For the most part, my skin has been doing 100x better than my teenage and college years. I would have a pimple here and there, but it was manageable. Then out of nowhere, I wil get a bad breakout (like I did yesterday) and become absolutely hopeless and depressed. Yesterday my skin looked pretty good, I had two pimples, but I was totally fine with that. We went and saw a movie and had a nice Sunday. I'm waiting in the line for red box before we go home when I catch a glimpse of my reflection.. My nose is really red for some reason. I get home and look in the mirror and my nose is COVERED with angry pimples and whiteheads. How the hell did this happen?! My skin was seriously looking so good, it's so depressing.
Im 30 and a therapist. I already have the fact that I look so young working against me, having teen-like acne is not helping.
I wonder when I will stop being punished like this? It's seriously so degrading and the worst part is, my skin is always there to remind me that I'm ultimately powerless when it comes to the state of my face, no matter what I do.
I completely understand your frustration. I'm only a year younger than you and I've thought my acne was behind me so many times, only to have it come back again and again. I've almost completely lost hope at this point. I don't want to accept that my acne will never go away for good, but that's the way it seems right now. Sorry you're going through this. I know how much a bad breakout can just suck the life out of you and ruin your day :/
Thank you so much for taking the time to reply! The feeling of absolute doom and helplessness is just the worst.
I'm going to work today with makeup caked on my flakey, blemished face. Ugh. I just want to fast forward through this breakout, preferably under a rock where no one has to look at me.
Thanks again for responding.
I'm also a member of the 'Finally, I'm over it! Oh wait... No, I'm not' club!
And, yes, it's exceptionally frustrating as you get older. I'm 33 and am really fed up of it, but all it seems I can do is wait for a miracle.
So, yeah, I know what you're going through and how much it sucks! Just hang in there as clear skin is not impossible!
Thank you, Ben! It's easy to feel like the only adult in the world with acne.... I've always been the only person with acne in my past jobs and even my master's program. When I was younger I used to ask my mom when I would grow out of it and she said she did in her 20s. Sometimes it gave me hope and got me through some really low lows with my skin. Unfortunately, my 20s came and went and I'm still suffering.
Ughhhhh...
This is how I feel too. My skin never really gets to a point where it's completely clear and perfect, but I will stop breaking out for long stretches of time and I think finally something might be working and then suddenly break out again. It's the most discouraging and frustrating thing ever, and I also feel like the only one around me with acne most of the time. I understand what you all are going through 
I'm 33 years old and I've been dealing with acne since I was 13. For the last 10 years or so my skin has been relatively clear with only 1-2 zits a month but I've been dealing with more persistent acne for the last 2 months. It's pretty mild but I suffer from body dysmorphic disorder. Acne causes me major depression and anxiety. It's caused me to miss out on so many things. I will cancel plans due to acne. I even had to quit school and work for a year due to being severely depressed. I hope my acne clears up soon. I hate looking at my reflection in the mirror.