I feel suicidal at times as well. I have some noticeable scars on the right side of my face that I'm completely obsessed with. I waste so much time just staring at myself in the mirror, comparing my right side to the near-perfect left side of my face. It's infuriating to say the least.

You didn't mention any scarring on your face. If it's only active spots, then you still have a chance for full-recovery. Don't give up on finding a cure. I searched for years before discovering that the primary cause of my acne was the sweat from exercising (specifically, not washing my face before and after workouts).

Please have hope. You're still so young. Sixteen is an awful time to deal with insecurities like that, but you still have your whole life to change yourself, find happiness, meet new people, etc.

There's somebody for everybody. I'm still searching for that somebody who will love and accept me. I thought I had found her last year, but it didn't last, partially because of my insecurities. It seemed like she could look past my scars, but I couldn't, and that might be why it didn't work out.

I'm on your age, I don't have acne, but I do have scars especially at my temples that bothers me as much as your acne bothers you.

Since these past few years i've most likely never been happy with my life either and done the same shit as you. Everytime I see myself in the mirror at some points, my anger lifts and I literally want to punch the mirror, not even the mirror, even the wall etc..

Besides, love isn't found in the way you look.

Fuck acne!!

I'm tired of having acne. I'm tired of waking up being afraid to look in the mirror, only to realize that my face hasn't gotten better at all.

My face looks nothing like it does in my profile picture. Luckily, I'm good at hiding acne with makeup and filters on my phone, but that doesn't really change how I feel about myself.

I'm 16 now, and started getting pimples at about 12. Back then, I complained about them, but really wish I knew how lucky I was. I would kill to get that skin back. Now, my entire right cheek is covered in huge red blemishes, and new pimples just keep coming no matter what I do. I try so hard to get them to go away, but nothing works. This is a curse.

I don't only have acne on my face; it's on my back and chest too. I feel so disgusting that I haven't gone swimming in two years. My back is completely scarred and I feel bad for anyone who has to see it. I can't stand seeing girls my age with perfect skin on their body and face; it makes me feel like a failure.

I avoid leaving the house as much as possible, and when I have to, I isolate myself. Even though I'm wearing makeup, the bumps underneath it are still visible, and look disgusting. I want to wear a mask forever. I don't want anyone to ever have to see my face anymore.

According to everyone I talk to, everyone my age gets acne. Sure, they may get a few pimples sometimes, but I rarely ever see another teenage girl with a face and body completely covered in red scars and zits. It seems as if every other girl I see has clear skin. I don't understand this! I'm trying to hard, I really am, why does my face still look like this? What did I ever do to deserve this?

I'm losing all my hopes for the future. I'll never be loved; who'd fall in love with a face that's as gross as mine? Who would want to see my body when it looks dirty and ugly because of all the acne? There are so many people with clear skin, I don't see why anyone would settle for me. If I ever took my makeup off in public, I'm sure people would be horrified.

I know I'm whiny and there are people who have it worse than me, but I just want to feel beautiful for once in my life. I want to leave the house without constant anxiety over people judging me and being more beautiful than I am. I want to feel like I'm worthy of love. I just want confidence and a normal face. I'm sick of this, I can't take it anymore and it's giving me suicidal thoughts. I don't think I'll do anything about them, but I'll keep on crying and feeling like punching every mirror that I see.

Hi there,

I feel exactly the same way. Its awful isn't it when you look around and see all these people your own age with clear skin. Sometimes i just want to scream at them "do you realise how lucky you are!" Its good to b able to talk about it sometimes with people who understand

As someone in another post said, you're only 16 so there is still hope. "Hope" is whats kept me going for the last 15 yrs. Have you tried any treatments for your acne? I find modifying diet helps alot - reducing sugar and processed foods, and also not too much grain products like bread. And careful with some of those harsh scrubs and creams that dry out your skin - just speaking from experience here. There are many treatments you can try for your acne. Different things work for different people.

Don't think of yourself as a failure for having acne. Acne is a medical condition and not anyone's fault. Would you think somone with cancer or in a wheelchair was a failure or somehow to blame for whats happened to them? The truth is (and this is what they don't teach you at school) life can be incredibly UNFAIR. Things happen that make us suffer and life isn't the fairytale we hoped it would be. You are learning this at a young age. I know at 16 all you want is to feel pretty and fit in. But you are different from everyone else. Suffering through something like this changes us. We can either let it twist our soul and become bitter and angry, or we can use our experience to grow as a person and become more compassionate to others. You have already become a much stronger and wiser person then most others your age.

