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I like the idea of not letting acne consume your mind, which it does for me, but the do nothing method doesn't make sense for me. The two flaws I see is that everybody who started using topicals did so, because they had acne. So the best you can expect from this is to get back to when your acne was just starting. Another flaw is that when I was on and off tane, I didn't do anything to my skin, yet the acne came back.
I'm glad it worked for you and really appreciate your attitude and agree that topicals suck donkyballs (this new one called aczone actually seems really different and good) but the whole thing seems a little too optimistic.
Oh, and I think this website is the worst place to be if you want to stop worrying about your skin, but Ironically the best place to be if you want to clear it up.
The two flaws I see is that everybody who started using topicals did so, because they had acne. So the best you can expect from this is to get back to when your acne was just starting.
My main point is that many people here have teen acne that is only prolonged by topical use. Acne is not a lifetime problem. So no, it will not return to where it was if your hormones are finally balanced and your skin begins to take care of itself. If your hormones are still out of whack, yeah you will still probably have some acne.
I still get pimples from time to time, and so do most people my age. The difference is they are *much* smaller and I get one instead of the usual 10+. They also heal within a day or two compared to 5 days or more.
Thanks for the inspiring post! It's nice to see someone not only talk about things you can do regime wise (or lack thereof) but also of the more emotional side of acne. I'm in the same situation now as a junior whose had acne for what seems like forever. I hate to even leave the house or talk to people since I'm so embarrassed. Right now I'm using a lot of topical treatments and am really nervous to stop them. I've quit all my oral meds from the dermo and prescription topical treatments but I'm a bit hesitant to stop my tea tree oil and coconut oil. I suppose I might as well give it a shot because I doubt it can get that much worse... 
Hopefully this will give me the confidence to start living life again.
Congratulations for the post it was really interesting. Confidence is essential for a sane person, I have been with acne from i have 14 i have now 33 and still with acne. I have stop worried about acne some years ago and it help me too, but after reading your post i noticed that even when i stop worried about it i have not be positive on think that i will be clear at some point i simply accept my self having acne. So i think that this is also important to think that you will be clear to be clear
Bests,
JosA
One of things I hate about forums is a generalization is perceived as fact.
To anyone that makes a statement that:
Having acne makes no difference in how others treat you.
And confidence will always make rows of happy little flowers sing love songs for you...
That is folly.
People judge. And judgment is a selective process.
Perhaps you found favor in people by your personality, or by your natural looks aside from the acne.
This isn't to say everyone will get the same level of postive response.
Before anyone paints me with a pessimistic brush, know that I am merely a realist. Well grounded.
SOS
What about me?
I started the exact same way as you. Had a little bit of acne, didn't even notice really. Mom said USE THIS.
It was a downward spiral.
However, I have been off topicals for a long time now, and I still have acne.
All I use is the basis (or is it basic?) sensitive skin bar. It is extremely mild and I doubt it's causing me to break out.
One of things I hate about forums is a generalization is perceived as fact.
To anyone that makes a statement that:
Having acne makes no difference in how others treat you.
And confidence will always make rows of happy little flowers sing love songs for you...
That is folly.
People judge. And judgment is a selective process.
Perhaps you found favor in people by your personality, or by your natural looks aside from the acne.
This isn't to say everyone will get the same level of postive response.
Before anyone paints me with a pessimistic brush, know that I am merely a realist. Well grounded.
SOS
Sorry, but your post is completely worthless.
Take yourself. You have acne. Act like an un-confident person for a week, then act confident for a week. I never said you will be the most popular person around. Find where I made that claim.
I stated it will make things much better. There will be a positive change.
You can continue staring at the ground and not looking people in the eye if you would like.
This truly is a great post and kudos to such a young guy being so in tune to life!! Bravo Brotha!! I am 30 and I noticed that when I was partying all night and sleeping in strange (possibly dirty) beds with beer and dirt and girls saliva all over my face.. I had less and less breakout.. BUT.. When I was trying to be good and eating right and staying home and washing my face and sleeping on clean pillowsheets... I get freakin acne!! I am convinced that less must be more!! I have some minor scarring on my left cheek that drives me fucking bananas.. I may try some stuff to treat it, but as far as the new acne.. (which I still get even as an adult) I am stopping all the treatment and I am going back to being dirty.. Also it is interesting becasue all of my friends who dont have acne dont even think about it or do shit to prevent it. All I see in their bathroom is a bar of soap and shampoo. None of this pore refining scrub crap!!
