I feel exactly the same. Whilst reading this there were so many things that made me think, wow, this girl could be me.

My wish for a genie would be to learn to love mirrors again because at the moment, I do everything in my power to avoid looking in one, or else I know I'll want to burst in to tears. Photographs are another thing that I hate, I haven't had one taken since before I had acne. My friend told me the other day that when I'm older I'll regret not having any pictures of myself as a teenager. Coming from a girl with utterly perfect skin, that hurt. I told her that I never ever want to remember a time when my skin looks like it does now.

I think the worst thing is that people are ignorant enough to think that acne is always something that comes from not washing your face or from eating junk food.

I just wish it was that simple.

It would seem that we both share a thing about bright lights. Crazy as it sounds, I sometimes wish I was a mole and could live underground where nobody can see me. Yup, acne does make you think some crazy things. Luckily, I live in Britain where it kinda always seems dark and grey. It's the nice, sunny days (that I loved before having acne) that are the worst as it feels like there is a spotlight on my skin.

Sorry I can't be more helpful, I just wanted you to know that there are others out there like you.

You are not alone.

Really liked this post. Felt the exact same way at one time in my life.

Not sure how old you are, but seems like you possess alot of wisdom and insight. While I was in high school, I went through a similiar exprience and it wasnt until I came to college that things got back to "normal".

One thing you should remember is you are young. Things will get better. I would tell you not to let these thoughts consume you but know from experience that won't do much.

Never really know what advice to give in situations like these. What I will say is don't hate yourself for feeling the way you do. Your entitled to your feelings. Like I said I felt the same way as you at one point and it is only with hindsight that I know things get better.

Keep your head up, you seem like a wonderful person

I'm the same way with TV. In fact it makes it very difficult to actually concentrate on the show or movie. I'll find myself thinking about the actresses skin for minutes on end and then be like "wait, what'd I miss? What's going on?"

I even have this big list of actresses whose skin I admire so much and try to hope I can be like them one day. It's really unhealthy and triggering (Kinda like "thinspo" for an anorexic) but I do it anyway. I just long, so badly, to look like them.

Hello fellow embarrassed girl,

I just wanted to let you know that you have been lied to your whole life. Yes, lied to; popular media, health and beauty ad's, people's expectation's, society, etc. Beauty isn't something that can be put on and taken off or diminished with physical flaws, and anyone who tells you differently, including your friends and family, are shallow, misguided people. If acne affects the way they love you, they're not worth a thought.

Some of the most beautiful people I've ever known have faces like rock slides. They're not considered physically appealing in any sense, but their beautiful spirit and soft heart for people make them worth noting. If I could, I'd surround myself all day long with people like this. Not a bunch of idolized actors and actresses with "perfect" looking skin, constantly under public scrutiny.

You have an opportunity to transform into something really, truly beautiful and it's literally staring you in the face. You can either choose to be humbled by your experience with acne and learn how to love and function without your good looks...or you can fight the change to become merely acceptable in the shallow eyes of those around you. It's a surrendering, really. I'm not saying it'll be easy, but nothing worth having ever is. Hang in there luv.

Oh my God...THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOU COMMENTS. Totally made my day :''')

I'm 16 years old right now, gonna be 17 soon. I guess it just hurts so much because I knew that my skin used to be nearly flawless just a couple of months ago. And now it's a mess. And what hurts too much and is too much of a burden for me is when I blame myself: because I admit: sometimes I pop my acne and hate myself afterwards. Sometimes I pick at scabs when they're not ready to come off and they scar (I had a dry bit of skin on my cheek and thought that it was just dry skin, but it was a scab, now there's a big brown mark on my cheek and I'm hating myself so badly :'( Because I picked at a scab months ago and it took over 5 months to go away.) I will never EVER pick at any dry spots on my skin EVER AGAIN. It's taking all my willpower to wait it out and see what happens to this big brown spot (it looks like three brown pimples clumped together). I can't go through another 5 months with a huge, noticable scar! I need to tie my hands behind my back so that I don't cut the brown spot with a knife just so that I have an excuse to cover it with a bandaid .____. (gah, I seem so insane now!!)

Again, THANK YOU ALL. Thank you so much. I didn't even think anyone would reply to this.

No worries, I won't cut myself. I've come to accept my acne, I think. I mean, I'm not the only one who has it. There are others who have it worse. I should be thankful for what I have. And I am.

I pray for those who have it worse. I pray that they can find happiness.

