Acne Support Group

Hi, and welcome to DailyStrength.

I'm so sorry that you feel this way right now.

I've been there, and trust me, it gets better. You won't live like this forever.

In fact, a lot of us here deal or have dealt with acne-related depression, so if you're feeling that way I think you've come to the right place.

I shared this link recently on another post, but here it is again. It's a QA from Sharecare.com that may add a little background to what you might be feeling:

My acne is depressing me – can anything help?
http://www.sharecare.com/question/c...

This real stuff. And you should talk to your parents and/or doctor about what you're going through.

Ultimately, I want you to know that we are all so much more than our current skin conditions. That is not what defines us. And honestly to judge yourself by something like that isn't even being fair. You have to be better to yourself - and set the standard for how others are allowed to treat you. That might be hard to hear right now but it's true.

Regardless, here's something I didn't realize at your age: most young people (and older people) are so focused on themselves, and what they see as their own flaws, that they hardly have the brain space to stay focused on your acne for very long :-)

:( I am so sorry, When I was in the 7th or 8th grade (I can't even remember now), I would avoid looking at myself in the mirror, no one even noticed that I was avoiding the mirror and I would just focus on washing my hands. Currently I still find myself avoiding my reflection in mirros (when I'm in front of friends), I find that I pretend to focus all my attention on my hair, and pretend like I'm doing my hair and act like I don't care about my scarring. And you know what, it doesn't feel good to do that (avoiding the mirror), but it's a process. The process starts with accepting that because you have acne scarring does not mean that acne scarring is who you are. Do not let scarring dictate your life (something I think all acne scarring suffered are still going through -- including myself), I don't even open the door if I am not wearing makeup, I don't go outside without makeup, I mean it's a vicious cycle we have to break.

Yesterday, I wanted to give up on getting rid of my acne scarring. But I realized you know instead of my main goal being getting ride of scarring, I need to set another goal because there's more steps and goals that I need to get through before my acne scarring goes away. Prevention: a huge new goal of mine is to prevent any further acne scarring. Also keep trying yes, I have tried many products..try New Methods. Maybe you have been using creams to get rid of your scarring...well try chemical peels. There are many chemical peels to choose from.

What I recommend for you to do, is write out a list of everything you have actually tried and by saying actually tried at least 3 months of using that product consistently. Once you have written out your whole list, then look into new methods and maybe even a different dermatologist who has a different perspective. Get more than one opinion. Basically, don't give up the fight! :) and when you are feeling down write or do something that helps relieve your stress.

from the age of 15-18 my acne scarring increased, and at 15 I wish someone would have said let's focus on preventitive care.

No, you are not "condemned to have dry, scarred, disgusting, and hideous skin forever".

You have to face it head on. Let you're family and friends now how serious acne scarring is and it's affects on you. One thing I get frustrated with is my family who sometimes does not understand how serious it is and its affects on me.

I hope you get through this, I know you can.!

xoxo