Sorry if you think what I'm posting here is 'motivational' or that I'm trying to change your set-in-stone thoughts from 8 years of acne, but I thought I'd put another view out there.

I don't think it's the acne itself that makes you an 'outcast' - it's how we react to having acne. We might tend to recluse (I've definitely done that) and in a way, that's excluding myself from interactions with others. I'm making myself the 'outcast' but might not always see that I'm the one doing that to myself and automatically put 'blame' on others for judging me or whatever because of my skin. Not saying that's always the case (there are idiots out there who would judge/exclude etc because someone has acne) but I'd say more times than not, that's what's happening. It's self-sabotage in a way.

We worry what others think of our skin but in majority of situations, we exaggerate it all - especially when it comes to how we think others see us.

I've come to have a bit of a 'so what' attitude if someone comments on my skin (if I hear it or not). Yes, having someone say something about my skin will probably upset me, but they're probably not the sort of person I'd want to be friends with anyway. Also - why should I let what others think govern how I live and feel? Same goes for acne - I should be able to happy and live my life and enjoy it - and yeah, acne can make that hard at times, but more often than not, it's me that's the problem. I'm the one holding myself back because I'm so preoccupied with my skin in one way or another - and that's just 'hurting' myself in the long run.

The fact that majority of people end up wasting so much money trying to clear their skin has to be one of the most annoying aspects of acne! I really may as well have flushed a bucket of money down the drain But trying to clear your skin and get rid of acne is a huge trial and error process for most people. What works for one person may not work for another person (either physically not work on their skin or they don't like some aspect of the treatment etc). And nothing is completely free - so spending money is just something that has to happen. And hopefully you find the thing/s that work for you.

So anyway, yes - acne is horrible in so many ways. But life doesn't stop happening because we have acne. We can live a life that's miserable because we wallow and focus so much on our acne and miss out on opportunities etc or we can try our best to not let acne control our lives so much and to go out and live and enjoy life and be happy despite having acne. After all, all you can do is try.

But so many of us have our symptoms under control and we can live happy normal lives again? I'm so over the doom and gloom attitudes on here because i've seen some of the most severe cases of acne probably ever seen in the world be 'cured'. Whether thats 3 rounds of accutane or 2.5% BP, the formation of acne is really a simple process that can be systematically interrupted.

Of course the skincare/dermatology market pretty much relies of the existence of acne but lets also consider that scientifically we dont *know* everything and maybe we just havent found a cure for acne yet. Or maybe we have found some acne 'vaccine' but remember it can take decades to test it for side effects such as losing all of your hair and regressing into a vampire-like state (I am legend anyone???)

I'm just not a fan of the demotivational speeches I keep seeing around here, they contribute nothing but negative energy and lest we forget there are young kids on here who'll read things like that and feel really down about themselves. Don't get me wrong, this is a place to vent, but to try and present that as 'a fact of life' is incredibly detrimental.

Fatalbert, I`ve had acne in varying degrees for the best part of three decades - a lot longer than eight years.

Because of acne I didn`t go to university. Because of acne I`ve lost friends. I`ve been engaged twice and because of acne, both relationships ultimately failed. Because of acne I never had the career I wanted and at the age of 40, I find myself stuck in a dead end job.

For a very long time, I blamed my failures totally on the fact that I had acne. It is only really in the past 18 months or so that I have come to the conclusion that it wasn`t the acne that caused the failures - it was my reaction to having acne and the insecurity that was caused by it that was the problem.

I have wasted so much of my life and have so many regrets. The easy option would be just to continue on the same self-pitying path for the rest of my life. However (assuming that I am going to be on this planet for another 40 years or so), I`ve decided that I want to do things differently from here on in so that in years to come when I look back it won`t be full of regrets and what ifs.

I still have problems in terms of my skin, my appearance and liking and accepting myself. I`m having CBT at the moment which is helping but I still get periods (like earlier in the week) where I feel repulsive. I may never fully like and accept myself but I at least want to get to a stage where I am comfortable in my own skin and can get out there and attempt to achieve and do the things that I want to do in the years that I have left. It`s not going to be easy but I`m determined to give it my best shot.