THANKS BRO!!
Oh and one last thing.. I believe that my scars are indicators of stress in my life. It is my bodys way of showing others that I have dealt with some mental anguish. Sure there are some people who have had crazy mental ups and downs and have perfect flawless skin.. But maybe they didnt think about acne and let it get to them. Maybe it never crossed their mind because they were dealing with other issues that were much bigger. I have been moderately obsessed with looking perfect and that is freaking vane as hell. And that is why I got more breakouts..I have thought about my acne so much. It has to go hand and hand.. Your brain can make your thoughts come true. Bottom line!!
Oh and one last thing.. I believe that my scars are indicators of stress in my life. It is my bodys way of showing others that I have dealt with some mental anguish. Sure there are some people who have had crazy mental ups and downs and have perfect flawless skin.. But maybe they didnt think about acne and let it get to them. Maybe it never crossed their mind because they were dealing with other issues that were much bigger. I have been moderately obsessed with looking perfect and that is freaking vane as hell. And that is why I got more breakouts..I have thought about my acne so much. It has to go hand and hand.. Your brain can make your thoughts come true. Bottom line!!
You have touched on something here that I rarely bring up here because people just plain do not want to believe it, but I will now anyways.
Every time I see someone who has severe acne, I attribute the majority of that to the fact that acne bothers them.
First worrying about the face happens, then acne.
It is easy to think that acne makes people worry about the face, but I disagree.
The more you worry, fret, and obsess... the more acne you will have.
The less, the less.
Yea.. It does makes sense. I have been trying to do stuff not related to my looks lately to take my mind off of it. Over the last couple months I have been going out prob 1/4 as much as I used to so I dont have to worry about looking good. What I hate is that it makes me depressed to be home watching tv. Part of me just wants to go to an island for a year and live among island people who dont give a shit about that stuff. When I was in costa rica I was so much less concerned with my appearance and I had so much fun. I was there for a month and thought about my skin very little. Just like stress can lead to an ulcer. Stress can lead to acne. And stress about acne makes it even worse because you are thinking about acne and stressin over it. Only makes sense that more break out occur. Thanks for listening.
Hey quick question- I'm trying my hardest to just let go, but it is very hard. I'm on day 5 of washing my face with just water and sometimes moisturizing, and I'm starting to break out pretty badly. Any words of encouragement? I know this would be easier if I just didn't care, but I guess I haven't learned how to not care yet. I've cared a lot for the past 10 years or so.
Honestly.. I must say. This post has helped me so much.
After reading it i said to myself... ill try it. I am NOT going to worry about what new pimple has popped up, or which one dried up, etc, etc, etc, the daily worries and wonders. I just stoped it all, and even when i do get a thought in my head i remind myself: "I will not worry about it!" And i have noticed A BIGGG difference. for the past 2 weeks, much clearer.... i think this is the longest i have ever went without getting a cyst (ive had severe acne for about 5 + years) ... It's still there, but the amount of acne had improved almost 50% after changing my thinking and worrying....
Thank you for this post....
At the end of the day I have it pretty good I think.. Of course there are different issues, problems, and tragedys in life, but somewhere in the world a little kid is carrying a huge bucket of dirty river water on their head back to their family who lives in a little hut. It sounds corny and something a mom would say about eating vegetables but its so true. The faster you find happiness the faster clear skin will appear. It is so difficult because the snowball efffect has put us behind the eight ball. worrying... more acne.. depression... more acne... aggrevation.. more acne.. insecure about skin... more acne... And so on. We all owe this young dude who started this post a great deal of praise 😉 He touched on something so true that few recognize. THE MIND CONTROLS THE BODY!! I can't promise that positive thinking will make us all look like a piece of porcelin but I do know that it can help clear your skin and get priorities straight. I swear I think acne is a warning to others that I have had issues.. It is tough to swallow that fact but once I do I will be in better shape and more able to achieve the level of happiness I have always imagined myself having. We all can do it.. Good luck!!
The orginal topic and post is GOLD
I actually agree 100%. Acne is a part of you but doesnt make you who you are.
ive noticed many times before than even when i have a huge breakout and i go out in public,once i start interacting with ppl i just act myself and 4get about my acne. My friends treat me NOOO differently from when i have or dont have it.
