13-14 years old Female, background of acne, therapist and medical diagnosed- ADHD and Anxiety. I felt those would help while reading this so I didn't go too off topic here.
My acne started in 6th grade and I am in 8th grade. My acne has affected me socially to the point I don't want to show my face to relatives, friends, or anyone in fear of judgement. I don't want to leave my bed, forget my room, and my mother and sister love makeup so it's only natural for me to carry on their legacy of it, my mother gives me the wrong shades, and barely gives me acne solutions. It's gotten to the point where I wear a mud mask around my boyfriend so he can't see my acne. I cover my face in pounds of makeup at school because where ever I go without it I just want to curl up and cry on the floor, my acne makes me feel ugly, unloved. like a complete monster. My family is in a financial situation so I can't indulge myself in brand products like Proactiv, I don't feel beautiful like the other girls who have no acne or skin issues around me, and I can't help but wear makeup to school. I even constantly feel hideous with makeup on, I know it's bad for my skin but I can't help wearing it, it makes me feel acceptable, but even so girls don't like me because a girl spread a rumor about me and my best friend having sex in the bathroom, which my friend then transferred, so i'm stuck with an old guy friend, my boyfriend who I dated out of pity but I affect socially, and his friends, so they look at me like a w h o r e because I hang out with guys. I'm only 14 for Christ's sake, I know I shouldn't worry about beauty and such but I really can't help it in today's society. I would ask my sister for makeup help so my makeup didn't look cake-ish or blotchy but she couldn't care less about my makeup. I don't want to go to school anymore, I just want to sleep, and be happy, but all I ever think about is my acne. People stare at my face when I go to the gas station without makeup, they look at me like i'm medusa or I have nazi tattoos all over my face!. I have red speckles covering my "clear" skin and red blotches and bumps all over my cheeks. I can't help scratching because it hurts and I feel like it would get them off. I even mindlessly pick at them by habit. It makes me feel like i'm just another throw away, It's affected me to the point where I can't even ask my science teacher if he likes Lord of The RIngs so I can give him a tie!, I can't turn in assignments or look at the people in my class even with makeup on. It's like it's still there just waiting for me to mess up. I get laughed at for looking orange due to me being pale and my mother buying me darker shades making me look orange. I've had two panic attacks or mental breakdowns because of my makeup- I didn't feel "pretty" enough. I've asked for medical help, like a dermatologist but my mother ignores my skin almost completely, she loves me but doesn't support me wanting to see a doctor. I wash my face daily, in the morning at night, and sometimes in the evening. My mother doesn't believe me when I tell her Its not going away, even when I haven't worn makeup for vacation at all, with my acne washes like medication, and daily washes. It's gotten worse over my vacation, with it spreading to my forehead. I don't feel loved by my friends, my mother doesn't support me going to a doctor for my acne, I can't buy my own makeup since i'm broke, my mother buys the wrong brands and colors, and I down right feel like it'd be better if I had died. PLEASE HELP, give me advice, suggestions, give me cheap alternatives for sensitive skin, it feels like my skin is burning with almost everything. My acne covers my back and shoulders and arms, I don't feel comfortable wearing normal T-shirts, shoulder revealing clothes, even crop tops, so I stick to my long sleeved shirts in hopes that no one notices. I don't have the courage to tell my mom "Oh I can't wear this it shows my acne!" I don't even want to play my instruments anymore, I sat out joining my local orchestra, my school performance, and even my teachers concerts!, I played once, missed a note and sat back down at the concert in rival against a 9 year old. My acne runs my life and I just want it to stop. I want to just burn off my skin so they'd look at scars instead of my acne, it won't end. Please, PLEASE, give me an answer!!
Hey there, I'm Devin and a 17 year old male. I can definitely relate as I am diagnosed with manic depression along with ADHD and anxiety.. I never really expected acne before puberty that until I was hit with redness and pustules all over my face, neck, shoulders, back, and arms until it actually happened. It was extremely hard to deal with for me and it still is. However, when the acne started to get bad for me, I eventually turned to gaming and isolating myself for long periods of time inside my room, which is very unhealthy. I understand how much it can hinder your performance in real life in regards to productivity because at times I feel like I am also worthless.. Especially when trying to talk to girls that I'm interested in at school, which never seems to be successful so it sort of shuts me down further in a way. The only recommendation which I've been starting to adjust to recently was building up my confidence. I've sort of come to terms with the acne and I have been exercising to stop thinking about it, and it really does feel good to see the progress in it. Like I said, I dropped the video games and just started to try and work on my confidence because I noticed that while I was playing the video games, I never had fun at all, and when I'd look in the mirror after a long gaming session... There was no progress, my skin was still looking relatively the same. Since I lack eye contact in the realm of social anxiety, I've committed to going out to the local mall and asking random people who work for different stores where a certain item is (not that I'm buying it, just for practice) because I lack eye contact heavily, and it's almost painful for me to do so because I feel as if the other individual is just staring at my blemishes. I truly hope things get better for you, and if you ever want to have a conversation, just dm me! I'm fairly new to this site so I'm not sure how many people are very interactive on here. I hope you have a great day, because I know exactly how you feel.