The (really long) Story
My struggle with acne has been a whole lot of things. If I could describe it in 3 words or phrases, I would say it has been long, inconsistent, and a learning experience. I didn’t experience any kind of blemishes or acne until I was 15, and looking back, it was definitely not as bad as I thought it was. I definitely had breakouts but they were a couple or a few pimples, always on my chin. Knowing what I know now, it was totally just hormonal acne. But I FREAKED out. I did everything under the sun, Proactiv, Epiduo, monthly trips to the dermatologist, light treatments, antibiotics. You name it, I had tried it.
And then my senior year came, and just as everybody’s acne and hormones were getting under control, mine were just beginning their reign of terror. I was stressed about college and experienced my first heartbreak and my hormones definitely felt it. Now my acne had spread from my chin to my cheeks, lip area, forehead, hairline, and back. On top of that, I had been using so many treatments for so long that my body had built up a pretty strong immunity to anything I tried to combat the acne with. To make matters worse, it really flared up during the second half of my senior year, so I went through prom, graduation photos, and most my senior year events feeling super insecure. What ended up saving my skin was getting on birth control. It took about a month after starting to see the effects, but by the time graduation rolled around, my skin was totally clear for the first time in years.
…And then a month before college I had a really bad flare up for the entirety of my first quarter. For the most part, this flare up was definitely induced by stress and my neglect of my mental health, so once I found my footing in college, it sorted itself out. This brings us to my final flare up.
I had never seen my skin look like this ever, and it seemed to develop overnight. Absolutely nothing would stop it, I tried every over the counter treatment because I was desperate to not use any harsh treatments since I had already done so for years. After two months after absolutely no progress, I bit the bullet and went to the dermatologist. I felt completely defeated. I don’t know why, but in my head I thought that after high school, my struggle with acne would be over since I was now an “adult,” this was definitely not the case for me. The dermatologist prescribed my a medical grade face wash with green tea and sulfur, and to my dismay, an antibiotic that was a last ditch effort before putting me on Acutane, which I was TERRIFIED of. On top of that I made a lot of personal changes. For 3 months I completely cut out sugar, dairy, and gluten, to eliminate any inflammatory factors that could be contributing. And somehow, after all this time, these treatments actually worked, it’s been over six months and I still haven’t had a breakout.
The (totally unprofessional) Advice
(Photo via iStockPhoto )
Now I know that was a REALLY long story, but it’s been a really long journey and that was the most condensed it was going to get. I feel like after 4 years of experience, I have gained enough knowledge to pass on some big sister advice.
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Put off using Acutane as long as you possibly can. While it is an absolute miracle drug and is the right choice for a lot of people, it is a very harsh treatment and takes a toll on your entire body. Not only that but for girls, there are lots of hoops you have to jump through, like a contract you have to sign before getting a prescription and monthly pregnancy tests due to complications that can arise.
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Expect a purging phase with any antibiotic or oral treatment you take. The “purging phase” is basically the time when your acne get worse before it gets better. And I mean like a lot worse. It will feel completely counterintuitive and will try your patience. As someone who wanted to throw in the towel the entire time, I totally get it, but it really is something you just have to muscle through.
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Take extra EXTRA good care of yourself. By that I mean invest a lot more time loving yourself than you used to. Buy yourself lots of good face masks that you like (after talking to your dermatologist.) If you love makeup, invest in a high grade non-comedogenic foundation. Take extra selfies of yourself without hiding your acne and fall in love with them. This is the piece of advice I wish I had read somewhere when I was going through it. Acne took a huge hit on my self confidence, and really affected my mental state for a long time. Everyone was telling me how to fix it, but nobody told me to just accept it and love it.
At this point in my life, I’m 19 and I’ve been acne free for over 6 months. If I had another flare up, I think I am fully equipped to deal with both the cosmetic and physical aspect as well as the personal and emotional part. That being said, everybody’s acne journey can be completely different. I don’t know everything there is to know about it, but I do know what I went through, and I hope someone can relate to it too.