I've experienced much clearer skin since joining this site and I can say that the future is very much good - and in many ways, so much more better than I imagined it. A lot of old constraints have been dropped (or else been gotten used to, like the skin care regimen.) The day to day weight can be unbearable during breakouts, though. You are in the right place to talk about it.

I do think about the future and I hope that one day I'll grow out of my acne.

All the time! Especially since I'm hoping to go to America in a Uni exchange thing next year and the thought of having terrible skin at the time is putting me off going...

I think personally its the best thing to do - to know that you will be clear one day. This is just temporary, know that. Maybe we have it to teach us something? Maybe to help us in some way? To view the world/society differently as opposed to how we would feel if we had flawless skin? Or Maybe life's just being a bitch?

Visualisation is a powerful tool and if we see it happening and feeeeeel it with positive vibrations from our soul, we feel happy/awe/joyful for just a split second (well I do)...thats the feeling we will feel one day about ourselves when we look in the mirror. But what if we tried, just tried to feel that way about ourelves right now? If we loved ourselves and did not worry about what people thought or how bad our skin looked on this particular day and make it ruin the full day, I bet we would seem much more attractive and approachable to others around us since we are feeding life with positivity.

I wish I could practice what I preach. But yea, keep visualising, even write it down, write about how you feel about yourself and your appearance in the future and believe that its gonna happen...cos' it is

I think personally its the best thing to do - to know that you will be clear one day. This is just temporary, know that. Maybe we have it to teach us something? Maybe to help us in some way? To view the world/society differently as opposed to how we would feel if we had flawless skin? Or Maybe life's just being a bitch?

Visualisation is a powerful tool and if we see it happening and feeeeeel it with positive vibrations from our soul, we feel happy/awe/joyful for just a split second (well I do)...thats the feeling we will feel one day about ourselves when we look in the mirror. But what if we tried, just tried to feel that way about ourelves right now? If we loved ourselves and did not worry about what people thought or how bad our skin looked on this particular day and make it ruin the full day, I bet we would seem much more attractive and approachable to others around us since we are feeding life with positivity.

I wish I could practice what I preach. But yea, keep visualising, even write it down, write about how you feel about yourself and your appearance in the future and believe that its gonna happen...cos' it is

 

awesome advice

I think personally its the best thing to do - to know that you will be clear one day. This is just temporary, know that. Maybe we have it to teach us something? Maybe to help us in some way? To view the world/society differently as opposed to how we would feel if we had flawless skin? Or Maybe life's just being a bitch?

Visualisation is a powerful tool and if we see it happening and feeeeeel it with positive vibrations from our soul, we feel happy/awe/joyful for just a split second (well I do)...thats the feeling we will feel one day about ourselves when we look in the mirror. But what if we tried, just tried to feel that way about ourelves right now? If we loved ourselves and did not worry about what people thought or how bad our skin looked on this particular day and make it ruin the full day, I bet we would seem much more attractive and approachable to others around us since we are feeding life with positivity.

I wish I could practice what I preach. But yea, keep visualising, even write it down, write about how you feel about yourself and your appearance in the future and believe that its gonna happen...cos' it is

 

I really like this post. As much as my acne is the worst thing to me, it's kind of made me a stronger person, is this the same with you and anyone else? As much as age contributes to it, i think there is something else in our bodies telling us something isn't right and we just have to find what it is? Well for me anyway, I just don't think my age is the one factor to it. My acne has started clearing lucky enough, hope it stays this way too, but i'm left with a ton of red marks. So it's just the acne we have to deal with, it's the after affects. It annoys me when people complain about having a spot, hello have you seen how many i have i think lol

When I was young, I thought that a few years later I would have clear skin.

A few years later, I thought that after another few years, I would have clear skin.

Now after another few years, I still dream for clear skin.

I guess I can't help but be desperately optimistic, however you have to stick to reality.

Chances are, that if you have been prone to acne for many years, its most likely going to try to come back even if you are clear.

Its like a loyal enemy.

I think personally its the best thing to do - to know that you will be clear one day. This is just temporary, know that. Maybe we have it to teach us something? Maybe to help us in some way? To view the world/society differently as opposed to how we would feel if we had flawless skin? Or Maybe life's just being a bitch?

