You notice a very minor blackhead, and every instinct, experience and everything you know about it tells you to just let it be. You observe it for a long time from the mirror. "Hmm, I'll just.." And it doesn't pop out. One more try! No... DAMN SHITFUCK I'LL TAKE YOU OUT NO MATTER WHAT! Then you pick it with variety of interesting tools and such, making the minor thing to grow up a large red mark thing. And the damn blackhead is still there. This is the point where you consider killing yourself for being an idiot. Now you have to deal with the terrible looking mark for a week before it goes away. And when it does, the same fucking blackhead is still there. Repeat 100 times and never really learn.

I want a happy blob of fur!

Acne.org makes me feel so much better sometimes, knowing that im not alone.

Here's a few more (I don't know if they have been said yet ) :

• Waking up in the morning and applying concealer and foundation even though you won't even be going out that day
• Being surrounded by flawless skinned people everywhere and secretly wishing acne upon them so yours doesn't look so bad
• Having the whole "Why do you wear makeup?" or "I can see your foundation line". Especially bad in a no makeup school!
• Having a whole I don't give a crap anymore day and then hating yourself
• Having a huge popping/picking spree then hating yourself
• Dieting/watching what you eat and exercising for a whole year and seeing no effect whatsoever
• Loading on concealer even though you KNOW its not helping the situation at all!
• Going to sleep with your fresh clean pillow and your acne cream and toothpaste smeared all over and staying very still in bed and just WISHING and DREAMING to wake up with perfect skin.
• Waking up the next morning. Glancing in the mirror. Dying inside.

I don't about you guys but for me, CHANGING ROOMS have the worst lighting for acne! You just feel so terrible. I also had the dentist sitch the other week in the xray machine they had this bigass mirror reaaaaalll close and it was the worst. This post actually made me tear up, its just one of those nights!

I don't about you guys but for me, CHANGING ROOMS have the worst lighting for acne! You just feel so terrible. I also had the dentist sitch the other week in the xray machine they had this bigass mirror reaaaaalll close and it was the worst. This post actually made me tear up, its just one of those nights!

Libsy, great additions to the list! The only thing we can all find comfort in is that we aren't alone!

There's a whole section of this thread dedicated to the awful mirrors at the dentist, you should check it out. Isn't it so terrible!?

Tell me if im crazy or not haha. I never ever EVER touch my face except when I wash it or apply treatments. And I freak out if I accidentally touch my face or if anything else touches my face. Is it just me?

Convincing yourself your acne isnt that bad so you go out and try and be normal, then you check your skin in a mirror and its really bad so you plan the fastest way to get back to your house...in your room.... alone..... with netflix of course

Love this thread can relate to almost every single dot point except the makeup bit cos im a boy,

I always told myself if tommorow if i were to wake up and have flawless skin id grab life by the balls and have self confidence like ive never had before i seriously would, its a mere dream but always hoping for that one day it all stops

- Hates catching people staring at your acne

- Breaking up with your ex can be depressing because shes the one who understands you and your skin and now u think you ugle and going to be alone forever.

8 Years later still hanging in there tried just about everything and learnt not get my hopes up to quick with anything

You know you've really gone off the deep end when you're envious of your pets because they have fur and are acne free. Or babies- I've been jealous of their perfectly smooth skin before!

I'm not denying I've lost my mind, lol

lol

Checking your acne if different mirrors in different lighting and from different angles to see if it's 'really as bad as you think'

Tell your coworkers/friends that your worsening acne is because your period coming/going/being here, even though you had your period already

God, everything in these posts is so true and relatable it's unreal!

I'd like to add one just now:

. Calling in sick to work as you have the hugest spot that you picked at making it 10x worse and making make-up absolutely useless.

Shhh. Don't tell anyone I've just done this.

I also hate when people especially my mum, say things like 'it's only a spot!'

People just don't understand, how acne can make you feel so small and worthless and just horrible.