Its more a personal issue.
Also is it just me or does anyone else see thier acne as a completely seperate entity from your body? like every time you get a new zit you have a war with it and you wish it would go away.bottom line is its a part of you...i just have this really fcking wierd mental thing that makes me think the acne is not part of me and its like i am being tortured when i get acne.lol its just really wierd...
anyways great post mate...ive read it a few times and i can relate to it well.cheers
Sorry I do not come around too often anymore, but I will try to reply to everyone when I do.
For those who have specific questions, feel free to private message me, and I will get an email that I will respond to within 24 hours usually.
Yea.. It does makes sense. I have been trying to do stuff not related to my looks lately to take my mind off of it. Over the last couple months I have been going out prob 1/4 as much as I used to so I dont have to worry about looking good. What I hate is that it makes me depressed to be home watching tv. Part of me just wants to go to an island for a year and live among island people who dont give a shit about that stuff. When I was in costa rica I was so much less concerned with my appearance and I had so much fun. I was there for a month and thought about my skin very little. Just like stress can lead to an ulcer. Stress can lead to acne. And stress about acne makes it even worse because you are thinking about acne and stressin over it. Only makes sense that more break out occur. Thanks for listening.
The orginal topic and post is GOLD
I actually agree 100%. Acne is a part of you but doesnt make you who you are.
ive noticed many times before than even when i have a huge breakout and i go out in public,once i start interacting with ppl i just act myself and 4get about my acne. My friends treat me NOOO differently from when i have or dont have it.
Its more a personal issue.
Also is it just me or does anyone else see thier acne as a completely seperate entity from your body? like every time you get a new zit you have a war with it and you wish it would go away.bottom line is its a part of you...i just have this really fcking wierd mental thing that makes me think the acne is not part of me and its like i am being tortured when i get acne.lol its just really wierd...
anyways great post mate...ive read it a few times and i can relate to it well.cheers
Thank you for the support! I remember the acne battles too. I would get so angry at my skin. I would pop and pick at my pimples, literally scratch my forehead filled with acne until it bled...
Horrible.. the things we do.
Then I realized that my skin was on my side.
Yesterday, after a pretty serious breakout, I gave up and popped everything. For the first time ever, I didn't apply anything after. Usually I apply some disinfectant cream and anti-inflammatory creams, yet this time I just washed my face with some room temperature water and let it dry. Surprise, redness is less than usually (when I use the creams) and none of the popped pimples are back to being inflamed. I don't think this has to do with anything mental, but that's another case of doing less-than-usually with success!
I know when I don't really think about it and ignore it it's just so much easier and sooo much more less of a problem.
I know it'll probably take a while to forget about it but you just have to. Trust me... it gets so much easier, lol
It does take a long time. Even after you take the first steps, you'll still find yourself thinking about it. As time goes on, it becomes less and less of an occurrence.
I know when I don't really think about it and ignore it it's just so much easier and sooo much more less of a problem.
I know it'll probably take a while to forget about it but you just have to. Trust me... it gets so much easier, lol
It's all about conditioning and habit.
For many people, working out is horrible when they first start. A few months down the line, and they cannot fathom going without exercise.
Same for diet.
Unfortunately, the mind may be the toughest aspect of ourselves to train. We are bombarded by so much crap from TV, radio, movies, magazines, internet and other people that it becomes a constant struggle to establish and maintain balance. Step by step, day by day, we have to condition ourselves and help ourselves, because no one else may be able to.
I just stopped washing my face altogether. No moisturizers, cleansers, or oils. I still have to figure out how to wash my hair without wetting my face. I'm also going to stop using soap on my back and shoulders.
For better or worse, this is how nature intended my skin to be. Stress is an inevitable part of life, and to assume that acne is caused by stress entails the notion that everyone has acne - which is false.
2 days and counting. Anybody with ideas on how to shave with minimal irritation?
I think that you are on to something. Right now I am really stressed about our finances, my kids, work, and the new dog that was added to our family. I have had some zits come out of no where and I think that all of the stress of those things has shown up on my face and I am freaking out about it. When I try to control things like my skin, work, finances etc, it seems to get worse, but when I don't care or think about it or compare my self or life to others, i feel better about things, hardley look in the mirror and dont stress. I really need to do that more. Elf