Acne Support Group

Thank you all so much, those were the most touching, insightful words that anyone's ever told me concerning my outward appearance..
all of you are right...I'm done, I'm done caring so much about it, letting it control me
being a victim
I'm going to live as free as possible, with as much joy as possible and I'm not going to let this "condition" get in the way
I love you all
Thank you thank you thank you
you've helped me beyond anything I could have imagined
I think I've finally become enlightened, of course I'll have bad days, I'll still cry about it
but I'm confident, I'll be more resilient
I'll live life as if it doesn't exist
I'll live life happily
and I hope you all do too
I love you guys so much, I feel you understand me way more than anyone around me right now, thank you thank you, I can't thank you enough
Love,
Lucy

Hi, I was just researching a new product and came upon this. No person should have to feel as though you have, yet so many do. I guess let me start by telling you that I struggled with acne starting in my junior or senior year of high school. It was so awful and killed my self esteem to the point that caused my bf of 4 years to break up with me. Starting college and trying all different treatments was hard. I, like you, knew that accutane is not for me. Today, my skin is not near perfect, but with makeup I do hear people say it's flawless. Despite a battle with acne, I now work as a disney performer or "face character" at Disney World. I do all kinds of performances and sometimes some print modeling. So, despite how bad it is now, it can and most likely will get better.

I totally understand how you feel. About three months ago all the sudden I got these really super swollen puffy eye areas. They were bright red all around and dry. I went to doctors and the allergist and I was in absolutely in despair and sobbing. I couldn't work or go to school and didn't even want to be seen. The only option they offered were steroid creams, which were very unhealthy. Finally, I found they had changed the formula of one of the things of eye makeup I used. Needless to say, dealing with physical issues can be sooooo frustrating and cause depression very quickly. Don't be afraid to go see a therapist, it can be a relief to tell someone else your feelings because then they are out there, and not just trapped inside. Just remember, it can always be worse. There are people who suffer from all sorts of terrible things and torture. Anyways, all people are different, I know getting advice from people who think they know everything is so annoying. I know for me, something that is very important is to change your pillowcases often. If you can you could change it every day or two because all the oils from your hair and hands get on it, and then on your face. Drink lots of water, get lots of exercise, and try to be happy:). Also, wear your hear off your face and definitely don't touch your face or apply makeup without washing your hands with anti-bacterial soap. The other thing that is important for me is that I use a fresh clean wash cloth everyday when I was my face.

As far as how I found this, I went to the dermatologist today to try to get my skin better. I have some acne scarring and red marks that don't fade very well from my occasional breakouts. She prescribed finacea for this, has anyone else tried this? I hope that everyone suffering from these problems has good luck. I might also suggest reading a good happy book if you feel down, its a nice escape:)

I just wish you the best of luck with this problem, it does get better. As far as the boyfriend thing, guys get acne too and I know they can feel the same way. Plus, they don't get to wear makeup. One final thing I do is that I use a foundation brush rather than applying makeup with my fingers, as they have lots of oils. When I blend it I wash my hands first, and also wash my hands after doing or touching my hair. Birth control may have seriously helped clear my skin and definitely cured my unbearable cramps. Some people may suffer from weight gain and acne due to a hormone imbalance which can be changed with birth control pill. Besides from that I was using a cream called tazorac (i think) and another prescription to spot treat acne. The other thing is praxion( i think?) which are just individually wrapped prescription face clothes to wash your face with in the morning at night. Those and birth control are now the only things I use for my acne, as well as this new product finacea I am going to try.

Good luck, sorry this was so long. I hope you can find some relief and bring your inner beauty out through being a good and kind person. All the best to you all!

finacea? I've never heard of it...
I really don't want to go on the pill, but if worse comes to worse...

I've stopped wearing makeup...its so extremely hard to go out in public, but everyday I do, I'm trying to train myself to not care
the makeup I wore didn't really conceal it all that well anyway, I just looked worse (probably)
of course...the ONLY time a guy ever outwardly hit on me was when I was wearing makeup
I hate this.,..
but I think I;ll be ok, I'm actually feeling happy for once in my adolescent life.
I try not to think about it. or the people who I think are staring at me
I'm back at home from vacation and my family is constantly yelling at eachother, I hate it. It think maybe stress is the main thing causing my acne...
I never realized how bad our fighting was, I must have constant adrenaline surges...hmm, I wonder if that's at all related?

lucy

Stress totally can make you break out. I've been crying and stressed all week because my boyfriend is moving away....now around my chin I am breaking out MUCH more than usual....very annoying I think its the chin area that mostly breaks out from stress... other areas maybe too? jawline or something... I'm a pretty anxious person but I try not to stress too much.. I still do.. hopefully finding ways to deal with that:) I hope you also can...

Have you tried the new treatment called the Blue Light yet? It's supposed to be the newest acne treatment on the market. I am currently trying it. All you do is sit behind this thing that covers your faces. It looks like a facial tanning bed or something. You should ask your dermatologist about it. It is supposed to clear skin as well as Accutane without any of the symptoms. The only thing is that it makes you extremely sensitive to sunlight and insurance won't cover it yet because it's still being tested. But it's working pretty well for me.

