So every now and again i will see people on this board who have managed to win the battle against their acne but are still scarred by the psychological effects of acne. These people still have the effects of acne hanging over them like not being able to go out, confidence issues, worrying about acne coming back etc, Obviously after suffering from acne for a long time the psychological scars are still there and harder to get rid of but has anyone actually lost there acne and gone onto be happy? From reading a lot of posts on various forums it seems that actually getting rid of acne physically is only a tiny part of the battle and fighting acne still goes on long after the spots are gone.
Post acne, many people have to deal with scars and pigmentation. That may affect their mood just as severely as the acne that caused it in the first place.
But to answer your question, yes, people will generally be happi-er post acne. I know I am during my clear times.
Edit: Happiness itself is a complex topic. Happiness is not as simple as achieving acne-free skin, though it plays a huge factor in many people's -ability- to be happy, if that makes sense.
Post acne, many people have to deal with scars and pigmentation. That may affect their mood just as severely as the acne that caused it in the first place.
But to answer your question, yes, people will generally be happi-er post acne. I know I am during my clear times.
Edit: Happiness itself is a complex topic. Happiness is not as simple as achieving acne-free skin, though it plays a huge factor in many people's -ability- to be happy, if that makes sense.
That is what my problem is right now. I am happy that I am almost acne-free but the marks and scars brings me down sometimes.
I think that the people who do not feel happier after their acne (and its aftermath, like hyperpigmentation, or maybe scars) is gone are people who were at least a little bit unhappy or self-conscious before acne. For example, when I read this post I wondered if I would be happy after acne... the answer is that I'll certainly be happier, but I'm not sure I'll be completely happy, because I wasn't happy before I had acne. I also avoided social situations prior to acne. So for me, I know that acne didn't cause the emotional effects - it certainly worsened them, but they were there to begin with. I think for some people it's hard to tell if the acne or the sadness/social anxiety/lack of confidence came first because the acne has been with them for so long. But for me, I started getting acne at 18, so I know what I was like without it and I wasn't happy or confident or worry-free at all. I was actually quite miserable a lot of the time.
And in a way, I actually think that having had this experience of having acne will make me better able to appreciate what I have, and that might make me happier in the end. Before acne I took so much for granted. I've forgotten what it's like to wake up in the morning and not have my first thought be: I wonder how bad my face looks today. If I woke up and my first thought was that I was stressed about an exam or sad about a relationship or anxious about a social event, I think that I'd actually be grateful for it, even though it isn't fun, because it would mean I had my life back... if that makes sense. The day when I wake up and don't immediately raise my hands to my face or rush to the mirror to examine it will be one of the happiest I've had in a long time, I think.
You probably don't see as many posts from people who get happy after acne because well, if they're happy, they probably won't be posting here.
Myself, I got pretty happy after I was convinced that my treatment was working( but I still post here 
I like to think I could be helping people) . I had a LOT of false starts before I finally figured out what works for me, so it left me a bit paranoid and superstitious. I couldn't admit out loud that I was getting clear because I was worried that would be too much hubris and the universe would kick me down a notch. Sounds crazy (and self important 
), but I couldn't help it. Now I'm pretty darn happy with my skin. But like some people pointed out before, if you're prone to fixate on things to be improved, it's easy to start fixating on other things once your acne clears. Thankfully for me, this includes things that I consider more worthy, like my art, career and spirituality.
My skin is still kind of important though. I've noticed that the best for me is when my skin is "normal". Not perfect- when my skin gets "too good", I get a bit more obsessed with keeping it that way. And it's like it can only go downhill from there, you know?
After years of dealing with acne breakouts and experimenting with different medication my acne one day just decided to stop. This has happened recently, almost 2 months ago. I was taking Diane 35, as well as Tetracycline to control my acne but I ran out of my prescription of Diane 35 and just slowly stopped taking Tetracycline. Worried that I would break out horribly like a lot of people on this website have described I just didn't end up breaking out at all. My face is actually better then it was when I was on my medication. I haven't gotten 1 pimple since I stopped my medication, 2 months ago.
So to answer the question, "do people feel happier post acne" for me I definitely feel better and much much happier. I feel freer, if that makes sense. Now I can do whatever I want and not have to worry about getting a huge zit to minimize my confidence. My marks left from acne are almost all gone, and I don't really have any type of scarring anymore. While my face was uncontrollably breaking out I didn't think I would be that much happier once my acne was over with because I had scarring. But realizing now, I'm pretty sure it wasn't perminent scarring since now my face looks better then ever! Anyways, YES I am much happier post acne.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151488168167575&set=t.758047574&type=3&theater
So every now and again i will see people on this board who have managed to win the battle against their acne but are still scarred by the psychological effects of acne. These people still have the effects of acne hanging over them like not being able to go out, confidence issues, worrying about acne coming back etc, Obviously after suffering from acne for a long time the psychological scars are still there and harder to get rid of but has anyone actually lost there acne and gone onto be happy? From reading a lot of posts on various forums it seems that actually getting rid of acne physically is only a tiny part of the battle and fighting acne still goes on long after the spots are gone.