Visualisation is a powerful tool and if we see it happening and feeeeeel it with positive vibrations from our soul, we feel happy/awe/joyful for just a split second (well I do)...thats the feeling we will feel one day about ourselves when we look in the mirror. But what if we tried, just tried to feel that way about ourelves right now? If we loved ourselves and did not worry about what people thought or how bad our skin looked on this particular day and make it ruin the full day, I bet we would seem much more attractive and approachable to others around us since we are feeding life with positivity.

I wish I could practice what I preach. But yea, keep visualising, even write it down, write about how you feel about yourself and your appearance in the future and believe that its gonna happen...cos' it is

 

I really like this post. As much as my acne is the worst thing to me, it's kind of made me a stronger person, is this the same with you and anyone else? As much as age contributes to it, i think there is something else in our bodies telling us something isn't right and we just have to find what it is? Well for me anyway, I just don't think my age is the one factor to it. My acne has started clearing lucky enough, hope it stays this way too, but i'm left with a ton of red marks. So it's just the acne we have to deal with, it's the after affects. It annoys me when people complain about having a spot, hello have you seen how many i have i think lol

 

Thankyou Thats great that you can see how you have become stronger due to your acne, for me I feel I have become more compassionate and more grateful - grateful for the fact that out of all the illnesses in this world I only have to deal with acne and Im also grateful that I have found this communtiy. It seems that acne has kind of spawned a community of "healers" so to speak, we all want the same thing (to be clear), and this skin condition has sparked a curiosity in each of us to get out of our comfort zones and try to "heal" ourselves, you know. So in ways acne can force us to eat healthier, to exercise, it can force us to stand up for ourselves, it can force us to relax more or appreciate more...its like a catalyst in order to push us to do something. I totally agree with you that something isn't right in our sytems and we need to know why and how to change it, whether that be hormonal issues, gut issues, allergies or just puberty. Acne is there for a reason. We have this for a reason. Thats what I think, I know not everyone thinks like that.

Thats amazing that your acne has cleared for the most part and you are only dealing with the marks left over. Have you tried any types of natural oils? Like Argon or jojoba for moisturising? They are meant to be good for marks, also even clay-masks like once a week, there are tons of home-made ones you can try. Il tell you, something which has calmed my acne down a bit has been cutting out coffee, I used to drink that ALOT.

And yea, how frustrating is it when someone complains of a frigging spot...I hear that alot, and it does get to me a bit lol..I always say to them "it could be worse" Like it really could!

you have got to have hope and stay positive.

you may clear naturally or find a way to control it so its pretty much gone, keeping an open mind about the future is always great to do.

I think personally its the best thing to do - to know that you will be clear one day. This is just temporary, know that. Maybe we have it to teach us something? Maybe to help us in some way? To view the world/society differently as opposed to how we would feel if we had flawless skin? Or Maybe life's just being a bitch?

Visualisation is a powerful tool and if we see it happening and feeeeeel it with positive vibrations from our soul, we feel happy/awe/joyful for just a split second (well I do)...thats the feeling we will feel one day about ourselves when we look in the mirror. But what if we tried, just tried to feel that way about ourelves right now? If we loved ourselves and did not worry about what people thought or how bad our skin looked on this particular day and make it ruin the full day, I bet we would seem much more attractive and approachable to others around us since we are feeding life with positivity.

I wish I could practice what I preach. But yea, keep visualising, even write it down, write about how you feel about yourself and your appearance in the future and believe that its gonna happen...cos' it is

 

I really like this post. As much as my acne is the worst thing to me, it's kind of made me a stronger person, is this the same with you and anyone else? As much as age contributes to it, i think there is something else in our bodies telling us something isn't right and we just have to find what it is? Well for me anyway, I just don't think my age is the one factor to it. My acne has started clearing lucky enough, hope it stays this way too, but i'm left with a ton of red marks. So it's just the acne we have to deal with, it's the after affects. It annoys me when people complain about having a spot, hello have you seen how many i have i think lol

 

Thankyou Thats great that you can see how you have become stronger due to your acne, for me I feel I have become more compassionate and more grateful - grateful for the fact that out of all the illnesses in this world I only have to deal with acne and Im also grateful that I have found this communtiy. It seems that acne has kind of spawned a community of "healers" so to speak, we all want the same thing (to be clear), and this skin condition has sparked a curiosity in each of us to get out of our comfort zones and try to "heal" ourselves, you know. So in ways acne can force us to eat healthier, to exercise, it can force us to stand up for ourselves, it can force us to relax more or appreciate more...its like a catalyst in order to push us to do something. I totally agree with you that something isn't right in our sytems and we need to know why and how to change it, whether that be hormonal issues, gut issues, allergies or just puberty. Acne is there for a reason. We have this for a reason. Thats what I think, I know not everyone thinks like that.