This is not meant to be a motivational speech and I`m not looking to change your outlook Fatalbert. Just wanted to post an alternative viewpoint from a very longterm acne sufferer.

Acne only exist till you find a solution. It might take you 1 day to find it or it might takes years. It took me 3 years to find what worked for me. Till then I sufferend from pimples everyday, having to go to school with zits all over my face. But now that I've found what works al that pain and suffering is a small memory. It feels like it wasn't even me that had acne.

Don't stop spending money on different products. I spent over $600 at the dermatologist and none of there stuffed worked. But I didn't give up. I was going to find what worked for me even if I spent all my money. Health over Money.

I'm not being motivational here, but there's a quote you really should hear.

If a person has ugly thoughts, it begins to show on the face. And when that person has ugly thoughts every day, every week, every year, the face gets uglier and uglier until you can hardly bear to look at it. A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts it will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.

You seem to have such ugly thoughts about yourself that you refuse to believe anything positive.

I'm not being motivational here, but there's a quote you really should hear.

If a person has ugly thoughts, it begins to show on the face. And when that person has ugly thoughts every day, every week, every year, the face gets uglier and uglier until you can hardly bear to look at it. A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts it will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.

You seem to have such ugly thoughts about yourself that you refuse to believe anything positive.

As much as I admire a positive attitude, stuff like this irritates me immensely. You don't know whether the person you are looking at is the next Pope or a serial killer. Ugly thoughts don't make people ugly, no matter how many you have. Good people can be ugly and they can certainly judge people as being ugly without really knowing them or what they are thinking.

The difference between a good person and a bad person is that a good person will treat you well, even if they don't like how you look.

I'm not being motivational here, but there's a quote you really should hear.

If a person has ugly thoughts, it begins to show on the face. And when that person has ugly thoughts every day, every week, every year, the face gets uglier and uglier until you can hardly bear to look at it. A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts it will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.

You seem to have such ugly thoughts about yourself that you refuse to believe anything positive.

As much as I admire a positive attitude, stuff like this irritates me immensely. You don't know whether the person you are looking at is the next Pope or a serial killer. Ugly thoughts don't make people ugly, no matter how many you have. Good people can be ugly and they can certainly judge people as being ugly without really knowing them or what they are thinking.

The difference between a good person and a bad person is that a good person will treat you well, even if they don't like how you look.

If you reread the quote, it's not really about who you are, it's about what you think of yourself. Imagine 2 people who both have bad acne, weird faces and are very unattractive. One of them is standing up straight and smiling, and the other is hunching over, frowning and looking at the ground. Which one is "uglier?" Both look the same on the outside, but it is the inside that makes the difference. Onto your argument, it's only human nature to look at someone and decide whether they are attractive or not. I agree that if you are ugly, you are ugly and nothing can change your appearance. But the way you act can change your appearance. Alot of the guys I have dated, I have dated them because of their great personalities. Some of the guys had weird noses and acne and not the best looking, but it was easy for me to see over all of that because they were such great people.

Cause & effect people, you want to know why my view of this trash bin planet is the way it is? Dame, i mean c'mon i'v been called ugly countless times. what the hell do you guys expect for me to be all cheerful about it? NO! I look like crap, have been treated like crap So guess what... as a result i'm one angry sob & fed up with people.

i don't want to act like things are ok when there not, i'd rather feel bad but keep it real. then have some fake ass delusion of things being a ok. i got a messed up face it's just a fact, i got a sh*ty hand delt to me. i'm not normal, this isn't ok & i won't ever be entirely happy until i get this resolved. i mean it's just a reality check people, the truth.

i don't like being made fun of, i don't like feeling bad all the time & i don't like having acne with scars. so until all that stops, screw this world. it's two faced, backstabing, sh*t talking inhabitants & let them all go find a deep ditch to live. at least then maybe i could finally have some well deserved peace.