Post acne a lot of people still haven't recovered from the mental scars and depression.
I think acne has to be fought in the head as well as on the skin. Only then will someone be happy.
For me i stayed in my house for 2 years with depression. Only going to and from college. My acne cleared, but i got so comfortable staying in i didn't want to leave, got addicted to the internet and lived a fake life.
It was only when i changed my life style and nutrition i started to get out of it. Healthy body healthy mind. A lot of depression is related to bad diet, not all cases but it certainly accounts for a lot.
Depression is essentially a chemical imbalance in the brain. When you think of it like that it seems so simple but easier said than done.
As of right now, I don't have any active acne, which I'm over the moon about. Post acne is another story though. Dealing with active scarring isn't an easy task, but I'm trying to overcome it. As long as I'm healthy, then I'm happy. Sure, I might live in a rich area, where everybody thinks life is a popularity contest, but I couldn't care less. I dress the way I want to and do things my own way, yet having acne basically means that I don't take care of myself, according to the locals. Go ahead and think that, because despite getting average marks in subjects that I'm forced to do, at least I'm a caring person and don't judge people. That doesn't mean I'm distracted at school all the time, I just go to excell in the things that interest me and hang out with friends. Just like any other teenager. Regardless, it just annoys me how whether or not I have active acne or not, people with crystal clear skin tend to either put you down or make out that they're better than you. That's all just personal experience. Only if life was a lot easier.
I think I've always been self-concious about my appearance, even before acne. I've always moved through life thinking that, compared with others, I look strange. So acne only made it worse, and made me believe I was hideous.
Being on a low-dose of accutane really, really cleared my skin amazingly. I've had acne since I was about 13 and I'm 26, so I've had it a long time. You almost just get used to it as the way things are. But even though I had clear skin .. my insecurities just moved onto other things! I started obsessing over my nose. And my weight (which is low, but I always want to be super skinny, and I've had an eating disorder forever.) I finally started feeling better about that, only to move onto the state of my tiny breasts. I almost dropped 5k on getting implants before realizing I didn't need it. And sometimes I would get one tiny zit and absolutely freak over it like it was the biggest deal.
So you see, at least in my case, it's not really acne that gets me down .. it's my whole sense of self is totally messed up. I have the most hateful thoughts about myself a lot of the time.
To be fair though, I did get a *little* more confidant when going around outside, but only a little. I still felt like a troll. Now I have a little acne coming back, though not as bad, and I'm back to my old ways of hiding in the house of course.
This thread is really a no brainer for me.
Let me break it down a bit. I was always full of confidence and was outgoing and the loud guy always making jokes, up until 19, when my skin blew up. I was tainted with shitty skin, and the emotional aspects it brought with it we all know. I was not even close to same person i was when my skin was clear. I was literally just living. Going to work, and coming home and hibernating. It was a miserable life.
My skin cleared up by the time I turned 21, and remained clear up until February of this year. For those 16 months, I was the happiest I have ever been in my entire life. No question. Overcoming acne and having clear skin that required little to no maintenance was the greatest feeling in the world. You would have to experience it to know the feeling, and I hope all of you do. I was the exact person I wanted to be for that year and a half. I was doing everything I wanted to do. I was literally never home because I was always out doing something. Life was amazing.
That all ended in February of this year. Up until about a month or so ago, I was worse off (mentally) than I was when I was 19-21. I contemplated suicide, cried myself to sleep, etc etc. Clear skin is a dream of mine. It really is. Its amazing how such a small, minuscule thing can rule our lives. For the past month or so, Ive started to turn the corner and I am seeing a light at the end of tunnel. I always thought I HAD to have PERFECT skin to be happy in life. But you know what, as long as my skin is "good", Im happy. It may never be perfect, but Im not going to let it stop me from having the life I want. People that ive met in the past few months have treated me as if my skin was perfect. You know we are always out own worst critics.
Anyway, to answer the question to the thread. Yes. Having acne is a demoralizing and crippling disease. Once acne has been controlled or no longer an issue, I am able to be the person i want to be, without worrying about having new pimples pop up, or redness in the morning, or dryness, or whatever may happen. Ive been able to do what I want, eat what i want, and my skin hasnt been an issue in the past 2 weeks (knock on wood).
