Hey all. I'm not really sure what to say, just that I am feeling really low again lately about the condition of my skin. Some days I think it's fine, other days I feel like a monster with the ugliest skin ever. I don't know what to do. It's hard to talk to anyone that I actually know in real life, because I feel like people lie to make you feel better. Sometimes, it would be nice just to hear some true honesty. I guess that's kind of what I'm looking for. I don't want to be unrealistic about the condition of my skin. I used to suffer from pretty bad acne growing up, as an adult, it's still been an issue (unless I'm on BCP, that tends to help). Without the acne, I'm forced to see my actual skin. Am I crazy to think that it's pretty horrible looking or is it as bad looking as I think it is? I have large pores, acne scars, dark marks, it just seems to overtake my face when I look in the mirror. Oh, and when I'm outside, it's really hard to want to catch my reflection in anything, everything seems to be magnified. What to do... I just want to live without constantly thinking about what my skin looks like and what others are thinking. I've attached some pictures, what do you guys think? Please be honest.
I'm being totally honest when I say your skin looks pretty clear. I can't see why you would feel so down about anything in those pics, you look great to me.
I think people who do suffer from chronic conditions can over time develop a complex about them and actually build them up in their mind to be a lot worse
than they actually are. This could also be true of people who have on the whole improved their condition but are always striving for that elusive 'holy grail' crystal
clear skin and anything less than keeps getting them down. Again, I must say your skin looks great to me and if I were you i wouldn't be in the slightest bit concerned
about it. 
Honest Opinion.
Your skin is nice. There is about 2 tiny marks and thats if your really looking for them. Obviously I bet there isnt a single person in the world that doesnt have at least two tiny marks on their face.
Your skin is pretty much perfect really.. =D
I'm being totally honest when I say your skin looks pretty clear. I can't see why you would feel so down about anything in those pics, you look great to me.
I think people who do suffer from chronic conditions can over time develop a complex about them and actually build them up in their mind to be a lot worse
than they actually are. This could also be true of people who have on the whole improved their condition but are always striving for that elusive 'holy grail' crystal
clear skin and anything less than keeps getting them down. Again, I must say your skin looks great to me and if I were you i wouldn't be in the slightest bit concerned
about it.
yep
Your skin looks pretty healthy to me. You have pimples here and there but not something i would characterize as an acne problem. We all go through periods like this, the key is to not let it be your focus. Maybe your depression is a part of a deeper seeded issue besides acne.
Good Luck!
I'll give you my honest opinion: I think your skin looks great. I see maybe one or two extremely minor active blemishes, and everything else is just superficial, barely noticeable scarring. I think we're our own worst critics when it comes to our skin, and often times we think it's much worse than it actually is. I've been guilty of this too in the past.
I think you're a beautiful girl and your skin looks to be in good shape right now, so try not to stress so much about it. I have large pores around my cheeks close to my nose too, but I'll take those over active blemishes any day of the week. 
Next time you look into a mirror try and focus on the things you like about your face. Like for example, you have pretty eyes and an awesome smile! I spend way too much time dwelling on the negative when it comes to my skin, but when I find the time to appreciate the things that I like about my features I find that it helps me and improves my mood. :]
so yah basically youre crazy to be complaining youre super pretty! i want your eyes haha
Can only echo what everyone else has said. You're pretty and your skin is good. Sure, it may not be perfect, but nobody has truly perfect skin.
I get the impression you're trying to achieve something that isn't really attainable and if you keep pushing for that, you'll bring yourself down. The best thing to do is separate things, take a step back and look at the aspects of your skin you can actually improve. Or rather, if you have a regimen and so on which helps you maintain things, stick with it.
Beyond that, it's about learning to accept the things you can't directly change. It's about learning to be comfortable in your own skin. That's down to you because no matter what people say and how many justified compliments you may receive, you have to believe it in yourself and that has to come from you.
As hard as it may be - I know what it's like to have a skewed perception of your skin and for it to consume everything - it's key to work on liking your appearance because if you seriously believe those negative thoughts, it can majorly hold you back in pretty much every aspect of life, believe me. 
Why are you on this board?
When I see posts like this I wonder if anyone here REALLY had bad acne like I did. I mean, wow, you think you have problem skin? Yeesh, then I was a total monster for over a decade.
Anyway, your skin is great, get on and live your life!
This is rude. You don't know my struggles. Everyone is different. I had terrible, terrible acne in my youth that has scarred my psyche. No, I don't have terrible acne now, I use BCP to control it. It doesn't mean I'm happy with the condition of my skin.
Why are you on this board?
When I see posts like this I wonder if anyone here REALLY had bad acne like I did. I mean, wow, you think you have problem skin? Yeesh, then I was a total monster for over a decade.
Anyway, your skin is great, get on and live your life!
This is rude. You don't know my struggles. Everyone is different. I had terrible, terrible acne in my youth that has scarred my psyche. No, I don't have terrible acne now, I use BCP to control it. It doesn't mean I'm happy with the condition of my skin.
Pay no mind.....everyone on here has their own struggles/insecurities. I can understand that someone with more severe acne might feel like mild acne is nothing to stress over but it doesn't mean they have the right to negate yours. No two of us on here are alike.
Hoping you find the answers you are looking for
With regards to what Green Gables said, although I understand the point they're making, I've always said that the severity of acne is irrelevant, in the sense that it all comes down to how well you're able to cope with whatever degree of acne you may have.
Personally, my acne was never what we would class as severe and rarely was it cystic, but the experiences I had or didn't have because of it, how I felt because of it, and indeed how other people made me feel because of it, meant that I felt as though it might as well have been the worst case of acne in the history of acne. Even now, without that, I still feel the same about myself, my physical appearance in general, and especially my complexion as I did back that.
That is why I can understand where aaatsirk! is coming from. In context, this thread is in exactly the right place and is definitely worthy of discussion and our support. If the thread was in the forum relating to sever acne then people would probably have reason to get annoyed with that, but this section is all about the emotional and physiological struggles and those things don't always have to relate to whatever degree of acne we're experiencing in the here and now. If that were the case, I wouldn't even be on this board because I wouldn't have a care in the world and I'd be quite happy with my physical appearance.
We have people here who do have severe acne but who are able to carry on regardless. They hold their heads up and experience things, maintain friendships and have relationships, and enjoy what life brings. By the same token, though, we also have people here who get knocked back by even mild acne because it triggers certain feelings and insecurities. Certainly, even a minor breakout these days takes me back to a time when I felt as though I wanted to rip my face off because I absolutely detested what I saw in the mirror. It may well mean that I focus on it too much now or that I make a big deal out of something small, but nobody is a position where they're qualified to tell me I shouldn't be feeling that way. Nor should they respond in a way which makes light of how I may be feeling at the time of posting. I hope that everyone will please keep that in mind when replying to topics because the purpose of being here is to support each other.
In terms of where you're at now, aaatsirk!, you can at least take comfort from the positive steps you have in place to look after your skin because, honestly, what you're doing in working so well. Your skin is in wonderful shape and, if I may say so, you're very pretty. Even if you have the odd blemish, that's all it really is. You have to tell yourself that that's all people think if they see such things, to the point that they may not even notice anyway. Beyond that, there's nothing more attractive and admirable than someone who appears to be comfortable in their own skin and happy with who they are. Even if you have to fake that in the first instance, nobody knows any different and all they see is confidence and a smile. It's all about perception and it goes a long way.
