Does anyone else experience a warped mental perception of their skin?
I feel the amount of over analysing, pore scanning and obsessing that I have done over the last few years has done some damage to my mental image of myself. Even when I am having a relatively good skin day, when I imagine myself and how I look - I see my skin as red, scarred and disgusting.
I think learning to self-love is a really important step in healing from the psychological effects of acne, but sometimes that can be really difficult.
Yes! It's like body dysmorphia but with the face, or at least that's how I think of it. You don't realize that the first thing people see are your eyes, smile, hair, and more general characteristics. Rather, people like us assume the first thing people see are our flaws, because thats the first thing we look at anytime we see ourselves in the mirror! I think of it this way: when I see my friends and they have blemishes (wether it be a little or a lot), it crosses my mind maybe once, but never more than that, cause I don't care. People still have good skin with marks, and are still beautiful even if they don't feel that way. That is the way others see you. They don't see your insecurities, because they are so insignificant to the large, distinctive aspects of your face and personality 
Just my thoughts. I love your blog lol.
Yep for sure! I think when you deal with acne and facial skin conditions for a long period of time, it definitely skews your perception of yourself. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one way to help change your views.
The book "Feeling Good about the Way You Look" by Sabine Wilhelm is a great read for body dysmorphic disorder and has some basic CBT techniques to change your outlook. It's helped me quite a bit, but a work in progress.
You need to stop looking in mirrors, I was over analyzing my face too but it does nothing, looking at your face isn't going to change anything, it's just giving you more time to pick out your flaws and dwell on them which isn't healthy, especially mentally. When I started to avoid mirrors and reflective surfaces my self confidence and self esteem grew, because I wasn't torturing myself and beating myself up about my appearance.
I have this problem. I haven't really had acne for about 10 years (a few minor break outs, but nothing serious), but I got so used to fixating on it I now see my whole body in high definition. So I see all the light scarring, blotchy complexion, razor burn, blackheads and blemishes that other people dont notice unless they get right in your face.
My brain is also still a bit trapped in the teenage world, when your appearance is genuinely important and will usually affect how other people treat you and speak to you. I forget that adults will not necessarily treat you disrespectfully because of the way you look.
On 3/9/2016 at 8:37 PM, TaneBabe said:Yes! It's like body dysmorphia but with the face, or at least that's how I think of it. You don't realize that the first thing people see are your eyes, smile, hair, and more general characteristics. Rather, people like us assume the first thing people see are our flaws, because thats the first thing we look at anytime we see ourselves in the mirror! I think of it this way: when I see my friends and they have blemishes (wether it be a little or a lot), it crosses my mind maybe once, but never more than that, cause I don't care. People still have good skin with marks, and are still beautiful even if they don't feel that way. That is the way others see you. They don't see your insecurities, because they are so insignificant to the large, distinctive aspects of your face and personality
Hi TaneBabe,
Yes exactly! Thanks for replying. On my better days I like to think one good thing that has come from my acne (if that's possible!) is the fact that I have grown so much more empathy for people; although I hate to admit it I definitely used to be more shallow before I had severe acne. Now I tend to make much more effort really see people for who they are and not for their appearances.
It's so important to step away from the mirror sometimes!
On 3/10/2016 at 1:33 AM, Canucklehead12 said:The book "Feeling Good about the Way You Look" by Sabine Wilhelm is a great read for body dysmorphic disorder and has some basic CBT techniques to change your outlook. It's helped me quite a bit, but a work in progress.
Hey Canucklehead12,
Thanks for the recommendation! I will look into it. I never thought I would be the kind of person to read self-help books but I have found some to be so helpful. I'm a chronic skin picker and I found 'Skin Picking: The Freedom to Finally Stop' by Anette Pasternak absolutely life-changing.
On 3/25/2016 at 9:48 PM, kb1693 said:You need to stop looking in mirrors, I was over analyzing my face too but it does nothing, looking at your face isn't going to change anything, it's just giving you more time to pick out your flaws and dwell on them which isn't healthy, especially mentally. When I started to avoid mirrors and reflective surfaces my self confidence and self esteem grew, because I wasn't torturing myself and beating myself up about my appearance.
I agree it's an unhealthy habit but it can be a difficult one to break. Especially if you suffer from depression, it's easy to get into a cycle of self-hatred and self-destructive tendencies. I know that the most difficult times for me are when I am not keeping myself busy. Now I find that if I am not working, the best thing to do is make myself a list. It can be as simple as having a shower or doing some housework or finishing a book I'm reading, but having a list to check off keeps me feeling like I am achieving little things and it keeps me away from the mirror!
On 3/26/2016 at 1:19 PM, jwalk said:I have this problem. I haven't really had acne for about 10 years (a few minor break outs, but nothing serious), but I got so used to fixating on it I now see my whole body in high definition. So I see all the light scarring, blotchy complexion, razor burn, blackheads and blemishes that other people don™t notice unless they get right in your face.
My brain is also still a bit trapped in the teenage world, when your appearance is genuinely important and will usually affect how other people treat you and speak to you. I forget that adults will not necessarily treat you disrespectfully because of the way you look.
Hey jwalk,
I feel your pain. I have a lot of residual redness from active acne and hyperpigmentation that is quite pink and in the process of healing. I'm extremely prone to that 2-inches-away-from-the-mirror-overanalysing. The worst thing for me is if I find myself in a public bathroom where the lighting is unflattering and it accentuates my scars, it can ruin my whole evening! I just have to keep reminding myself that it's really not what's on the outside that counts, as cheesy and useless as that may seem. I have been terrified that people will talk about my skin behind my back, but when I think about it; if someone came to me and tried to be negative about someone else's appearance, I would think it was extremely childish.