Thats amazing that your acne has cleared for the most part and you are only dealing with the marks left over. Have you tried any types of natural oils? Like Argon or jojoba for moisturising? They are meant to be good for marks, also even clay-masks like once a week, there are tons of home-made ones you can try. Il tell you, something which has calmed my acne down a bit has been cutting out coffee, I used to drink that ALOT.

And yea, how frustrating is it when someone complains of a frigging spot...I hear that alot, and it does get to me a bit lol..I always say to them "it could be worse" Like it really could!

 

I totally agree with you that for some of us it can force us to go to different lengths. Like you said not everyone thinks like that as in other things are contributing to our acne. I totally think other things are and i'm glad you do to, i think acne is something which isn't looked into enough. All you hear people say is "oh it's your age" i never agree with this statement and also people who don't have acne don't seem to realise the impact it has on a sufferer. A lot of people also think it's a stupid thing to complain about and there is more worse things happening and that's why it isn't looked into enough. Unless you experience real acne and not just a spot then people would understand how much determination and lengths some of us are willing to go to.

My acne never used to be bad, i remember when it first developed and i thought nothing of it, odd spot here and there and then as the years have gone on it's just gotten worse. Not long back when i changed my medication around my acne went to another length and i broke out in spots all over the place, it looked awful and it still doesn't look good but it's not as bad. I'm not spot clearer i still have some but the redness is what attracts it more. The redness is awful, it's like WTH! Now i have this to deal with this. I haven't tried any oils, i'm going to be trying a treatment next wek, haven't been told the name yet by my doctor but will try and get the name! He thinks it will help with my marks and redness, i'm hoping it does but like everything it takes time and i can't just stop if i don't see results straight away. I'm going to be changing my diet around too, i don't eat healthy at all! I think my diet is having a big impact on my acne, i know a lot of people think diet has nothing to do with it but personally i think for some people it does, like you said acne is there for a reason and we need to find why it's causing us as a person to have it. Everyone is different and different things help and don't help people, so i think people shouldn't block anything out until they've tried it.

Sorry for going on in that post, it's like once you get writing you can't stop lol?

Lol, we encourage the long posts here. Is good to talk stuff out.

I think personally its the best thing to do - to know that you will be clear one day. This is just temporary, know that. Maybe we have it to teach us something? Maybe to help us in some way? To view the world/society differently as opposed to how we would feel if we had flawless skin? Or Maybe life's just being a bitch?

Visualisation is a powerful tool and if we see it happening and feeeeeel it with positive vibrations from our soul, we feel happy/awe/joyful for just a split second (well I do)...thats the feeling we will feel one day about ourselves when we look in the mirror. But what if we tried, just tried to feel that way about ourelves right now? If we loved ourselves and did not worry about what people thought or how bad our skin looked on this particular day and make it ruin the full day, I bet we would seem much more attractive and approachable to others around us since we are feeding life with positivity.

I wish I could practice what I preach. But yea, keep visualising, even write it down, write about how you feel about yourself and your appearance in the future and believe that its gonna happen...cos' it is

 

I have underlined in bold part of your post missac17 as I think it is brilliant advice for anyone who is currently suffering from acne (whatever the severity).

You have to like and accept yourself first and foremost otherwise you can never truly be happy. If you don`t do this, even when you acne gets better you will be left with the same hang-ups and insecurities that you had when the acne was bad.

I spent many years just focusing on clearing my acne thinking that once my skin was better, it would automatically lead to happiness and utopia. Unfortunately, as I neglected to work on myself during this time, when my acne cleared I was still the underconfident, insecure person that I was when my acne was bad.

It was only a few months ago that I realised that I had been wrong all along. I am now looking to learn to accept and like myself and I am doing this through a combination of counselling and CBT which will commence in the coming months. It is going to be a very long process as I have been so negative for so long and I have good and bad days (yesterday was not great for instance). However, I at least now feel that what I am aiming for will in the long run help to improve the quality of my life.