We only really understand each other.

megtree, I've done 2 out of 3 of those ^ within the last 24 hours. LOL

 

 

How about when you finally start to get a little clear to where you can cover your scars and look good, confidence shoots through the roof... then you make plans with a friend you haven't seen in a while and you break out again. And the plans are outside in the burning sun and the whole time you feel them staring at the zits. WHEN will we not have to deal with this?!

Same with family, I live far from most of my family and whenever we see each other, once every year or so, I'm hideously broken out. Then when I get back home it calms down. It's so embarrassing and old.

OMG! this was so me on Monday. For Memorial Day, my husband, sister in law, and I went to San Francisco for the day. We went to Pier 39 to hang out. The whole time I was hiding under my hat and sunglasses. I would try to find shade where ever I could. The sun is just the most horrible thing to make everything look so much worse. I tried to have fun, but all I could do is just think about my face...

Good luck to you, geminirock19!

I love reading this thread and knowing that I'm not the only one to deal with these things! I have a few to add...

- When people tell me I wear too much makeup; especially when they follow it up with, "I don't wear any makeup at all." Yeah, that's great, thanks.

- When people point out my acne on a day that I think is a good skin day.

- I hate that my face is always so red! May be from the topicals that I use, but even the spots without acne look sunburned.

- Changing my outfit because the color of my shirt makes my face look even more red.

- Not wanting to go underwater in fear that my makeup will wash off.

- Taking special care to make sure everything, even my hair, does not touch my face.

- People who sleep with their makeup on and wake up with clear skin like it's nothing.

- Hating people who don't take care of their skin, and it's still perfect.

- Telling people that I'm too tired to hang out when it's really only because I've already taken off my makeup and don't want to be seen.

UGH. It feels good to get that off of my chest. Maybe I'll add more later.

What about when the photo you chose for your new railcard / student card is from five years ago because it's still the only good photo you've got?

What about when the photo you chose for your new railcard / student card is from five years ago because it's still the only good photo you've got?

I recently learned to use a simple photo editor!! Haha. It's just a simple one my phone came pre-loaded with - Pixlr Express - but it is supeer easy to use and has a good tool for zapping zits and giving you perfectly clear skin - at least in the photograph... lol

 

What about when the photo you chose for your new railcard / student card is from five years ago because it's still the only good photo you've got?

I recently learned to use a simple photo editor!! Haha. It's just a simple one my phone came pre-loaded with - Pixlr Express - but it is supeer easy to use and has a good tool for zapping zits and giving you perfectly clear skin - at least in the photograph... lol

Lol, that's a good idea. I'll look into that - thanks

On 1/7/2014 at 8:46 AM, AlishaRenee said:

Okay, so this is something that I actually talked about on my personal blog, but when I came across this site I knew I had to share it with all of you. I struggled with acne for eight years and during that time I got advice from EVERYONE....even people who had never had a pimple in their life! I mean, what would they know about acne? NOTHING! That's what. Out of my frustration I came up with a list of things that only people with acne can understand and relate to...feel free to add to this list, we're all in this together after all! Oh, and if you're interested in checking out my blog feel free to do so, it's [Edited link out]

• Waking up every morning scared to look in the mirror because you know that new pimples have appeared overnight
• Spending an hour (or more) in front of the mirror popping pimples just so you can face the world
• Being paranoid about everything that touches your face
• Avoiding having your picture taken like it's the plague...I swear the camera adds 20 zits!
• Avoiding social interaction when you're having a bad breakout
• Wanting to punch people in the face when they give you advice on how to get rid of your pimples...especially people who have never had a pimple in their life!
• Spending your entire paycheck on acne products (that NEVER actually work!)
• Going to the dermatologist and STILL having acne after months of treatment
• Being on antibiotics for an unnatural amount of time (that can't be good for your body...seriously!)
• Being told that you'll grow out of it someday (because in the meantime you are just going to have to be completely miserable!)
• Trying to change your diet to get clear skin (vegetarian, fruitarian, gluten free, dairy free...I've tried them all!)
• Getting angry when your family members act like your acne is YOUR fault and that you're doing something wrong to cause it
• Trying what worked for other people only to find that it doesn't work for you
• Acne commercials. LIARS!
• Scrubbing your face in the hopes that you'll scrub off all the pimples
• ALWAYS being paranoid that people are looking at your zits when you're talking to them
• Avoiding eye contact
• Spending hours researching acne, treatments, remedies, and products
• Feeling like you're the only person in the world with acne...I swear I was constantly surrounded by people with clear skin and I always found myself wondering....WHY ME?
• Extremely low self-esteem
• Constant embarrassment
• Spending hours applying cover up and makeup...which doesn't do much help at all!