My confidence, happiness, motivation, drive, and most of all, my personality, always gets shot when acne comes back. When acne is no longer an issue, all those qualities show up and are portrayed through my smile.
I started getting acne last year on this time, but for me all happen so quickly , I developed severe acne this summer, I'm on my 4th month of taane, as for the acne , I only have a few actives left, but the inital break out left a lot of red marks, so if I'm happier post-acne..right now my answer is no , is still can't get out of my house, my room , only school and back.
I'm living my life with the only though : " They will go away with time" , at least I know for sure they will go I think 6 months from now I will be happy , very happy.
no. life without acne sucks.
i kid, i kid! ive never gotten completely clear, my acne flares up and calms down a lot, but i feel like when im having a clear day/week i find something else to worry about, like my hair or clothes or whatnot, which is probably just my lack of self-confidence. i think its just a reaaaallyyy slllooowwww proccess to build yourself back up, but most people get there eventually
Defintely, it can be a very traumatising thing having acne. I still get shivers when i think about the shit i went through. Especially some of the treatments good hearted skin nurses did to me, horrible. I would often have a nervous breakdown in their clinic from both the physical and emotional pain.
I get upset when i see photos of myself (the very rare photo) from when my face was broken out. It actually depressed me that much i went through and deleted every one of those photos. It brings back a bad stage in my life. But i have to be happy for what i have now- i am sensitive towards other human beings, i am very health concious and i know the in's and out's of looking after my skin. we are some of the rare few that can truly have an understanding of what things like acne can make us feel like and lend a supporting hand to those around us.
For a lot of people, yes that will be the case, they will be happiER after they've gotten rid of their acne. But a lot of people live in the future and think: 'I will be happy when I'm in a relationship' or 'I will be happy when I own my dream house/car' or in this case 'I will be happy when my acne is gone'
...or to put it simply 'I am basing my happiness on one tiny factor of my life and believe that because that tiny issue is resolved, I will be without any troubles for the rest of my life and be happy and content for ever and after' but, life does not work like that. It took me the best part of my teenage years to realise that.
Life is much more complex than this. Your acne, compared to a lot of other things in your own life is a tiny, insignificant factor that your mind has amplified a 100x and it seems to control your life as it occupies your thoughts. Once your acne is gone, it will be replaced by something else, I assure you. It might be whether you will lose weight, whether you'll get into university, whether you'll get married, etc. etc. basically it can be anything. Once you achieve something, it becomes unimportant. And this will go on for the rest of your life - life is about the pursuit of goals. Your life is the big picture, your goals are tiny specks of paint within that.
So, no, you won't be 100% happy after your acne is gone. It will be just one less trouble on your mind, like everything else you've worked to achieve.
I was about as low as you could get, i dont want to get into it cause its kinda upsetting as my acne has returned and im not doing to grand but post acne is awesome!!! !!! The psychological effects can be worked on and ur once ur confidence builds u start to feel like yourself again andno more hiding away or missin out on life 
) one day u jus wake up and u dont mind lookin in the mirror xx
I felt better when I finally found the DKR (Dan's treatment, I don't know if they are still calling it that.) And since my acne is not as bad as it was, I continue to still feel better. But the mind is slower to catch up than the body - it can take years for some of us. But it is still worth it.
I never really been clear since developing acne at 12 years old. Now that I'm 27 years old with adult acne I've been accustom to having acne, it's persistant! I hate it! but I've exhausted most options (and I'm still tring). My acne fluctuates too, when it's very mild I feel a sense of relief, not happiness but just enough comfort to focus on other things for a short period of time. I've seldom been happy during my "clear" periods, simply because my acne ALWAYS comes back and that haunts me. Furthermore, the psychological impact of acne is deeply entrenched in my mind. A simple change in my skin's appearance won't correct the long term damage, the longer you have acne for, the harder it is to shift your mindset. I'm not surprised to learn all these "post acne" individuals aren't happy. Acne physically and mentally destroys you (in some way or another). I'm so tired of condenscending people telling me and others to "get over it" or "it could be worse". Acne is such an intricate disorder, only those who have endured it would understand the potentially long term ramifications of it.
I no longer have bad acne but the years of having suffered from cystic acne (and the bullying that I had when I was at school) have left me with massive hang-ups about my skin and appearance. If I was to be truthful I would have to say that even though my skin is better these days, I am probably not that much happier. I do have days where I feel good about myself but then I have days where even the mildest of breakouts can leave me feeling repulsive, hideous and ugly.
Someone said to me the other day that if you constantly strive for perfection, you are always setting yourself up for a fall. I totally agree with this statement. I hope that in the coming months through a combination of counselling and CBT I will be able to challenge the negative thoughts and learn to accept myself for who I am without constantly trying to attain the impossible.
