i tried eating a skunk. A fuckin skunk for clear skin! I wonder what our parents think when they see our baby pictures then look at us now and think damn why did i bring this monster into this peice of shit earth.

 

Did you really try eating a skunk?

 

lmao

lolz.. a skunk we guys should plan a party or sumtng.. then all of us people can have fun n we wont evn hav 2 worry bout our skin coz evry 1 will have acne!!

delusion

yes, acne can suuuuuck..... BUT, it's made me see past the delusion that most of the media and society are drowning in...... our physical appearances!!!!

so.... yeah. i don't wear that veil of delusion anymore and i try to see myself and others for who we are inside and not what we look like.

 

Agreed. I don't judge people on their appearances anymore because I know what it feels like.

 

i feel the same way, just gotta stay positive

Its mostly took away my confidence in almost everything, I hate leaving the house, and I have to for college and stuff. I was actually going to quit college as I did'nt want anyone to see how much my skin has changed over the past few months. Its definately took a toll on my self-esteem too :/ I hate looking in the mirror sooo frigging much. I just feel so ugly with it, its crap since most of my spots are all under my skin and make my face look bumpy and well to me disgusting.

This most likely will be strange to most of you if not all. However have you ever thought of what the experience of having acne has given you?

First off, let me add to this list by saying

-my cofidence around woman is next to zero, if not zero. I for some reason seek "approval" and i dont even know im doing it. I feel unwanted, and a second class citizen around people my age. I have never, ever, felt like have "belonged" to something or someone in 6 years. I'm 21 now so basically then it meant not fitting in, now it means so much more that im older.

However, what has acne given me besides so much hell?

- utter respect to those who have had it worse than me

-empathy/apathy

-complete understand and experience in so many ways

-a desire to want to help people

-has opened my mind, helped shaped whats really important in my life, and what i want in a person (would rather have a gf with acne than be a super model)

-has reduced my ego. When i was growing up i was a terrible, insensitve, cruel person that judged people on looks, made fun of my sister at times even.

-i use to brag about myself like i was god's gift to man and always compared myself to my sister. That way of thinking was corrected for the better.

i dont know bout you guys but would you be the same person today if you didnt have acne? Not that anyone wants this, but its an experience that if you really understand it and understand others it shapes who you are as a person for the good and bad. You have to recognize both and choose* what and who you want to be. Yes you have a choice. Yes, its easier to believe the bad stuff, but remember also the humanity it has given you...

Now I'm pretty clear. I still don't want to go anywhere fearing my face will break out again. Just stay in my room all day unless I have to go out ( going to school or buying groceries). Human interactions stress the hell out of me. I refuse to hang out with friends or to go on vacation: have to put on sunscreen, makeup, when I get home my face will be a big mess and I breakdown again, then I either eat a lot of junk food or cry and scream for hours. When I meet and talk to strangers I just want to end the conversations as quick as possible. My therapist said you could enjoy life without people ( he was talking about nature and things like that...), but how could I if people are just fucking everywhere.

confidence, happiness, hopefullness, optimism, friendships, my health *at one point, social skills, self respect. It most importantly made me lose who i was/am

 

I agree 100%. I feel like I'm loosing myself. I don't wanna hang with friends, go to school, or my fav activity go shopping. I'm so read for my regimen package to get here.

Acne has taken a lot from me but after getting clear I know exactly what can be done to be clear forever. PM me if I can help u in any way.

_{While, yes my acne and scarring bothers me, I decided not to let it take away from what I wanted to do in life. I've had acne for 8 years and I was able to complete my college education, have a long-term relationship, acquire a job in the medical field, become promoted to manager, and take better care of myself. When I first developed acne and it became severe it was a hit to my confidence, but I realized it couldn't prevent me from doing what I wanted.}

_{The big picture of what I am trying to get across is not to waste your life in seclusion. If you want to complete college, meet a partner, or attain a job you can. It has nothing to do with acne..that is just an excuse. I've seen people with far worse physical and mental disabilities accomplish more in their lives. Yes, acne does suck and I still research treatments on the board to help it clear up, but I can't let it control my life.}

its taken away

1 social ability

2 confidence

3 hours of my life looking at myself in mirrors

what have i gained

1 a deep understanding of my body

2 the fact im a lot healthier than ive ever been before

3 im so much more considerate in the way i treat and speak to people

Nothing. It made me what i am today so it's actually given me a lot.

Accepting myself

Not caring what other people think

More outgoing

To be real with myself

To stand up for myself.

Turn negatives into positives

I feel like I've lost friends because I chose not to see them

I also don't feel like I am myself anymore. All I think about everyday is how bad my acne is, and everytime I am at work or in school, I'm always picturing what other people are seeing when they look at me.

Its been an on and off battle for 10 years, and I'm getting really..really..really tired of living this way.

