Greetings.

I frequented this forum about 6 or 7 years ago. I have been (for the most part) free of acne now for about 5 years. I wanted to share with you my experience of constant moderate to intence acne for about 6 years.

I believe my acne started when I was about 15--just as I was hitting puberty. Initially I was relatively uneffected but soon after my self esteem went to shambles and stayed low for several years. While my acne was bad, my neurosis and obcession over my skin was worse. Among the many ways I dealt with my acne were

Many topical medications

Extreme diets (such as a 0% total of saturated fat diet for about 6 months)

Perscription drugs

Exercise

Creating charts of my pimples each day and seeing if I could "scientifically" find patterns in my skin blemishes.

Not letting my face touch hot water

Not letting my face touch my pillow

Over the many years I struggled with acne, I became obcessed with my appearance. I would spend hours on forums such as this one, wouldn't leave the house when I was particularly broken out, and desperately examined my face in the mirror. At the worst points, I would look in the mirror and nearly literally collapse. I couldn't stand the way I looked. I spent years dreaming of a day when I wouldn't have to worry about my skin.

For the last several years I have been relatively unblemished. But when I do breakout, I try not to let it be a major deterrant. I wish so desperately that I could have told a 16 or 17 year old self to see a therapist. I was obviously obcesssing over my appearance and suffering from depression and incredibly low self esteem. My approach to dealing with these stressors was maladaptive. I simply waited for my acne to pass and did not move on with my life. Eventually, for me, the solution came with accunate. However, it could just have easily have faded with the years. Even as I type this, I have a big cyst on my forehead. A girl at my workplace today said it looked like visuvious. I was unphased. I don't mean to brag that I am so confident that mean words don't phase me.They do. But, with years of work, I have grown to care less about my appearance. I only wish it didn't come at the cost of much of my adolescence to realize this.

Stay with it, friends. As someone who has been to the other side, I can say that there is a world where skin problems are not problems at all. I believe that we will make it there. Heads up.

Lovingly,

An acne victim