There is so much more to us then our appearance. I recently was reading about a young woman named katie piper. She had her face burnt with acid. Anyway she's on tv a bit. She still has alot of scarring on her face but when you hear her talk you can't help but think what a beautiful person she is. She recently got engaged and had a baby - so love is possible for those of us with skin "issues." If you google her you can read about her. Her story is very inspiring

Anyway hope something i've said has helped cos i know exactly what its like to be a 16 year old girl with acne

I'm tired of having acne. I'm tired of waking up being afraid to look in the mirror, only to realize that my face hasn't gotten better at all.

 

My face looks nothing like it does in my profile picture. Luckily, I'm good at hiding acne with makeup and filters on my phone, but that doesn't really change how I feel about myself.

 

I'm 16 now, and started getting pimples at about 12. Back then, I complained about them, but really wish I knew how lucky I was. I would kill to get that skin back. Now, my entire right cheek is covered in huge red blemishes, and new pimples just keep coming no matter what I do. I try so hard to get them to go away, but nothing works. This is a curse.

 

I don't only have acne on my face; it's on my back and chest too. I feel so disgusting that I haven't gone swimming in two years. My back is completely scarred and I feel bad for anyone who has to see it. I can't stand seeing girls my age with perfect skin on their body and face; it makes me feel like a failure.

 

I avoid leaving the house as much as possible, and when I have to, I isolate myself. Even though I'm wearing makeup, the bumps underneath it are still visible, and look disgusting. I want to wear a mask forever. I don't want anyone to ever have to see my face anymore.

 

According to everyone I talk to, everyone my age gets acne. Sure, they may get a few pimples sometimes, but I rarely ever see another teenage girl with a face and body completely covered in red scars and zits. It seems as if every other girl I see has clear skin. I don't understand this! I'm trying to hard, I really am, why does my face still look like this? What did I ever do to deserve this?

 

I'm losing all my hopes for the future. I'll never be loved; who'd fall in love with a face that's as gross as mine? Who would want to see my body when it looks dirty and ugly because of all the acne? There are so many people with clear skin, I don't see why anyone would settle for me. If I ever took my makeup off in public, I'm sure people would be horrified.

 

I know I'm whiny and there are people who have it worse than me, but I just want to feel beautiful for once in my life. I want to leave the house without constant anxiety over people judging me and being more beautiful than I am. I want to feel like I'm worthy of love. I just want confidence and a normal face. I'm sick of this, I can't take it anymore and it's giving me suicidal thoughts. I don't think I'll do anything about them, but I'll keep on crying and feeling like punching every mirror that I see.

Hi Ihateacne33, I just want you to know that you're not alone. The difference between you and me is that I'm a male, but I've also had feelings/still have feelings such as the ones you mentioned in your original post. I've also wondered "what have I ever done to deserve this?", whether I'll ever be able to find that someone special in the future, etc. Acne started affecting me significantly after age 16 and it really messed with my head. Acne/acne scarring can really affect people psychologically. I felt so sad and depressed as well. I just didn't know it was affecting me that much until my first year of college. Then, I began to finally research more, and found out about Acne Dysmorphia and Body Dysmorphic Disorders. These are debilitating disorders and can make one home-bound for a considerable time period or even life in some worst cases. After reading articles and reading posts on acne.org such as yours, I had realized that I wasn't the only one suffering. There are many others like you and me. Yes, I can imagine how difficult it must be on you, but my best recommendation to you will be to not lose hope and to appreciate all the positive things about yourself. I'm 21 now and my perspective on life has changed in these past couple years. Someone very aptly once said that "having acne is like being on a rollercoaster." My life has felt like a rollercoaster these past five years: some days up, some days down, some days up, some days down, etc. That's what having acne has felt like to me. I hate it too, but I've begun to accept it more as time has progressed. At age 16 while I was in high-school, acne definitely interfered with my school performance (grades) and my parents never really talked to me about how I was really feeling. I had no siblings and felt too ashamed at that age to talk to anyone about my skin (on top of that I was a guy too). But one day, after turning 18, my acne made me feel so stressed and worried that I picked at my skin. That's the first and last time in my life that I'll ever pick at my skin, because it created a small scar on my right cheek. The worrying just never ended, even after that. But I started to realize and grow from my experiences day after day. I still get acne and still have fear, but I also know that giving up is not the best option. You're still young and I don't want you to lose all hope. Even I'm fighting and getting stronger, and I feel like you can do the same. AND trust me, as someone also replied to your post previously, you will find that someone special. There are good people in this world too who will overlook our acne. I wouldn't ever mind flaws in a partner because I know how much that person has probably been through, and that touches me the most. My final recommendations to you: Don't pick at your skin, overcome your fears by facing your fears (you're still young, go out and defeat that social anxiety!), talk to your close friends/family whom you can confide in, don't give up, and don't lose hope.

Thank you all for the replies and encouragement.

 

I'm tired of having acne. I'm tired of waking up being afraid to look in the mirror, only to realize that my face hasn't gotten better at all.