Gunnke, I cheer your efforts! Conseling and CBT has been invaluable for me. It's great to see someone else utilizing those tools!

Believe me once your acne goes, you forget about it. I have, you will get there. I was sat in your position a good 6 months ago, was tragic and I got pretty upset. The best advice was from my Brother, he said this after my spots has gone. Para-phrasing "Hey Bro, I'd still love you even if there wasn't a square inch of clear skin on your face, you're still my bro. I didn't really care about your acne." Which is the best thing I ever heard.

Anyway by the time you hit Adulthood, people stop caring about looks, so I guess you will be okay. You will be a much stronger person from it, I know I have matured so much going through it and coming out of it. Just bare through it mate, what doesn't kill you, can only make you stronger and that phrase is true here.

William

I think personally its the best thing to do - to know that you will be clear one day. This is just temporary, know that. Maybe we have it to teach us something? Maybe to help us in some way? To view the world/society differently as opposed to how we would feel if we had flawless skin? Or Maybe life's just being a bitch?

Visualisation is a powerful tool and if we see it happening and feeeeeel it with positive vibrations from our soul, we feel happy/awe/joyful for just a split second (well I do)...thats the feeling we will feel one day about ourselves when we look in the mirror. But what if we tried, just tried to feel that way about ourelves right now? If we loved ourselves and did not worry about what people thought or how bad our skin looked on this particular day and make it ruin the full day, I bet we would seem much more attractive and approachable to others around us since we are feeding life with positivity.

I wish I could practice what I preach. But yea, keep visualising, even write it down, write about how you feel about yourself and your appearance in the future and believe that its gonna happen...cos' it is

 

I really like this post. As much as my acne is the worst thing to me, it's kind of made me a stronger person, is this the same with you and anyone else? As much as age contributes to it, i think there is something else in our bodies telling us something isn't right and we just have to find what it is? Well for me anyway, I just don't think my age is the one factor to it. My acne has started clearing lucky enough, hope it stays this way too, but i'm left with a ton of red marks. So it's just the acne we have to deal with, it's the after affects. It annoys me when people complain about having a spot, hello have you seen how many i have i think lol

 

Thankyou Thats great that you can see how you have become stronger due to your acne, for me I feel I have become more compassionate and more grateful - grateful for the fact that out of all the illnesses in this world I only have to deal with acne and Im also grateful that I have found this communtiy. It seems that acne has kind of spawned a community of "healers" so to speak, we all want the same thing (to be clear), and this skin condition has sparked a curiosity in each of us to get out of our comfort zones and try to "heal" ourselves, you know. So in ways acne can force us to eat healthier, to exercise, it can force us to stand up for ourselves, it can force us to relax more or appreciate more...its like a catalyst in order to push us to do something. I totally agree with you that something isn't right in our sytems and we need to know why and how to change it, whether that be hormonal issues, gut issues, allergies or just puberty. Acne is there for a reason. We have this for a reason. Thats what I think, I know not everyone thinks like that.

Thats amazing that your acne has cleared for the most part and you are only dealing with the marks left over. Have you tried any types of natural oils? Like Argon or jojoba for moisturising? They are meant to be good for marks, also even clay-masks like once a week, there are tons of home-made ones you can try. Il tell you, something which has calmed my acne down a bit has been cutting out coffee, I used to drink that ALOT.

And yea, how frustrating is it when someone complains of a frigging spot...I hear that alot, and it does get to me a bit lol..I always say to them "it could be worse" Like it really could!

 

I totally agree with you that for some of us it can force us to go to different lengths. Like you said not everyone thinks like that as in other things are contributing to our acne. I totally think other things are and i'm glad you do to, i think acne is something which isn't looked into enough. All you hear people say is "oh it's your age" i never agree with this statement and also people who don't have acne don't seem to realise the impact it has on a sufferer. A lot of people also think it's a stupid thing to complain about and there is more worse things happening and that's why it isn't looked into enough. Unless you experience real acne and not just a spot then people would understand how much determination and lengths some of us are willing to go to.