Can't really relate I've had acne forever serisously it sucks because the only pictures of me with clear skin are my pre-pubescent days from the ages of 1 to 10 then it all went down hill when i turned 11 acne so much more acne from that age to now I'm 19 going to be 20 soon. Maybe its a good thing that i've lived with acne for my whole life basically because I'm used to it and nobody really cares that much, sure i see them staring but it doesn't bother me since i'm used to it. I only got the mean comments about my acne from the ages of 11 - 14 basically all of middle school after that less mean comments maybe a few here or there but middle school was the worst. I have no idea whats causing my acne but i do know i can live with it because i have been living with it for my entire preteen and teen life going onto adult life sadly. If i was like a normal teen who had clear skin then suddenly acne i would be devastated. I cant even imagine how i would look like with clear skin i do dream about it a lot sometimes but then i end up changing the way i see myself and i become a different person completely probably because i desperately want to be just some normal girl without this messed up image about myself and crippling low self esteem eh i can only dream since there no real cure maybe accutane but thats too risky for me.

First of all I am so deeply sorry. I think me and you are actually in the same boat. Last year and over the summer I can't recall having one day where I was embarrassed about my face. Now over the past four months I feel like crying everyday because it is just such a curse. Its not fair. All I can say is I know exactly what your feeling and I know how much pain it can cause.

Embarassed Girl,

I went through some tough things when I was 16 and found myself thinking some of the same thoughts as you. I posted this some time ago in a different thread (about scars, but it can apply to anyone who feels bad about their appearance) and thought it might bring you comfort.

"I think I might have some of the answers to the questions you are asking. This is for you and others like you all around the world who are going through something similar and have come here to find help.

I myself have experienced the same depression from seeing those acne scars and the acute frustration from acne. It makes you not want to look in the mirror or let others see you; it makes you feel inferior to everyone around you, extremely embarrassed and even provoke feelings of self-loathing. It's a whole different level than acne because acne, while annoying and unsightly at the time, does not usually linger as long as those scars can. To get past acne only to be left with evidence of its stay can be MISERABLE. In some cases scars can be reduced and even eliminated, but suppose they don't go away ever? Suppose youre stuck with them for the rest of your life? At that thought, you get that feeling in the pit of your stomach of hopelessness and humiliation. What will people think? What are you going to do?

We live in a world where appearance is everything, and perfection is sought more than ever before. We are bombarded with images of people on posters, in movies, on magazine covers with wonderfully flawless, smooth skin, and the physical traits that we want, whether its straight, white teeth, beautiful hair, or that perfect frame. They tell us indirectly, This is how you should look. If you looked as good as I do, you would be happy. When we compare ourselves and want to look a certain way we are not, its easy to get discouraged, and can drive ourselves almost to insanity when we cant change ourselves. We start asking,

Why am I the way I am? Why cant I look bettermore attractivemore perfectmore like so-and-so? WHY? ITS NOT FAIR.

So. Why do we have to face problems with bodies we want to be different? Is acne and acne scars a punishment we dont deserve? Are we entitled to more? Shouldnt we get more when we are nice people and treat others well? If Im a good person and Ive never done anything really bad, I shouldnt have to deal with these kinds of problems, right? There cant be more to life than thator can there? Is it possible that there is more to life than how you look, or even how you act? Am I worth anything?

We have problems in this world because of we live in a world that is fallen. That means it is not perfect. There are many obvious things wrong with this world: the issues of pain and suffering, sadness, death, wrong prevailing over right. Some issues arent so obvious, like how all of us have internal problems with our emotions and struggles that can bring us to rock-bottom. Everything is messed up and broken underneath; thats the problem.

Truth is, we arent perfect either. We are all fallen. Everyone at some point has made a mistake, and it only takes one to disqualify you from being perfect. If you look at a woman with lust in your heart, its the same as committing adultery. If you hate your brother, its the same as murder in your heart. Everyone is in the same boat, and we are on a crash course. It only takes one sin to make you guilty in the eyes of God, and All have sinned, and fallen short of the glory of God.

Where do we find hope, when there seems to be none? Where do we find our worth, if we are worth anything? Is there a light in the darkness of life?

There was somebody who came to here as a light to the world because of you, and he thought you were worth something. He didnt judge based on what you look like, or the quality of skin you have; he knew you were special. His name is Jesus, and he loved you and knew you before you were even born. He wants you to go to Heaven to be with him forever, but Heaven is a completely perfect place and you have to be perfect to go there as good and righteous as God himself. But because he loves you so much, he willingly died a terrible death on a cross to pay for everything youve done wrong, big or small.