So there you have it. My list of things that only someone with acne can relate to. I know that all of you have more to add, so by all means share your thoughts! It's nice to feel like you're not in it alone, despite feeling that way all the time.

All of these above for me.

So true. I can relate to this.

The worst has to be when acne-free people act like dirt causes acne. Sometimes they're like "Dude wash your face regularly. That'll make acne go away" -_-

 

 

 

What about when the photo you chose for your new railcard / student card is from five years ago because it's still the only good photo you've got?

 

I recently learned to use a simple photo editor!! Haha. It's just a simple one my phone came pre-loaded with - Pixlr Express - but it is supeer easy to use and has a good tool for zapping zits and giving you perfectly clear skin - at least in the photograph... lol

Lol, that's a good idea. I'll look into that - thanks

I feel that Aviary works better than Pixlr when it comes to zapping zits

My fear of people looking at my face ended when I went to that dentist. It was so traumatic that it sort of broke me in a good way.

Knew I had to go to the dentist and I saw it coming for a couple weeks.

I knew that I would be laying down and having two or more people look VERY CLOSELY at my face with a HUGE BRIGHT LIGHT right on my face.

So I knew I could not use any makeup (I would spot treat with foundation) or they would see it and judge me even worse.

So I went with no makeup which was very unusual for me. I felt naked in a way although I obviously was not.

And what I predicted is exactly what happened. Anyone here with acne just imagine that big dentist light on your face as strangers stare at your face. It was terrifying and all I could think about was what they were thinking. Even if they were not thinking a thing I didnt care. When you have acne it makes you paranoid. The pain of the dentist scraping my teeth and poking at my gums was not enough to clear my mind and I frequently pinched my legs during it.

No one can look at you like that. So it doesn't bother me any more.

I'm literally crying reading all of these because they're our reality. Our sick and twisted reality.

I'm glad I wasn't the only one feeling this way, the countless years of struggling through with acne and still this day, but not as severe.

Here's my list:

"Got suckered in buying this acne product that clears blemishes instantly before your eyes", maybe you heard of it? IGIA Clear (what a sucker I was lol)

"Not ever drinking any dairy products or eating anything cheese coz it might cause a breakout"

"The biggest day and one of the most important usually comes with a big pimple"

"Reading the labels on the food making sure there is not peanuts or some sort of dairy ingredients"

"When going to the movies is actually the social norm for acne prone people like myself coz it's nice and dark and no eye contact is made"

"Only sleep at night on my back, no sleeping on sides"

"When you don't want to wear the bike helmet coz it might cause breakouts on chin or jawline"

"hoping one day, there will be that cure of acne and no matter how much it will cost, you will find a way to pay to have clear skin"

That's just a few that came to mind lol

This one's probably been posted already but it's really relevant to me atm...

Avoiding seeing old friends because you don't want them to see how much worse your skin has become since you last saw them.

- Not doing things with friends in the sun (hiking, pool, etc.) because I don't want anyone to see my face in the light

- Not wanting someone I'm dating to touch my face or see me in the morning before I've put makeup on

- Using makeup to cover up my acne and scars and then having people tell me that maybe I wouldn't break out so much if I quit using makeup

- People saying, "I don't understand why it takes you so long to get ready." !!!

And, yes, I'm so tired of people mentioning Proactiv to me! lol

This topic is gold

Late to the game, but just saw this awesome thread today and decided to join the community

Adding to the list:

- Always lowering your head and avoiding all eye contacts in cosmetic/skin care stores because you're afraid that people will make comments on your skin and start selling you stuffs.