My acne never used to be bad, i remember when it first developed and i thought nothing of it, odd spot here and there and then as the years have gone on it's just gotten worse. Not long back when i changed my medication around my acne went to another length and i broke out in spots all over the place, it looked awful and it still doesn't look good but it's not as bad. I'm not spot clearer i still have some but the redness is what attracts it more. The redness is awful, it's like WTH! Now i have this to deal with this. I haven't tried any oils, i'm going to be trying a treatment next wek, haven't been told the name yet by my doctor but will try and get the name! He thinks it will help with my marks and redness, i'm hoping it does but like everything it takes time and i can't just stop if i don't see results straight away. I'm going to be changing my diet around too, i don't eat healthy at all! I think my diet is having a big impact on my acne, i know a lot of people think diet has nothing to do with it but personally i think for some people it does, like you said acne is there for a reason and we need to find why it's causing us as a person to have it. Everyone is different and different things help and don't help people, so i think people shouldn't block anything out until they've tried it.

Sorry for going on in that post, it's like once you get writing you can't stop lol?

 

I know exactly what you mean about writing and not being able to stop...jeez I could write a HUGE book on my thoughts and feeling with acne. Don't apologise at all, like @Elsewhere said it helps to let it out

I love to hear peoples sturggles with acne and how they cope with it/what they have done to treat it etc, it help me not feel alone. Which I do, I feel alone all the time, mainly because Im the only person within my group of friends and even college class that has bad skin :/ it sucks, it truly does. I have my good days and my bad days, which Im certain we ALL do...

I honestly do struggle to keep a brave face sometimes and worry about how people perceive me, but what Ive noticed too is that when Im busy doing something I enjoy, like reading or even engrossed in a gossip session with my friends lol, I forget about my skin, I stop obsessing and touching. I feel saddened by my lack of effort to see my friends though, as mostly on my worse days I don't want to see anyone...which is probably the worst thing to do really. My menstrual cycle is due like, well yesterday (its always late) Im quite convinced my acne is either hormonal or gut related, so Im suffering a little break-out along atm, nothing huge yet though. Ive also strted a retinoid (Differen 0.01%) this is the 3rd week, so it could even be purging? I don't know.

Do you ever take pictures of your skin? And like compare them, sometimes that helps me see the road Ive come and see how much of an improvement there is, that might help you feel a bit better too. And as for the diet, I am a firm believer that diet doescome hand-in-hand...I know ALOT of people dissagree with the assumption and dermatologists think its malarchy! Jeez the only reason they probably think its a load of rubbish is because once people start changing their diets for the better there would be no need to all the prescriptions..therefore they lose money..(I could rant about that until the sun goes down) I think you may notice a difference by changing your diet, even slightly, check out the nutrition/holistic forum and read read read

If you ever need anyone to talk to or just rant to you give me a message

I think personally its the best thing to do - to know that you will be clear one day. This is just temporary, know that. Maybe we have it to teach us something? Maybe to help us in some way? To view the world/society differently as opposed to how we would feel if we had flawless skin? Or Maybe life's just being a bitch?

Visualisation is a powerful tool and if we see it happening and feeeeeel it with positive vibrations from our soul, we feel happy/awe/joyful for just a split second (well I do)...thats the feeling we will feel one day about ourselves when we look in the mirror. But what if we tried, just tried to feel that way about ourelves right now? If we loved ourselves and did not worry about what people thought or how bad our skin looked on this particular day and make it ruin the full day, I bet we would seem much more attractive and approachable to others around us since we are feeding life with positivity.

I wish I could practice what I preach. But yea, keep visualising, even write it down, write about how you feel about yourself and your appearance in the future and believe that its gonna happen...cos' it is

 

I have underlined in bold part of your post missac17 as I think it is brilliant advice for anyone who is currently suffering from acne (whatever the severity).

You have to like and accept yourself first and foremost otherwise you can never truly be happy. If you don`t do this, even when you acne gets better you will be left with the same hang-ups and insecurities that you had when the acne was bad.

I spent many years just focusing on clearing my acne thinking that once my skin was better, it would automatically lead to happiness and utopia. Unfortunately, as I neglected to work on myself during this time, when my acne cleared I was still the underconfident, insecure person that I was when my acne was bad.

It was only a few months ago that I realised that I had been wrong all along. I am now looking to learn to accept and like myself and I am doing this through a combination of counselling and CBT which will commence in the coming months. It is going to be a very long process as I have been so negative for so long and I have good and bad days (yesterday was not great for instance). However, I at least now feel that what I am aiming for will in the long run help to improve the quality of my life.