Cause & effect people, you want to know why my view of this trash bin planet is the way it is? Dame, i mean c'mon i'v been called ugly countless times. what the hell do you guys expect for me to be all cheerful about it? NO! I look like crap, have been treated like crap So guess what... as a result i'm one angry sob & fed up with people.

i don't want to act like things are ok when there not, i'd rather feel bad but keep it real. then have some fake ass delusion of things being a ok. i got a messed up face it's just a fact, i got a sh*ty hand delt to me. i'm not normal, this isn't ok & i won't ever be entirely happy until i get this resolved. i mean it's just a reality check people, the truth.

i don't like being made fun of, i don't like feeling bad all the time & i don't like having acne with scars. so until all that stops, screw this world. it's two faced, backstabing, sh*t talking inhabitants & let them all go find a deep ditch to live. at least then maybe i could finally have some well deserved peace.

Fatalbert, obviously your outlook is completely set in stone and I respect that. However, two observations:

Because of your outlook you are letting all those people who have called you ugly and all those people who made fun of you win.

There are plenty of good and caring people out there but because of your negativity, you are not giving anyone a chance to get close to you and prove it.

As I said, your outlook is your choice but speaking from personal experience, it will only make you even more bitter, twisted and miserable. If that is how you want to spend the rest of your life, then I find that truly sad.

We're all in the same shit bro. Some of us have it more, some less.

"i don't want to act like things are ok when there not"

You should not run away frome your problem. Recently i started thinking that we must find root of the problem in the ourselves. Look: Some people have acne, some do not. Then all we need is to turn ourselves into a right direction. I'm sure you've met the people who have little acne, they do not give a shit about this, and acne finally is gone from their faces. Maybe this is the answer. Maybe we do not need all the pills and other shit. Then why so many people have acne?

BECAUSE IT'S SO Fu***n' hard to change ourselves.

I know it's hard struggle.

In theory we are brothers in sisters in this fight, but what you'll really do after seeing this post? Take other accutane pill that will dry your gut? benzoyl 10000000%?

I'm so tired in this fight. Maybe we should gather close and, think strong, and destroy this *$#**@ once and for all. If you get cold you take antibiotics, if you have broken leg you walk in god damn gypsum. If you have acne, then you're shit. Maybe it's time to change it now? It's so hard however. "Help i need somebody"

What type of acne do you have anyway? by the sound of your post and a few others I've read from you it sounds like it's probably a pretty terrible inflammatory form of acne for you to be this emotionally torn up and crippled by it. Do you have any pictures?

Cause & effect people, you want to know why my view of this trash bin planet is the way it is? Dame, i mean c'mon i'v been called ugly countless times. what the hell do you guys expect for me to be all cheerful about it? NO! I look like crap, have been treated like crap So guess what... as a result i'm one angry sob & fed up with people.

i don't want to act like things are ok when there not, i'd rather feel bad but keep it real. then have some fake ass delusion of things being a ok. i got a messed up face it's just a fact, i got a sh*ty hand delt to me. i'm not normal, this isn't ok & i won't ever be entirely happy until i get this resolved. i mean it's just a reality check people, the truth.

i don't like being made fun of, i don't like feeling bad all the time & i don't like having acne with scars. so until all that stops, screw this world. it's two faced, backstabing, sh*t talking inhabitants & let them all go find a deep ditch to live. at least then maybe i could finally have some well deserved peace.

Fatalbert, obviously your outlook is completely set in stone and I respect that. However, two observations:

Because of your outlook you are letting all those people who have called you ugly and all those people who made fun of you win.

There are plenty of good and caring people out there but because of your negativity, you are not giving anyone a chance to get close to you and prove it.

As I said, your outlook is your choice but speaking from personal experience, it will only make you even more bitter, twisted and miserable. If that is how you want to spend the rest of your life, then I find that truly sad.

You are wrong. I have made huge attempts to connect with people who are, on first sight, good and caring people, but I have noticed that I can't make a good connection with those people at all. I'm not sure what causes that, but it could be my looks.