And he said that if you would believe that he did it for you, he would give you the gift of eternal life and you will go to Heaven because of what he did for you. Its not because of how you behave or what you do: its entirely free and he says I give them [those that believe] eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.

And, The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. If you accept that gift, you will go straight to heaven when you die.

If anyone here decides to make a decision for Jesus, PM me and I will walk you through it.

We have one last word from Him. The LORD doesn't see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."

Thank you so much for this post. I really understood you and felt like I was reading something I would write. Your post really helped me realize that I'm not the only one that feels this way, there are others too. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I know this topic is already old, but I suffered from acne started in my Sophomore year where I literally had no face, just acne, and my self-esteem was resting in the toilet with my poop floating around and stinking up the place. So I at the time was in MMA, and been in mix martial arts since 7th grade, and because of what I do, and how hard I workout, I now have permanent scarring on the side of my face below my cheeks where my jaws are. On the left side is fairly big 1inch long and idk how width but it's big, and right is an ok size, kind of flat but noticeable bump. And this affects me badly with my confidence and girls in general.

But what can i do about the keloid scars that I had? Nothing... I'm just going to live in shame and look at my self in the mirror everyday know I will have this scar forever, but I don't care because I know i am capable of getting a girls, and i'm asian too so that's even worse. I hope who ever read this just feels more relaxed about themselves and if there is shallow girls and guys out there who talks about the scar... just put headphones in your ear, or... just punch em in the face, cause there's nothing much you could do unless you get a surgery which I will not be getting. Why? Even though I want to get rid of it so bad and it would change my life forever, I want to live knowing the horrible experience I had that cause the scar to appear.(there's also a story behind every scars, and maybe you could tell them a story of why you got them) and the scars are really not a choice to get or not get... so... yup

I can't believe how much this sounds like me... Right now I'm crying because I feel like I should just give up. Nothing is working.... All my dreams are gone. I hate this. I just wanna lie in my bed and sleep until this is all over.

Oh my. I dunno where to start coz seriously what happened to you is also happening to me. And right now I'm so depressed and so sad. I hate myself coz I've got these pimples and acnes and pimple marks and everything. I feel so ugly -___- I dunno what to do. I've tried everything, Antibiotics given by the dermatologist which is so expensive! And facial cleansers! Facial! but nothing works. Now I'm planning to go on another dermatologist and ask for help!!!

Yep, how I can relate in so many ways. We are not alone, we do think the same way.

This was great to read this because it felt like it exactly came from my thoughts. Even the part about wanting to be a film director, which has been my ambition and passion since I was 8 years old. I'm now 26, and am nowhere near being a professional film director. Why? Because I have pimples all over my face. It's gotten very severe in the last year or so. I don't understand how my face mostly remained clear near later years of high school and very good throughout college. I was using Benzaclin which worked miracles. Then at 23 years old, or 24, my Benzaclin started leaving harsh, dry, red patches on my face that were more noticeable than my actual zits, and so I decided to go off it. I also was developing scarring because I had popped so many whiteheads, and now I have some very noticeable scarring. I don't know if it's hormonal or what, but I'm getting very large, red pimples all over, and at 26, when I'm going into adulthood, it is the most embarrassing thing ever. People I know are married and having kids and I've had to take many sick days from my professional job at work because of disgusting zits on my face. I don't even think about picking up women or trying to find a girlfriend (I'm a male by the way) because no one wants to deal with my zitty face. I also wear women's concealer, as a straight dude, to cover up this shit as much as I can. I'm sure people notice all the time, but I'd rather have them notice that than the disgusting redness it is without. Without concealer on, my face is a fucking warzone. I look in the mirror morning and night and cry. I used to be so handsome. Girls were all over me. I dated what other people said was the hottest girl on our campus. People loved hanging out with me. But now, I can't face people. When I have to, it is the most humiliating and nerve-wracking thing to do. I'm using Exposed Skin Care and it's not working that well. It actually worked very well in the first couple weeks, but has just gotten worse since then. I've been using it for 2 months and I'm hoping it'll get to a stage where it'll just start to clear, but who knows? I'm never going to be in film with this kind of shitty face. It's depressing. I can't be a leader in charge of a crew and cast with all these pimples. I can barely face my friends when I talk to them, who I've been hanging out with less and less since my condition has gotten worse.