 

Thankyou so much for sharing that, I truly agree with you that we must heal our confidence issues or whatever other lying issues we have aswell as trying to do the best to clear our skin. I know that when Im not focusing on my skin, on a "good" day for example, I will focus on my body and pick out bits I don't like. It becomes this cycle of hating my body, it is mentally and physically exhausting to say the least. I know I have a case of mild depression and anxiety because of everything, I struggle to even sleep at night.

I wish you all the best at getting better I truly do And I hope others read your comment and take something away from it

I think personally its the best thing to do - to know that you will be clear one day. This is just temporary, know that. Maybe we have it to teach us something? Maybe to help us in some way? To view the world/society differently as opposed to how we would feel if we had flawless skin? Or Maybe life's just being a bitch?

Visualisation is a powerful tool and if we see it happening and feeeeeel it with positive vibrations from our soul, we feel happy/awe/joyful for just a split second (well I do)...thats the feeling we will feel one day about ourselves when we look in the mirror. But what if we tried, just tried to feel that way about ourelves right now? If we loved ourselves and did not worry about what people thought or how bad our skin looked on this particular day and make it ruin the full day, I bet we would seem much more attractive and approachable to others around us since we are feeding life with positivity.

I wish I could practice what I preach. But yea, keep visualising, even write it down, write about how you feel about yourself and your appearance in the future and believe that its gonna happen...cos' it is

 

I really like this post. As much as my acne is the worst thing to me, it's kind of made me a stronger person, is this the same with you and anyone else? As much as age contributes to it, i think there is something else in our bodies telling us something isn't right and we just have to find what it is? Well for me anyway, I just don't think my age is the one factor to it. My acne has started clearing lucky enough, hope it stays this way too, but i'm left with a ton of red marks. So it's just the acne we have to deal with, it's the after affects. It annoys me when people complain about having a spot, hello have you seen how many i have i think lol

 

Thankyou Thats great that you can see how you have become stronger due to your acne, for me I feel I have become more compassionate and more grateful - grateful for the fact that out of all the illnesses in this world I only have to deal with acne and Im also grateful that I have found this communtiy. It seems that acne has kind of spawned a community of "healers" so to speak, we all want the same thing (to be clear), and this skin condition has sparked a curiosity in each of us to get out of our comfort zones and try to "heal" ourselves, you know. So in ways acne can force us to eat healthier, to exercise, it can force us to stand up for ourselves, it can force us to relax more or appreciate more...its like a catalyst in order to push us to do something. I totally agree with you that something isn't right in our sytems and we need to know why and how to change it, whether that be hormonal issues, gut issues, allergies or just puberty. Acne is there for a reason. We have this for a reason. Thats what I think, I know not everyone thinks like that.

Thats amazing that your acne has cleared for the most part and you are only dealing with the marks left over. Have you tried any types of natural oils? Like Argon or jojoba for moisturising? They are meant to be good for marks, also even clay-masks like once a week, there are tons of home-made ones you can try. Il tell you, something which has calmed my acne down a bit has been cutting out coffee, I used to drink that ALOT.

And yea, how frustrating is it when someone complains of a frigging spot...I hear that alot, and it does get to me a bit lol..I always say to them "it could be worse" Like it really could!

 

I totally agree with you that for some of us it can force us to go to different lengths. Like you said not everyone thinks like that as in other things are contributing to our acne. I totally think other things are and i'm glad you do to, i think acne is something which isn't looked into enough. All you hear people say is "oh it's your age" i never agree with this statement and also people who don't have acne don't seem to realise the impact it has on a sufferer. A lot of people also think it's a stupid thing to complain about and there is more worse things happening and that's why it isn't looked into enough. Unless you experience real acne and not just a spot then people would understand how much determination and lengths some of us are willing to go to.

My acne never used to be bad, i remember when it first developed and i thought nothing of it, odd spot here and there and then as the years have gone on it's just gotten worse. Not long back when i changed my medication around my acne went to another length and i broke out in spots all over the place, it looked awful and it still doesn't look good but it's not as bad. I'm not spot clearer i still have some but the redness is what attracts it more. The redness is awful, it's like WTH! Now i have this to deal with this. I haven't tried any oils, i'm going to be trying a treatment next wek, haven't been told the name yet by my doctor but will try and get the name! He thinks it will help with my marks and redness, i'm hoping it does but like everything it takes time and i can't just stop if i don't see results straight away. I'm going to be changing my diet around too, i don't eat healthy at all! I think my diet is having a big impact on my acne, i know a lot of people think diet has nothing to do with it but personally i think for some people it does, like you said acne is there for a reason and we need to find why it's causing us as a person to have it. Everyone is different and different things help and don't help people, so i think people shouldn't block anything out until they've tried it.

