Hi all,

I used to frequent these forums a lot, but stopped due to my skin improving quite a bit. Lately my scarring has been getting to me, so I thought I should probably come back so I could talk to people who actually understand what I'm coping with.

I've always had moderate acne, but had a very, very severe case 6 years ago where my whole face erupted. I stopped going to work and became a recluse as I had oozing pustules and cysts all over my face, and even had a low-grade fever due to the severity. It ended up being some kind of infection that even my doctor couldn't explain, so I was given prednisone, antibiotics, and eventually went on Accutane. My skin was clear for a while after that, and I felt more confident than ever.

Over these past few months, I've been breaking out quite a bit due to starting up a new birth control pill, but that's not what's getting to me. It's all of this awful scarring I was left with from what I went through 6 years ago. The thing that bothers me the most is when I smile, my face looks even more asymmetrical than it actually is due to a cluster of scars that sits where my right dimple is. I attached pictures of both sides of my face when I'm smiling so you can see what I'm talking about. I find myself getting extremely jealous of other women who have smooth skin, and I keep beating myself up over it. I hate that I can't leave home without makeup on, and hate it even more that it's impossible to cover up these deeper scars. I'm 29 now, and I figured at this age I would be mature enough to just let it go and accept the way I look, but I can't! I've also battled with depression for 16 years, so that obviously isn't helping me either.

Anyway, thanks for listening to me vent. It always helps to talk about this stuff!

(EDIT: I'm dumb, see pictures below!)