Anyways, sorry about the rant. It feels great to know there's other people out there that feel the same as I do. I know exactly what you mean when you said you would never complain about anything again if you had clear skin. Because having acne is the worst thing ever in life. I almost think it's worse than having a terminal illness, because then at least people sympathize with you. People are scared of acne. It makes you want to hide for the rest of your life, despite how talented and cool you are. I am never myself any more any day, and I'm getting sick of it. I want to live life to the fullest. I have the passion and the personality to be able to, but my acne's preventing all of it. Thanks for listening. Things are shitty right now.

I know exactly how you feel. Acne makes us be viewed differently. It's like we're stamped that says "undatable". It really gets to me at times.

Oh my god i can't believe there are so many people suffering the same as me. I never thought of it, i've always thought i was the only one. I hate acne so much! It practically ruined my life. Since i have it, i never go out, and when i do i avoid everyone. Everyone around me seems to be so happy, with their smooth and clear skin. I feel so awful, ugly and not enough. Suddenly I feel like everyone is looking at me and my face, i obssess over it, at home, outside. All i think about is "what if i was pretty like her?" "What if I stopped hiding and hang out with people?" Im so tired of feeling like this. Tbh i thought about killing myself. But then i think "what if it gets better sometime soon?"

When i see movies, and celebrities with perfect skin I get so mad, why can they be so happy when some other people suffer like this? And the worst is that no one understands. Even my family, they are like "aren't u going out? Don't u have any friends?" Since I don't have any friends, when someone comes and talks to me all i do is think and think and think, and once i even thought "maybe..my mom payed her to be nice?" "Maybe..since my mom knows her mom they talked and that's why she's being nice?" I know it's crazy. And i've thought crazier, but this is what acne does. I hate it! I hate that i can't be like everyone else. I hate that when i look myself in the mirror, i want to cry. I hate i don't feel confident anymore.

My parents spent lots (seriously lots) of money at treatments, from creams, lotions, soaps, to laser treatments, etc. Im so sorry to them. I hate to feel im a bother because i don't have good grades, all i do is stay at home watching tv shows over and over.

Im so thankfuk for having such great parents and sister. All want is to come home and aislate myself from everyone. It sucks. Life sucks

It probably might be too late to reply to this but this made me relate to how i used to feel. i had terrible acne growing up and people used to always look at my face in disgust. this continued for a while all through high school and university( i am still in university). i used a chemical peel to peel out the acne from face, I didn't know if it worked or not because i still felt like an ugly troll inside and outside. but during this time, I started neutral response from people, both guys and girls but i thought it was just out of pity. They still stared at my face, this time i stare back but they look away like i was some kinda insect they wanna avoid. This didn't make sense any sense, i couldn't comprehend this logic of life. girls started sitting close to me but because i was so uncomfortable with how i felt about myself and how sexual frustrated i was, i would speak to every girl like i wanted to get in their pants. most times its not really cos i wanted to get in their pants but that's just how i perceived the world to be. i was always so direct about sex in the first 2 seconds of meeting a girl. i would catch extremely good looking people staring at me and when i stare back, puff....they fucking look away. i just felt like everything was working against me. then one day, i just had to talk to a friend, a girl(yes I did manage to make a girl friend in my crazy chaotic world lool) and she told me that i am good looking and that i looked like a girl, that was only problem was I come off to people as scary looking because i never smile and that i was always expecting some negative response from people. wtf! how could this be true? i could not begin to comprehend this sorcery. so i just started to experiment. i would just go out and chill. and when i notice someone begin to stare at me...i would just stare back and smile. and it worked. thats all i needed to do. SMILE. it took me 6 hard years to realise that. i know my story doesnt make sense to you, im having a hard time trying to recall every detail in my brain so its all scrambled. if you want to get rid of your acne scars, i recommend your use a chemical peel, that would just get your face back to somewhat how it used to look. but im black so it made my face darker than the rest of my body but i prefer it to having to carry all that acne around. right now i just using a whitening cream to get back a reasonable skin tone adjustment back, but im not really bothered about it. it works is over. just research on how to use it and which one will work best on you, that's my advice and from there its just smooth sailing. and remember........be confident, cos it reflects on your body language and SMILE! 😀

Original OP hasn't been active forever a year. Hopefully everything is going well with her.

Thank you for sharing, to vent and also help others.

Your scars are probably hyperpigmentation, and I really truly think you will be able to have clear, beautiful skin again in time. It's great to see you immediately got yourself to a dermatologist to get help. Five months in, I feel confident in your recovery with help from a professional and I hope your life gets back to good place. There are lots of resources here to help too.