Sorry for going on in that post, it's like once you get writing you can't stop lol?

 

I know exactly what you mean about writing and not being able to stop...jeez I could write a HUGE book on my thoughts and feeling with acne. Don't apologise at all, like @Elsewhere said it helps to let it out

I love to hear peoples sturggles with acne and how they cope with it/what they have done to treat it etc, it help me not feel alone. Which I do, I feel alone all the time, mainly because Im the only person within my group of friends and even college class that has bad skin :/ it sucks, it truly does. I have my good days and my bad days, which Im certain we ALL do...

I honestly do struggle to keep a brave face sometimes and worry about how people perceive me, but what Ive noticed too is that when Im busy doing something I enjoy, like reading or even engrossed in a gossip session with my friends lol, I forget about my skin, I stop obsessing and touching. I feel saddened by my lack of effort to see my friends though, as mostly on my worse days I don't want to see anyone...which is probably the worst thing to do really. My menstrual cycle is due like, well yesterday (its always late) Im quite convinced my acne is either hormonal or gut related, so Im suffering a little break-out along atm, nothing huge yet though. Ive also strted a retinoid (Differen 0.01%) this is the 3rd week, so it could even be purging? I don't know.

Do you ever take pictures of your skin? And like compare them, sometimes that helps me see the road Ive come and see how much of an improvement there is, that might help you feel a bit better too. And as for the diet, I am a firm believer that diet doescome hand-in-hand...I know ALOT of people dissagree with the assumption and dermatologists think its malarchy! Jeez the only reason they probably think its a load of rubbish is because once people start changing their diets for the better there would be no need to all the prescriptions..therefore they lose money..(I could rant about that until the sun goes down) I think you may notice a difference by changing your diet, even slightly, check out the nutrition/holistic forum and read read read

If you ever need anyone to talk to or just rant to you give me a message

 

I agree, I could write a book on it haha! I know, I probably have more bad days the good but the good ones I do have, I DON'T take for granted because I know the next day it could be worse, sounds really stupid but it's unreal the impact acne has on me. I do take pictures, my skin has improved loads like i've said but it still looks bad and there is still loads of improvement to be made. I agree with you on the doctors side of thing, they wouldn't be in a job if we all went natural so obviously they're going to say "IT'S YOUR AGE". I have a lot of food sensitivities and I haven't cut any of them out my diet, i'm going to do so and i'm really hoping my skin will improve. I know that it won't cure over night or in a month i know it will take its time and it just means i have to have the determination to do it. I really think this could be the main cause of my acne, I have sensitivites i'm not doing any them about them at the moment so i'm kind of thinking no wonder spots are coming and going and i've had it for such a long time! Maybe it's trying to say "HELLO, CUT ME OUT.. YOU HAVE A SENSITIVITY TO ME" lol

Believe me once your acne goes, you forget about it. I have, you will get there. I was sat in your position a good 6 months ago, was tragic and I got pretty upset. The best advice was from my Brother, he said this after my spots has gone. Para-phrasing "Hey Bro, I'd still love you even if there wasn't a square inch of clear skin on your face, you're still my bro. I didn't really care about your acne." Which is the best thing I ever heard.

Anyway by the time you hit Adulthood, people stop caring about looks, so I guess you will be okay. You will be a much stronger person from it, I know I have matured so much going through it and coming out of it. Just bare through it mate, what doesn't kill you, can only make you stronger and that phrase is true here.

William

 

Thank you William, that post was really supportive. I'll take your advice and hopefully like you said i'll be okay, it's just one big nightmare at the moment and i'm waiting to wake up!

I think personally its the best thing to do - to know that you will be clear one day. This is just temporary, know that. Maybe we have it to teach us something? Maybe to help us in some way? To view the world/society differently as opposed to how we would feel if we had flawless skin? Or Maybe life's just being a bitch?

