, that will only make things worse. Good luck in college

you are all fantastic... all of the posts put a smile on my face especially the penis size and nookie ones.

i have decided that i will eventually have to let people see me with no makeup. i mean, there will probably be a fire drill at 3 in the morning and i will have to run outside with BP all over my face (this is my worst nightmare)

but i am still having trouble picturing me telling my bf. i kinda feel like i have been hiding it for so long that it is too late....kinda like when you borrow a book from someone and then too much time passes so it is awkward and you just have to avoid them for the rest of your life.

how did you guys first take it off? any advice.

i was thinking about wearing less makeup at first....like maybe a powder. does anyone have any suggestions for makeup that wont make me look like a clown????

seriously all of you are both supportive and hilarious.

When I first started dating my fiance, he had known me already for two years...it's actually kind of funny because I always used to go to him with my relationship problems and he used to be the "nice guy" who's shoulder I cried on.

ANYWAY...the first time I slept over at his place I knew what was coming, so I took a chance and let him know what was making me scared. He asked me, what's the worst that could happen once the make-up comes off? I told him that I was scared he was going to dump me, and that he'd think I was an abomination to society and never want to see me again. He told me how irrational my thinking was and to just try. He said we could leave the lights off to make me more comfortable. So I just did it. I don't know what else to say about it really...the more you tell your boyfriend about what is bothering you...the better you will feel, and the stronger your relationship will be.

But be honest with you...like I've already mentioned, I'm 24 now...been dealing with this a while. I still get nervous letting him see me completely un-made-up. But, no matter how much I hate the way I look, and no matter how many irrational thoughts go through my head...we've been together for 3 years and he still hasn't dumped me...so I guess I'm not that ugly to him.

Oh...and about that fire drill fear...that happened to me my senior year

so it is me again....

i wish that i had good news: that i told my boyfriend or at least my therapist but i haven't done either.

i did go to the dermatologist which is a pretty big deal because i rarely leave the house. my socail anxiety is at an all time high which is just fantastic seeing as i go to school in exactly one week.

to make things even better i just started taking antibiotics and retine A yesterday. my face already looks like a slimy peeling mess. i will probably get the IB the day that i go to school.

i have already been kicked out of school for a suicide attempt last year and i don't want that to happen again but everything just seems to be going to shit. even my boyfriend is becoming annoyed because i am distancing myself from him and don't have the courage to tell him why.

i just needed to tell people who might understand.

omg i had that problem too. I had like just redness on my skin, not acne, but it still looked not good. And it was like in 3 spots. So i went to this guys house, and i had makeup on. and then we went swimming in his pool. If you put enough benzoyl peroxide on your face and then go swimming, those parts of your skin get REALLY dry. And i didnt know that. So yeah i noticed it. And when he looked at me, he said i was beautiful. That was like the BEST feeling in the world.

You really shouldn't worry about it at all, I felt the same when my boyfriend (now of 2 years and 6 months) first stayed the night at mine after going out for around 9 months. At first I would only take off my makeup when we were going straight to bed so that I could turn all of the lights off and in the morning I'd shower and put my makeup on in the bathroom so he wouldn't see me without makeup. This wasn't very ideal and kind of ruined the idea of sleeping next to each-other because I was constantly rushing off to put on my makeup, sounds silly now

Eventually I just decided that if he loved me and genuinely wanted to be with my a few red marks (well, a LOT of red marks) on my face shouldn't make a difference, and since I let him see me without makeup it hasn't been a problem again and he is always telling me that he thinks I'm beautiful with or without the makeup... he even prefers me without it! Anyway, he can probably still see some of your spots through your makeup and it clearly doesn't bother him ...so the moral of the story is that if he really wants to be with you, a few (or loads) of spots shouldn't bother him at all

have fun!

If he's been with you over a year, he obviously loves and cares for you and wouldn't care if your skin is 'bad'. First of all, you're your own worst critic, so I'm sure you think your skin looks worse than it actually is. Secondly, makeup can't hide everything; I'm sure your boyfriend has noticed you have some acne but obviously he doesn't care! Most people don't. So many people have acne. Don't worry so much, and maybe open up to your bf about your insecurities. Not only will it bring you guys closer but he'll be able to understand why you're nervous about taking your makeup off in front of him. And I'm sure he'll love you even more.

Just realised the original post is from 2008, lol. But to people with the same problem, reading now, well, I hate to break this to you, but makeup isnt that good. I'm sure your boyfriend/girlfriend already knows you have acne. Try to get the mindset that if they dont like you with acne, then they dont deserve you without it. Nobody is worth sleeping in makeup for.

Let's be honest--makeup doesn't really cover acne unless your acne is extremely mild. It may make it less noticeable out of the corner of someone's eye, but it won't cover it. So your boyfriend has probably already seen your acne. Unless you know some sort of amazing makeup tricks that can make a giant lump completely flat (don't think they exist). This kind of sucks since there's no real way to cover it, but it's a good thing in your case because you don't have to be so attached to wearing makeup if you don't want to be.

Also--guys almost always prefer girls without much makeup, even if there is acne. Most guys hate getting makeup wiped on them and what not, plus they just prefer the natural look. Honestly though, I bet if you just take your makeup off and don't say anything, your guy won't even notice. I've done this with guys and had them say things like "What did you do? You look so pretty!" Even when I was broke out! They don't notice exactly what is different, they just notice that you're fresh faced and natural and they find that attractive.

I know exactly how you feel. And yes if your boyfriend truly cares for you (the deep-down you), then he shouldnt care, but you're still insecure and worried and i get that. Me with makeup and Me without makeup are two very different Me's. I've been so worried about my bare face that it has put a damper on my dating life and when I was in a relationship, I admit that I would sleep with my bb cream on (i know i know its horrible for my skin). My friend told me that she would wait until her boy fell asleep to wash her face and would wake up really really early, before him, to put on her makeup.....oh the lengths we go through..

But i agree with other ppl that most guys dont even notice a few tiny bumps here and there and I hope you find your way through this situation. As for me, no one will see my bare face for a while...until my acne/scarring gets better or i get a giant boost in self confidence!