And trust me I feel your pain. I've been on every antibiotic/topical gel imaginable, did Accutane for 9 months...the works. I got my first zit in third grade, no lie. Now I'm 19 and I'm still going to the dermatologist for treatment. Accutane kept my skin clear for a couple of years, but eventually my acne came back, but not as bad as before. I've suffered my whole life with self-confidence issues because of my acne. And all my friends have beautiful complexions. You just have to keep on trucking. The people who are your real friends will see past a few bumps...at least mine did. And if they don't, they aren't worth it. A real friend loves you no matter what. And look on the bright side, you'll probably grow out of this eventually, once your hormones calm down as you get older. =)

thank you..
and no I havn't heard of Blue Light, I'll go research that! and keep me updated it if really works.
I'm doing ok...schools starting soon and I'm starting to freak so that's bad, but otherwise I'm happy
school seems to ruin everything going good in my life
I hate beyond anything I've ever experienced
besides..that ..>

I wanted to join some of the others here in saying that you're not alone. I am 27 and have suffered with bad acne for 13 years. Some days I feel awful. Other days I feel okay enough to venture out into the world of social scrutiny. I've been where you are, and I still get there sometimes: utterly depressed, feeling totally hopeless, and just wanting it all to go away. Hiding is not the answer.

Sometimes I make myself into an absolute wreck trying to avoid every situation that might expose me to possible embarrassment because of my acne. I felt like a monster, or a freak even. I even used to try to figure out before I attended an event what kind of lighting I would have to cope with and turn down invitations where there would be bright lighting. My ex-boyfriend thought that I was super high maintenance and annoyingly vain because I refused to leave the house without full makeup on. His family thought I didn't like them because I rarely came to family functions. Only I truly knew why I was being antisocial. It wasn't because I didn't like them or that I was being arrogant. I was unbearably self conscious and painfully insecure about my appearance.

I still HATE makeup. And I know I'm not vain. I would love to wake up in the morning, splash water on my face, brush my hair and teeth, and walk out the door. But I am willing to accept that right now in my life I'm not going to do that. And that's okay. It doesn't make me less of a person.

It's true, the first thing that other people see is your face. It is how we are recognized by others. When we talk to one another we connect to a person by looking into their eyes. That's just a fact. However, if some people out there choose to judge you based solely on the condition of your skin, they are merely ignorant and you have to learn to rise above it. They are the rude ones, not you.

For every person who judges you unfairly, there will be another person who will stand beside you and will value your company regardless of how many breakouts you endure. Chances are the people judging you have their own set of insecurities beneath the surface. You have to become strong enough to realize that there is much more to you than your skin. Most likely you are a wonderfully complex individual who simply happens to be battling with an unfortunate skin condition (again- you're not alone in that). Most people struggle with something in life, you just can't always see it. Our plight is easy to spot because it's right there for people to see. Don't let your skin get the best of you.

There will always be pressure to look a certain way. That's the bitter reality we live in. But we get to choose who we are in that reality. What are the things that define you? You have to ask yourself, am I my skin? Would I judge someone else because of their acne? Sometimes we are our own worst enemy.

It's important to start living DESPITE your acne. Get out there and enjoy life and if your acne gets you down say you'll go out ANYWAY. Don't let it control you. It probably won't be easy, but do it because you deserve to enjoy your life. Accept that there will always be inconsiderate and superficial people who judge you by your appearance but that you don't need those people to be a part of your life. Their opinions of you don't matter. Surround yourself with people who care about who you are and not what you look like.

SKIN ROUTINE: Different things work for different people. I also feel like I have tried EVERYTHING. You might take a look at the website: www.acne.org (it has a lot of info. about what other people have tried and what is working for them). Also, sometimes rather than concentrating only on improving your skin it helps to focus on becoming more healthy in general. Drinking enough water every day is great, eating green vegetables especially, also fish has omega-3 which is good for your body. (Also, get out in the sun at least 30 min. a day, vitamin D is essential for everyone - it's been proven to help PREVENT cancer and promote a healthy immune system. (of course, don't burn yourself to a crisp, that would be bad.)

Thanks for sharing your story, I wish you and everyone else here the best of luck. Stay healthy and stay strong!

thank you for your story too, thank you all for the support

...I told my mom yesterday that I would kill myself in 2 months if my skin didn't clear, bad mistake,
now my whole family thinks I'm insane
and I am
its driving me insane
I think I'm the ugliest person I've ever seen
I don't see how anyone would ever love me
god...this is definitely a down day
I'm going to go see someone professional who will teach me how to do makeup right because I really..I tried, but I can't do this without makeup, at least I can pretend I'm ok when I'm wearing makeup, w/o it I feel horrible.
I don't know if i can do this period.
I'm trying I really am..
school starts..5 days
..
dear god I need a miracle, even when my skin isn't bad its really really pink...is this from the BHA I've been using? My skin is so sensitive to everything I don't even know whats causing it
I love you guys

Lucy

i joined this site just so i could comment on this,

honestly, i was SO scared to take accutane. and i know you're probably tired of hearing about it since you're so against it, but it literally saved my life. i HATED to go out because my skin was so bad. i had been breaking out since i was 10, and i was almost 17! i'd tried every cream and face wash imaginable, on top of vitamins, birth control, and antibiotics. NOTHING WORKED! so i sucked it up and went on accutane. i was on a low dosage of 40mg. per day so the side-effects would be smaller and it was amazing! it didn't start to work til the third month (i broke out worse for the first three) but once it worked, boy did it work. ALL of the oil was gone on my face and every day the acne became less and less noticeable and within a month, IT WAS GONE! the only side effects i suffered from were minor face peeling around the lip area (cream and carmex cleared that up), tiredness, and VERY MINOR back pain, but it was all so worth it. i hope that you do decide to try it, because i am so grateful for it, i cant even begin to explain. and i honestly do understand where you're coming from, i've been there. i HATED taking pictures for years, and all my friends thought i was weird for it, i avoided mirrors, hated the lights on, and avoided spend the night anywhere because i didn't want people seeing me without my makeup on. it's the worst thing on earth.

BEST of luck!

Where are you now with your situation?