I really couldn't read your story, because I know how painful it is and your struggle would probably get me feeling really down. I've been struggling with this horrible affliction for 10+ years and it's left me an empty being with physical damage. Get out there and enjoy life, please. What saddens me even more than my skin is all the missed experiences I denied myself. My skin was/is atrocious, but there were kind people out there who did NOT care and still enjoyed my company when I allowed myself to experience life. There were WAY more times that I judged myself so harshly that I locked myself away, rather than being brought down by others. We are our own worst critics. If others comment its because they dont understand or theyre just useless assholes. You're so young, I just wish for you to keep your confidence and hope. Dont let this drive you mad. Stay focused on your treatment but dont obsess. It could become a bad habit. Mirror checking, overanalyzing, scrutinizing yourself to death. Youre a beautiful person, and I dont think youll be left with much damage. It will heal. Find the people who love you no matter what until then. Your emotional state impacts your skin, so if nothing else use that as motivation to remember to breathe and be kind to yourself when youre at your lowest.

I felt the same way as you. What helped me get through were friends who weren't going to judge me no matter what my face looked like. I hope your face clears up soon!

I know this is addressing a really small part of the original post, but actresses wear a ton of makeup on television and in photographs. Especially now that everything is done in HD. There is special makeup for that. It's true that they may have good skin, but they aren't perfect.

Also, some of my favorite actresses have acne scars: Jurnee Smollett-Bell comes to mind. She's amazing, and beautiful. You do notice the scars, because they're visible, but it really just ends up being a part of her beauty and character.

I burst into tears reading this. As a 16 year old girl in high school I am having the exact same issue as you. I feel depressed, and guilty that I'm depressed because it's selfish and vain of me. But having acne destroys my life. I don't look in mirrors before I've put on my make up and after I've taken it off. My friends think I avoid them because I make up excuses when they invite me over for sleepovers because I don't want to have to take of my make up in front of them and have a red, raw pimply face and have everyone trying desperately not to look at it in case they offend me.

I can't meet new people properly, because if they have clear skin I decide subconsciously that I don't like them, and if they have acne I think 'good, I'm not the only one', despite me never wishing acne on anyone, like, ever. I can't enjoy myself when I go out, and then I feel guilty for not enjoying myself. I don't even like showing my make-up free face in front of my family, in fact, I hide it from them.

And I COMPLETELY relate to the 'I will never complain again, if only my acne cleared'. I had acne this time last year until march when it had almost completely cleared - when it cleared I was over the moon. But after a few weeks, I started almost missing my acne, because having acne had given me a reason that wasn't down to my facial structure for feeling ugly all the time. After my acne went, some of the depression that had come with it remained, and I started hating on my appearance for other reasons; faint scarring, big forehead, lopsided smile, big thighs.. all of which were ridiculous and I hadn't thought about when I had acne.

However, this is my second bout of acne since then, because when my face cleared I got a few pimples a month or s down the line, panicked, and started a course of lymecycline that I didn't finish. I went on holiday for five weeks in America and left behind my treatment. In the USA, I broke out again. Behind closed doors, I cried continually all holiday long. In the supermarket with my aunt and uncle looking for facewash, I cried silently and walked behind them so they didn't see. For the week at the beach I wore foundation and concealer. What upset me the most was that I knew for a whole 'nother year of my life I was going to be miserable and self conscious and ugly and I had just got out of that almost obsessive way of thinking. I'm on treatment again now, but I have some seriously awful days. I feel like romance is dead, and my significant other will be moving abroad and I don't want him to remember me the way I am now, with a mountain range for a face. I just hope it has cleared by then.

But having gone through the healing process once, when my skin does clear up, I will NOT take it for granted like the first time. I will learn to love myself again. At the minute I think that 'I could be pretty, if I didn't have acne', so I just need to remember that when I don't anymore, instead of finding other ways to make myself ugly in my eyes.

It is a battle not understood by many, and the psychological effects can be enormous. It's comforting to know you're not alone in how you feel about it all, as much as I wouldn't wish it on anyone I'm glad I'm not the only one.

I can't really explain what I'm feeling right now. Is it because I should feel relieved because I'm not the only one who is suffering from this extreme challenge, or feel depressed because I'm losing hope everyday because of this.

Hello to people who are having this kind of problem, if you are active to this site, please can we be friends? I want to talk about your progress or improvements with this, and I need help and talk about a loooot of stuff regarding this matter. I chose you guys because what I really need right now is people who would understand me and I know you would because we are experiencing the same thing. And of course, a real friend (As what you guys have said, I'm also losing friends because of this) I can't even tell who are the real ones.

Soooo, if you're interested. Contact me ASAP! Stay strong you beautiful people xx