Living with Acne: The Real Deal

Living with acne is a real deal breaker. It affects your life both physically and emotionally. It is painful literally, it hurts. People stare and ask questions: you are always self-conscious and uncomfortable, avoiding mirrors and feeling guilty and disgusted about yourself.My struggle lasted about four years; my life was anything but normal or happy. Today, my skin is finally clean (not magazine clear but a lot better). Yet I still battle on trying to regain the self-confidence, lost during those four years of feeling ugly. Now that my skin has significantly improved and people are starting to notice, I realized that maybe, I was never ugly, and that my beauty was just hidden under all that messy acne.

I decided to write this piece, so that people battling with chronic acne may identify with a person that has walked in their shoes, and not with the beauty queen that announces Proactive, who believes that one pimple a month is honestly a tragedy.

Understanding Acne

Acne is a chronical skin condition that appears for different reasons. Studies have proven that hormones, stress, infections, environmental conditions (humid, hot weather) can be detonators for acne. According to dermatologists, how much diet and genetics affect is merely conjectural, as it varies from person to person.

Consult a dermatologist

The first step on your healing process is to seek expert’s help: go to a dermatologist. It may be expensive, but it is worth it. In the end, you will save in over-the-counter products that might not work, or even make it worse for you. Sometimes, like in my case, part of the problem involves allergies to products commonly used to fight acne, which means that you are irritating your skin and making the blemishes worse. A dermatologist will evaluate your skin type and give you a series of medicated treatments until you find the right regimen that works for you. They may prescribe topical, as well as oral medications for your condition. This is a long process, it may take up to one year for you to see full improvement, you must be patient and consistent with all the doctor’s recommendations. 

Meanwhile, what can you do?

 Since there is no standard treatment for acne, the road to clear skin is not a straight path. Yet, as you target the root causes, you can learn what works for you and what doesn’t. There are plenty of positive ways to compliment your prescribed dermatological treatment with small changes that could make a big difference. Feel free to explore these suggestions:

• Water: It may sound like the biggest cliché, but do not underestimate the detox power that water has. Substitute sodas, juices and milk for water. Avoid syrups, starches, and limit your consumption of alcohol, as it dehydrates your skin.
• Watch what you eat: As explained before, there is no scientific evidence to conclude that diet affects acne, yet many people claim to see an improvement on their skin after a few modifications in their eating. Try avoiding fried food, chocolates, cheeses- basically grease in general. Maybe add green vegetables and antioxidant fruits to your diet. Natural, non-sugared smoothies and fat free yogurt can be tasty, healthy substitutes for sugary desserts.
• Protect yourself from the sun: Sun irritates your skin, it makes you sweat, and therefore leaves your face greasy and vulnerable to the formation of new breakouts. There are some over-the-counter products that can help with this daily struggle, as they offer many benefits other than sun protecting for a very fair price. 
• Keep it clean: As much as you are going to feel tempted to cover your breakouts with makeup, don’t! It will simply make it worse. Remember, this is a temporary sacrifice for long-term results. Try to clean your face two to three times a day with a gentle, oil free, non comodgenic cleansing. Avoid salicylic acid , soap, and other harsh ingredients on your cleanser, as it may irritate your skin more or interfere with your prescription. Make sure to have a towel exclusively for your face and to wash it at least twice a week. As for makeup applying tools, wash them weekly (with your same facial cleanser; so that you do not re infect your skin.) 
• As hard as it is STOP PICKING YOUR FACE! Have you seen how dirty your fingers usually are? Plus, once the acne is gone, you do not want any marks. Ask your dermatologist to recommend a good  aesthetic professional who is certified to perform facial so that you can get treated once or twice a month to help remove current breakouts in a clean, sterilized way. 
• Invest in good makeup: Sometimes it will be inevitable to use make up, at least for special occasions or job requirements. If this is the case, invest in an oil free, non comodgenic makeup. Remove your make up thoroughly and NEVER skip face cleansing after using makeup.

 Last, but most importantly, remeber to be patient. It is a long, exhausting road, but sooner or later, results will start to show. Remember that acne is never healed, just controlled, which means that this may be a lifelong commitment between yourself and to your skin, but your self-esteem will thank you later. Never let acne limit your life. Remember, that this will go away eventually, and underneath, you are still your own amazing self. As hard as it is to deal with the comments, the looks, the magazines and their porcelain skinned models, I promise, you will get through this. At the end of the journey you will be a confident, stronger woman who understands what is really important in life. 

-“The essential is invisible to the eyes.” The Little Prince 

• acne
• beauty
• confidence
• health
• skincare