Well it never was cystic acne but it was so bad that it might as well have been it wouldn't have made a difference. it get it on all over my face some on my back. but it was my face that was most effected. at it's worse I had all the skin altering effect's like: peeling, dryness, blood spots, big red bumps, scabs. I really did look deformed monster like even. it was BAD, I have some recent pics on my profile but they only show the scars and huge pores that have been left over from years of having it. it started out bad right from the beginning when I was 12 I remember waking up one day and feeling a stinging sensation on my face at first I thought ant's bit me or something. it was only later I realized what it was, I say it was horrible bad for about six years. when I turned 18 it started getting better. but it's not like that meant improvement really because it's still bad imo to this day. it's just not on the extreme level that it was during my mid teens.

What type of acne do you have anyway? by the sound of your post and a few others I've read from you it sounds like it's probably a pretty terrible inflammatory form of acne for you to be this emotionally torn up and crippled by it. Do you have any pictures?

Cause & effect people, you want to know why my view of this trash bin planet is the way it is? Dame, i mean c'mon i'v been called ugly countless times. what the hell do you guys expect for me to be all cheerful about it? NO! I look like crap, have been treated like crap So guess what... as a result i'm one angry sob & fed up with people.

i don't want to act like things are ok when there not, i'd rather feel bad but keep it real. then have some fake ass delusion of things being a ok. i got a messed up face it's just a fact, i got a sh*ty hand delt to me. i'm not normal, this isn't ok & i won't ever be entirely happy until i get this resolved. i mean it's just a reality check people, the truth.

i don't like being made fun of, i don't like feeling bad all the time & i don't like having acne with scars. so until all that stops, screw this world. it's two faced, backstabing, sh*t talking inhabitants & let them all go find a deep ditch to live. at least then maybe i could finally have some well deserved peace.

Fatalbert, obviously your outlook is completely set in stone and I respect that. However, two observations:

Because of your outlook you are letting all those people who have called you ugly and all those people who made fun of you win.

There are plenty of good and caring people out there but because of your negativity, you are not giving anyone a chance to get close to you and prove it.

As I said, your outlook is your choice but speaking from personal experience, it will only make you even more bitter, twisted and miserable. If that is how you want to spend the rest of your life, then I find that truly sad.

You are wrong. I have made huge attempts to connect with people who are, on first sight, good and caring people, but I have noticed that I can't make a good connection with those people at all. I'm not sure what causes that, but it could be my looks.

I can only speak from my own personal experience but I definitely disagree - there are plenty of good and caring people out there. There are also some complete a***holes. Maybe your problem is being able to differentiate between the two. Sometimes it is easier said than done.

Well it never was cystic acne but it was so bad that it might as well have been it wouldn't have made a difference. it get it on all over my face some on my back. but it was my face that was most effected. at it's worse I had all the skin altering effect's like: peeling, dryness, blood spots, big red bumps, scabs. I really did look deformed monster like even. it was BAD, I have some recent pics on my profile but they only show the scars and huge pores that have been left over from years of having it. it started out bad right from the beginning when I was 12 I remember waking up one day and feeling a stinging sensation on my face at first I thought ant's bit me or something. it was only later I realized what it was, I say it was horrible bad for about six years. when I turned 18 it started getting better. but it's not like that meant improvement really because it's still bad imo to this day. it's just not on the extreme level that it was during my mid teens.

What type of acne do you have anyway? by the sound of your post and a few others I've read from you it sounds like it's probably a pretty terrible inflammatory form of acne for you to be this emotionally torn up and crippled by it. Do you have any pictures?

Fatalbert, I have just looked at the pictures on your profile and I am going to be completely honest with you - there is hardly anything wrong with your skin. It`s a such a shame that you cannot see that for yourself.