My face looks nothing like it does in my profile picture. Luckily, I'm good at hiding acne with makeup and filters on my phone, but that doesn't really change how I feel about myself.

I'm 16 now, and started getting pimples at about 12. Back then, I complained about them, but really wish I knew how lucky I was. I would kill to get that skin back. Now, my entire right cheek is covered in huge red blemishes, and new pimples just keep coming no matter what I do. I try so hard to get them to go away, but nothing works. This is a curse.

I don't only have acne on my face; it's on my back and chest too. I feel so disgusting that I haven't gone swimming in two years. My back is completely scarred and I feel bad for anyone who has to see it. I can't stand seeing girls my age with perfect skin on their body and face; it makes me feel like a failure.

I avoid leaving the house as much as possible, and when I have to, I isolate myself. Even though I'm wearing makeup, the bumps underneath it are still visible, and look disgusting. I want to wear a mask forever. I don't want anyone to ever have to see my face anymore.

According to everyone I talk to, everyone my age gets acne. Sure, they may get a few pimples sometimes, but I rarely ever see another teenage girl with a face and body completely covered in red scars and zits. It seems as if every other girl I see has clear skin. I don't understand this! I'm trying to hard, I really am, why does my face still look like this? What did I ever do to deserve this?

I'm losing all my hopes for the future. I'll never be loved; who'd fall in love with a face that's as gross as mine? Who would want to see my body when it looks dirty and ugly because of all the acne? There are so many people with clear skin, I don't see why anyone would settle for me. If I ever took my makeup off in public, I'm sure people would be horrified.

I know I'm whiny and there are people who have it worse than me, but I just want to feel beautiful for once in my life. I want to leave the house without constant anxiety over people judging me and being more beautiful than I am. I want to feel like I'm worthy of love. I just want confidence and a normal face. I'm sick of this, I can't take it anymore and it's giving me suicidal thoughts. I don't think I'll do anything about them, but I'll keep on crying and feeling like punching every mirror that I see.

Hi Ihateacne33, I just want you to know that you're not alone. The difference between you and me is that I'm a male, but I've also had feelings/still have feelings such as the ones you mentioned in your original post. I've also wondered "what have I ever done to deserve this?", whether I'll ever be able to find that someone special in the future, etc. Acne started affecting me significantly after age 16 and it really messed with my head. Acne/acne scarring can really affect people psychologically. I felt so sad and depressed as well. I just didn't know it was affecting me that much until my first year of college. Then, I began to finally research more, and found out about Acne Dysmorphia and Body Dysmorphic Disorders. These are debilitating disorders and can make one home-bound for a considerable time period or even life in some worst cases. After reading articles and reading posts on acne.org such as yours, I had realized that I wasn't the only one suffering. There are many others like you and me. Yes, I can imagine how difficult it must be on you, but my best recommendation to you will be to not lose hope and to appreciate all the positive things about yourself. I'm 21 now and my perspective on life has changed in these past couple years. Someone very aptly once said that "having acne is like being on a rollercoaster." My life has felt like a rollercoaster these past five years: some days up, some days down, some days up, some days down, etc. That's what having acne has felt like to me. I hate it too, but I've begun to accept it more as time has progressed. At age 16 while I was in high-school, acne definitely interfered with my school performance (grades) and my parents never really talked to me about how I was really feeling. I had no siblings and felt too ashamed at that age to talk to anyone about my skin (on top of that I was a guy too). But one day, after turning 18, my acne made me feel so stressed and worried that I picked at my skin. That's the first and last time in my life that I'll ever pick at my skin, because it created a small scar on my right cheek. The worrying just never ended, even after that. But I started to realize and grow from my experiences day after day. I still get acne and still have fear, but I also know that giving up is not the best option. You're still young and I don't want you to lose all hope. Even I'm fighting and getting stronger, and I feel like you can do the same. AND trust me, as someone also replied to your post previously, you will find that someone special. There are good people in this world too who will overlook our acne. I wouldn't ever mind flaws in a partner because I know how much that person has probably been through, and that touches me the most. My final recommendations to you: Don't pick at your skin, overcome your fears by facing your fears (you're still young, go out and defeat that social anxiety!), talk to your close friends/family whom you can confide in, don't give up, and don't lose hope.

Yes M=dontgiveup its really hard when your family don't understsnd and you can't talk to anyone. Do you have someone you can talk to about how you're feeling ihateacne33? For me it was my grandma. She didnt have acne but she always listened to me whinging and always made me feel loved. She passed away a couple of yrs ago and i was very depressed for awhile and also had suicidal thoughts. I became a bit reclusive - just did what i had to at work then came home and hid away in bed. I recently started taking vitamin d and getting out in the sun more (also a source of vit d) and it has lifted my mood considerably. So even though i know its tempting to hide yourself away when you have acne, do try to get out into the sun a bit. I think it even helps my acne a bit too