The more solutions I try to do to help my acne, the less hope i have, and I have no idea what else to do...*sigh*

I'm not a suicidal person, I do try to be as optimistic as I can be, but there are days where I think if I died, that it would be nice because it would just end this miserable feeling I have everyday.not to sound so dramatic..but i really do think that at times..and it sucks.

What makes me feel even worse is that there are so many obese people, and homeless people (who i assume has bad diet and hygiene) that I look at, yet, they have CLEAR skin...what the fck man

Taken away the following:

Confidence

Self Esteem

Time - Good memories

Money

Attractiveness, Fun, outgoing personality and love of being in large crowds, talking to people, meeting people

Social life - friends

Good family relationships

Any hope of romantic relationships, dating, marrying, ability to have children

Employment opportunities - being recognised, promotions etc

Happiness

My love of taking photoes with me in them....

What it has given me:

Scars

Frustration/Anger/Moodiness/Bitterness

Unhappiness and tears

Insomnia

Anxiety

Depression

OCD

What it has taught me:

People are superficial and even though you can't change them, you can change yourself and the way you think.

There is no use trying to explain to them how you feel because if they have clear skin, they will never understand and think you're overreacting.

Try to be strong and work on other parts of your body/personality to feel better, make yourself happier.

Self-esteem

Self-worth

Confidence

Balance

What I had of a social life.

My ability to be myself around people- I feel like I need to hide behind defence mechanisms such as frequent, unrelenting banter. It's exhausting.

My autonomy, to an extent.

hope, future, life, everything....

Acne takes barely anything from us. YOU TAKE IT AWAY FROM YOURSELF. If you never accept that FACT you will never be at peace.

There are many people living with acne that couldnt care less about it. They live full and happy lives.

as what I experience, acne took the most of self confidence. we all wants to have a good look, that's why acne is a hindrance for our great confidence

self esteem

confidence

personality

school (I transferred to online because of it)

friends (I've shoved them away)

possible relationships

my dreams

my hope

happiness

fun

parties that I was invited to

its the reason I'm lying in bed right now depressed instead of being at school with friends

My life. That sums it all up right there.

Acne never took anything away from me; the way I responded to it did. My response to acne was hide away because I was so insecure and lacking confidence in my appearance. I basically grew to dislike being me. That wasn't directly because of my acne, I just wasn't strong enough to hold my head up and battle on. Even with all I lost, I'll always maintain that it wasn't directly the fault of my experience with acne.

Long story short, because I wasn't strong enough to rise above it all, over the years I got fired from a job, I lost my friendships, I lost what little social skills I had, and I've never had the experience of girlfriends or relationships. On the other side of that though, I now have a job I'm happier with and I live in hope that one day the soppy romantic in me will meet someone special. It's not all bad.

 

Give this man a medal.

"the way I responded to it did"

If anyone truly wants to get on top of their mental issue you do well to listen and to understand what Paul has said.

There are so many negative comments about acne and most are misdirected.

Fact is the individual may have cause your own acne through a bad diet. I am not saying this is the case with everyone,

However before blaming all of your problems on acne ask yourself have you done anything to aggravate it? Have you done all you could to change your life style and your way of thinking to deal with it.

Acne isn't the problem here but the way deal with it, adapt to it and overcome is the real issue.

Stop pointing the finger and adapt to your situation.

A non burning face. Hahaha (I'm not blushing - it's the BP!)

Genuinley though, nothing. If I stop and think about it the acne itself has never actually taken anything from me. Being shy and unsociable did, but I've changed that now.

I love what PaulH85, TakeToTheSkies, and SpotTheDifference have touched upon...

I used to let acne control me-- my actions, how I felt about myself and the time I spent with others. I was miserable about it. I let friendships fade and college wasn't what it should have been. I only just realized this year that if I don't think of my acne as this terrible plague that is ruining my life, I feel a lot better about myself. And this is regardless of how bad my acne is on any given day. For example, a couple days ago, I had a break out. However, I actively decided to just shrug it off. And I literally shrugged in the mirror and said to myself "Oh well" Then I put my makeup on and went on with my day.

Try that the next time you feel like your acne might ruin yet another day. Shrug and say "oh well!" with a big smile on your face. Life will get better Changing your attitude can change your life.

Acne in itself does not take anything away from you or stop you doing anything. It is how you respond to and deal with having acne that is the problem and that depends on the individual.

Some people who have or had acne are able to just shrug it off and live fulfilling and successful lives without letting it bother them.

Other people who are less confident and secure about themselves to begin with will let it affect their lives more. I include myself in this latter group but hope to change that in the days, weeks, months and years to come.

1. my emotions

2. my friends

3. ability to have fun

4. ability to go out into public

Friends

Confidence/looks

Jobs - so many absences!

Nites out

My will to get up in the morning

ME - im so down about my face its took away my personality i used to be so much fun (

Hope

Wish at times id fall asleep and that would be it all over - so basically my whole life

Months and years of my life wasted not leaving the house and doing what i want to do

Love

Going ahead with plans - if i get a breakout I cancel

( so good getting all that out! xx