Cause & effect people, you want to know why my view of this trash bin planet is the way it is? Dame, i mean c'mon i'v been called ugly countless times. what the hell do you guys expect for me to be all cheerful about it? NO! I look like crap, have been treated like crap So guess what... as a result i'm one angry sob & fed up with people.

i don't want to act like things are ok when there not, i'd rather feel bad but keep it real. then have some fake ass delusion of things being a ok. i got a messed up face it's just a fact, i got a sh*ty hand delt to me. i'm not normal, this isn't ok & i won't ever be entirely happy until i get this resolved. i mean it's just a reality check people, the truth.

i don't like being made fun of, i don't like feeling bad all the time & i don't like having acne with scars. so until all that stops, screw this world. it's two faced, backstabing, sh*t talking inhabitants & let them all go find a deep ditch to live. at least then maybe i could finally have some well deserved peace.

Fatalbert, obviously your outlook is completely set in stone and I respect that. However, two observations:

Because of your outlook you are letting all those people who have called you ugly and all those people who made fun of you win.

There are plenty of good and caring people out there but because of your negativity, you are not giving anyone a chance to get close to you and prove it.

As I said, your outlook is your choice but speaking from personal experience, it will only make you even more bitter, twisted and miserable. If that is how you want to spend the rest of your life, then I find that truly sad.

You are wrong. I have made huge attempts to connect with people who are, on first sight, good and caring people, but I have noticed that I can't make a good connection with those people at all. I'm not sure what causes that, but it could be my looks.

I can only speak from my own personal experience but I definitely disagree - there are plenty of good and caring people out there. There are also some complete a***holes. Maybe your problem is being able to differentiate between the two. Sometimes it is easier said than done.

They do not behave like assholes. They are the kindest people I have ever known, but I can't make good contact with them.

Well it never was cystic acne but it was so bad that it might as well have been it wouldn't have made a difference. it get it on all over my face some on my back. but it was my face that was most effected. at it's worse I had all the skin altering effect's like: peeling, dryness, blood spots, big red bumps, scabs. I really did look deformed monster like even. it was BAD, I have some recent pics on my profile but they only show the scars and huge pores that have been left over from years of having it. it started out bad right from the beginning when I was 12 I remember waking up one day and feeling a stinging sensation on my face at first I thought ant's bit me or something. it was only later I realized what it was, I say it was horrible bad for about six years. when I turned 18 it started getting better. but it's not like that meant improvement really because it's still bad imo to this day. it's just not on the extreme level that it was during my mid teens.

What type of acne do you have anyway? by the sound of your post and a few others I've read from you it sounds like it's probably a pretty terrible inflammatory form of acne for you to be this emotionally torn up and crippled by it. Do you have any pictures?

I just looked at your pictures and I have to say your skin is beautiful. I only see faint dark marks leftover which you can easily lighten with salicylic acid and very minor ice pick scars which honestly just look like large pores to the untrained eye.

Men hardly ever have perfect skin to begin with and they're not even expected to by "society" so I'm not sure why you're so obsessive about a very common type of skin texture which is totally normal for a guy. If I saw you in public I wouldn't even guess you had acne issues (seriously).

I really think maybe half of what you're seeing is just an illusion created by your mind and sort of a mental distortion that you see your skin as "terrible" when it's really normal in all respect.

Everyone here has posted some great insights, even if the perspectives differ. I agree with sunnysarah that your negative thoughts are your worst enemy. If you don't love yourself, how can someone else accept you for who you are? Based on your photos, there isn't anything "wrong" with your skin, just your attitude. I'm not saying it in a mean or condescending way, I sympathize with how you feel because I have those moments too. And even if the worst of your acne is gone, the psychological scars remain. I've had periods of clear and smooth skin where all I saw was scars and redness, and have developed a dysmorphic idea of what I look like. We all struggle with it, but it's how you deal with it that shows your strength. You should just say f*ck the haters and carry on with your life, life is too short for negativity.

Maybe some of us still have hope? Despite that severe psychological and emotional pain our acne has caused us... Maybe we don't want to give up? I'm sorry that you have given up and decided to stop all efforts to move forward. That must be a very painful existence for you. I for one, as much as I may suffer and digress into self loathing, I refuse to believe that this state of torture I live in is permanent. I wish you could feel the same.

