If you’re struggling with acne insecurity, here are some helpful tips from someone who can relate.
Teen years are tough. You’re finding yourself, your friends, and figuring out how to navigate the world around you. What makes it tougher is the onset of acne. Almost everyone experiences acne in their teen years, whether it be small pimples or painful cystic acne.
However, people often don’t acknowledge how long-term acne can damage your self-esteem and self-image. I have struggled with acne for a long time, and I’ve just now started to realize that it doesn’t affect my self-worth. Dealing with acne is hard, but I’ve learned several tricks that have helped me get over my insecurity.
Firstly, you have to realize that acne is different for everyone. Some people start getting acne early that goes away sooner and vice versa. Some people struggle with it into adulthood. The important thing to note is that just because someone your age has a clear face, doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with you.
I remember looking around my high school classroom and thinking to myself, “no one has acne as bad as mine.” This line of thinking was harmful to my self-esteem and mental health, as I did not consider how far along others had traveled in their acne journey.
Additionally, I wore a great deal of makeup in high school, as I was insecure about how red my face was because of acne. The makeup honestly made me feel better and more confident about myself. A lot of people will try to tell you to not do certain things with acne, but I say do whatever makes YOU feel confident. Makeup or no makeup, you are beautiful regardless.
However, for those that feel the need to limit the product on their face to curb pore-clogging, I have just the exercise for you. As someone who has a hard time breaking away from the cycle of makeup to cover my blemishes, I feel uncomfortable when I don’t have makeup on in public. I started an exercise where I went for two weeks with no makeup, and I started to feel more comfortable with my natural self. I highly recommend this exercise, as it forced me to see myself as pretty, even with my acne.
My last tip would be to look at the circumstances. Is that person’s skin clear because they’re just naturally perfect or do they have the money to afford fancy products and a dermatologist? Don’t compare yourself to others that may have better access to acne-clearers. Also, look at it this way: there aren’t many people that would judge you as a person because of your acne. And if they do, those don’t sound like the people you need to be around.
It’s no secret that having long-term acne is difficult on your self-image. When it’s all you see in the mirror, it affects your outlook. However, acne simply doesn’t define you as a person. You define yourself!