Visualisation is a powerful tool and if we see it happening and feeeeeel it with positive vibrations from our soul, we feel happy/awe/joyful for just a split second (well I do)...thats the feeling we will feel one day about ourselves when we look in the mirror. But what if we tried, just tried to feel that way about ourelves right now? If we loved ourselves and did not worry about what people thought or how bad our skin looked on this particular day and make it ruin the full day, I bet we would seem much more attractive and approachable to others around us since we are feeding life with positivity.

I wish I could practice what I preach. But yea, keep visualising, even write it down, write about how you feel about yourself and your appearance in the future and believe that its gonna happen...cos' it is

 

I have underlined in bold part of your post missac17 as I think it is brilliant advice for anyone who is currently suffering from acne (whatever the severity).

You have to like and accept yourself first and foremost otherwise you can never truly be happy. If you don`t do this, even when you acne gets better you will be left with the same hang-ups and insecurities that you had when the acne was bad.

I spent many years just focusing on clearing my acne thinking that once my skin was better, it would automatically lead to happiness and utopia. Unfortunately, as I neglected to work on myself during this time, when my acne cleared I was still the underconfident, insecure person that I was when my acne was bad.

It was only a few months ago that I realised that I had been wrong all along. I am now looking to learn to accept and like myself and I am doing this through a combination of counselling and CBT which will commence in the coming months. It is going to be a very long process as I have been so negative for so long and I have good and bad days (yesterday was not great for instance). However, I at least now feel that what I am aiming for will in the long run help to improve the quality of my life.

 

Thankyou so much for sharing that, I truly agree with you that we must heal our confidence issues or whatever other lying issues we have aswell as trying to do the best to clear our skin. I know that when Im not focusing on my skin, on a "good" day for example, I will focus on my body and pick out bits I don't like. It becomes this cycle of hating my body, it is mentally and physically exhausting to say the least. I know I have a case of mild depression and anxiety because of everything, I struggle to even sleep at night.

I wish you all the best at getting better I truly do And I hope others read your comment and take something away from it

 

Thank you for your kind words misssac17.

Other people may disagree with me but based on my own experiences, if you suffer from acne and have other issues such as insecurity, lack of confidence, depression, anxiety etc, you need to tackle all of these issues together otherwise you will be left with the situation that I find myself facing to this present day. I would never ever think about telling anyone what they should or shouldn`t do as I`m not in a position to preach. However nothing would please me more if what I`ve posted helps anyone in any way, shape or form.

Just on a general theme, what amazes me more than anything about this website is the bravery of the people who post on here (be it their acne stories or even uploading photos). I could never have done this when my acne was at it`s worst as I would have been too ashamed and embarrassed. I know everyone has different issues and differing degrees of acne related and psychological problems, but every single person who posts on this website should congratulate themselves as it takes courage to be open about in some cases very traumatic issues.

No problem mate, stay strong

well in my case i think (hope really) that my future look's bright and it has been getting better. got it when i was 12 and a half, lasted all my teen years but finally started to heal on my 18th year of life. now i'm 19 and it's still healing all i have now are really just hyper pigmentation marks and a zit here and there but nothing major. i still can't believe how much my face has recovered from what i went threw and trust me it was BAD, possibly one of the worst cases on this site ever all when i was around 14 to 17. if thing's continue to go the way they are i can see myself pretty dame clear by my 20th or 21st birthday. hence making it the classic case of having it all threw my teens but it going away in my early adulthood, just in time too! 8 to 9 years is long enough with this shit....

"Hey Bro, I'd still love you even if there wasn't a square inch of clear skin on your face, you're still my bro. I didn't really care about your acne."

Hey man, a bit embarrassing to say, but this nearly brought me to tears.

I think brotherhood is an awesome thing.

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To the initial poster, I know you can beat this. You can beat it much earlier than I did.

I'm one of those people who thought acne would never go away, and it didn't. It didn't go away when I hit 21 and finished puberty, and it absolutely didn't go away when I hit 25. I hit 27 and it didn't go away either. At the age of 29, I checked the mirror and underneath my chin and behind my ears to see if the cysts went away, and they didn't. When I first went to college, I hit an all-time low. Huge depression. Imagine listening to a conversation where someone is describing another person's acne. A person whose acne isn't any worse than mine. It hurt a lot, because I don't think people ever really realized how I felt about it.

I'm 30 now and it's all gone. I cured myself through diet, with a more educated understanding of the human body's systems and how they work and interact with each other.