To gunnke,darkheart & clearwish: i appreciate the good comments on my pics, unfortunately i just don't see it that way. to me it's still far from being no big deal i suppose it's just because of the level of acne i've had. but i just don't get how you guys can say that, it's like telling me the sky is red. it's almost feels as if you guys are in the twilight zone lol it really does. Here's what i see.. huge pores plus dozen of dark marks, that isn't normal.

To rosalie324: Don't feel bad for me, although i appreciate your sympathy i don't really want anyone's pity. It's isn't fun, but it's all i know & all i've known for years. i'd be lieing if i said i think i'd ever go back to who i was, im not sure how bad everyone's acne has been here on the forums. but i can say this with certainty, any man or women who'd gone through what i have would either come out the same way or not come out at all if you get what im saying. i wish i was exaggerating too, this isn't something im proud of.

My heart is hard now hard as a rock. im tough, in a way that most people aren't. im not sad about this anymore man, just mad as hell. that i'v been condemned to a life of abnormality before it ever really got started. but im in the game of life now so i'll just ride it out until it's my time to checkout. in the mean time though i gotta say i'm uncertain what my future might be. at this point i recon a little spread of misery & pain is in order, nothing crazy but still something satisfying to me. these stupid people aren't getting away with f*cking up my existence with their inability to understand, sympathise & acknowledge the severity of my situation.

people don't care guys this is a cut throat world, most people look out for themselves period. this is what it is, at least in modern day american society & i'll bet other places as well. Now of course i'm not saying this applies to everyone, just the vast majority. But just remember i wasn't born this was, i was pushed into thinking like this. not by opinion, not by accident, not by made up ideas. But by real world experience, as real as it gets people. a daily dose of the reality that was bestowed upon me.

i haven't ever meet anyone who's had as bad as acne as i had, so i don't have any examples to look up to. i can make my own example, maybe im just not ready to move on, maybe i need to find a way to even the score with society. again im not saying doing something crazy. but just being a doche bag to people seems like something i want to do, to me it only seems fair to share & let people get their own well earned slice of crap to deal with. That to me would be justice enough, this might not make sense to some people, i guess its just my way to make the score even.

i feel like that's the only way i could go ahead & move on. Don't get me wrong im a gentle soul & a laid back guy, i wouldn't want to be an ass to people but it seems like the only way of getting a sense of personal justice. f any of that forgive & forget crap... people have been harsh to me so i feel that gives me the RIGHT to be harsh with them.

I don't pity you. I wish better for you. You are the way you are because you are choosing to be that way. I can't "pity" your decisions. I may not have severe acne, but my acne still causes me pain. I also know how life can be cruel, and beat you down until you feel as if you can't get up anymore. I'm only 18 years old, but I've had more than my fair share of suffering. Between psychical illness, mental illness, trauma, deaths, and many other crappy life experiences there's plenty of times where I could have adapted your attitude and blamed society. Or take out my frustration and anger on society. Instead, I focus on myself and how I can improve ME. I would gain NOTHING by trying to even the score with society. I would only feel worse in the end.

I'm sorry, but you are wrong. People do care. I have friends and family that love me. It may not be perfect, but I can go to sleep at night knowing that I'm not alone despite how I feel. I know you said that it applies to the vast majority, and yes people can be rather selfish. But people can also be wonderful. There's giving, and sharing, and talking, and laughing, and most importantly, loving. Why focus on the negative?

For you to feel as bad as you feel right now, you must know what it's like to feel good.. Otherwise you wouldn't be able to feel sad, because you'd have nothing to compare the emotions to. If you are able to be this angry, fed up, and depressed... You must have, at one time or another, felt at ease, peaceful, and happy.

Well ok then thanks that's kind of you. To me, i'm just being realistic about my situation . it's a logical conclusion i think, a person can take only so much before they begin losing their own humanity. But in anycase, im glad to hear that they are people that live normally & happy. About my view on society, i'll just agree to disagree there.

Lastly, yeah once upon a time i was happy, but that was a long time ago, i had a good childhood wouldn't change much about it. by comparison you could say it was night & day my childhood to teen years. now... i just tuned 20 last month, despite of my experience these last years. i'm still optimistic about this decade in my life 10 years is a long time & i know how powerful time can be. many things can change by then, maybe even my face retuning to regularity.

I don't pity you. I wish better for you. You are the way you are because you are choosing to be that way. I can't "pity" your decisions. I may not have severe acne, but my acne still causes me pain. I also know how life can be cruel, and beat you down until you feel as if you can't get up anymore. I'm only 18 years old, but I've had more than my fair share of suffering. Between psychical illness, mental illness, trauma, deaths, and many other crappy life experiences there's plenty of times where I could have adapted your attitude and blamed society. Or take out my frustration and anger on society. Instead, I focus on myself and how I can improve ME. I would gain NOTHING by trying to even the score with society. I would only feel worse in the end.

I'm sorry, but you are wrong. People do care. I have friends and family that love me. It may not be perfect, but I can go to sleep at night knowing that I'm not alone despite how I feel. I know you said that it applies to the vast majority, and yes people can be rather selfish. But people can also be wonderful. There's giving, and sharing, and talking, and laughing, and most importantly, loving. Why focus on the negative?

For you to feel as bad as you feel right now, you must know what it's like to feel good.. Otherwise you wouldn't be able to feel sad, because you'd have nothing to compare the emotions to. If you are able to be this angry, fed up, and depressed... You must have, at one time or another, felt at ease, peaceful, and happy.

Fatalbert911 - I just wanted to say I agree with a lot of the points you make. Severe acne (and scarring) is a horrible affliction. It's something I have lived with for over 25 years and it can have an enormous impact on how we live our life. As a long time sufferer, I agree it can eventually wear you down and make you feel angry and resentful. However, I think this particular thread just highlights the fact that each individual's experience of acne is different and no one can really generalise about how it will affect another person's life. Some people are just innately happy and haven't experienced any negative treatment at the hands of others and then some others (myself included) have had the misfortune of being surrounded by people who just don't understand how crappy this skin condition can make you feel about yourself and life in general.

I admire the people who can remain positive in spite of it but it does get awfully hard to remain positive when your skin never seems to give you a break no matter what you try or how old you get.

Fatalbert911 - I just wanted to say I agree with a lot of the points you make. Severe acne (and scarring) is a horrible affliction. It's something I have lived with for over 25 years and it can have an enormous impact on how we live our life. As a long time sufferer, I agree it can eventually wear you down and make you feel angry and resentful. However, I think this particular thread just highlights the fact that each individual's experience of acne is different and no one can really generalise about how it will affect another person's life. Some people are just innately happy and haven't experienced any negative treatment at the hands of others and then some others (myself included) have had the misfortune of being surrounded by people who just don't understand how crappy this skin condition can make you feel about yourself and life in general.

I admire the people who can remain positive in spite of it but it does get awfully hard to remain positive when your skin never seems to give you a break no matter what you try or how old you get.

Kate75, as someone who has also had acne on and off for as long as you have, I truly sympathise with you.

I`ve detailed how acne has impacted on my life in an earlier post on this thread. Don`t really want to go into detail on here, but what I failed to mention is the bullying that I suffered as well.

I`ve had long periods in my life where I have felt like Fatalbert. I`m far from being innately happy or optimistic but ultimately, I think you have to let go of the bitterness at some point otherwise it will just consume you and push people away from you.

i'v been thinking about putting a hiden camera on my chest & going about my day just to show you guys what i mean. some people here are in the twilight zone man lol. i could probably give you guys hours upon hours of hard proof of the realities of acne. Maybe then people would see it my way.

i can't just let this go, there must be some kind of punishment here. i refuse to let my suffering be for nothing. look i'll be frank for those of you that have replied in a positive way thank's but i don't need it, i appreciate it but i know what people are really like first hand. may your positive words help whoever needs it, but personally im just annoyed by it lol i wont lie.

Understand that my views are realistic (to me) about this cold world. A guy like me just wants to find a solitary place to call home, free of people & their opinions. i'm not a voluntary member of society & society doesn't want me nor do i want it at this point. besides i'v always been the kind of guy to prefer my own company anyways....