Acne Support Group

I can relate, while my face has recently just began to get better (only b/c I am not ready break out b/c of my period XP) my back, chest and most of all my shoulders suffer the most, and I don't help them either. I get so annoyed with the feeling of the acne on my skin, I tend to rub and touch and scratch at it which just makes it worse and causes it to scar. I don't do diets and stuff, and I just try to ride it out, but It makes me feel hideous some days. However, everyone is right, after a while you realize people might give you looks b/c of it, but a lot of people have it, and a lot of the times I have come to terms with, people don't care.
Just the other day I went out on a date, and I wore a tank top, and I was petrified, I love tank tops, but my shoulders are tanned from work, and all the scars are blazing white and some scabs from itching and scratching at them. i was afraid of him to look, to touch me, yet he didn't mind, and maybe he did, but not once did he ever say or show it, and we had a fun night. I am afraid to wear low cut shirts b/c I don't have fantastic voluptuous features, and my chest is marked up by the acne. I know what it is like to feel ugly, to feel like no one will ever look at you in a beautiful light b/c of acne, but you are wrong!!!
I think a lot might be stress in your life, b/c we break out when we get stressed. Just for some time, don't look into mirrors, say "screw it I am not putting make up on today and I will shop in the store" and just imagine yourself as if you didn't have acne ( as ridiculous as it sounds).
We think we are ugly b/c of our acne, people who are overweight are embarrassed by how they look or when they shop, people with disfigurements have to be stared at in their lives like they did something wrong to deserve it, people who are terminally ill look sick and feel like they aren't pretty anymore b/c of the sickness. Yet we all have to remain strong, and those who judge are just cruel. We all have problems, and no one is perfect, don't beat yourself up!!! You can make it through this, you have everyone's support, and don't forget that!!!

hi
I set up a account to comment on this forum(hint the well fought of name and thats 7 o's btw) to let you know my story... well so far and what I do. Im not sensative to critisim usually couldnt give a c*** however for acne I am. Considering it never seems to go away and what we seem to think of ourselves. Im sure my acne is not as bad as yours as its only been classed as mild to moderate and I may not be able to comprihend all the pain it causes you but I can tell you how I deal with it. I have for four years since the age of 10 never given up fighting it. Which is somtimes hard to believe myself. But the fact that I have never given up is in itself to my eyes a cure. everytime I have some cure some antidote that some company says will work and I feel a spot coming up I dabb some of this new cream on it. Now I know its unlikily in the long run this is a low chance that it will work but everytime I do dabb this cream onto my skin it gives me hope. I know that one day It MUST go away and that this cream COULD be one step closer to this day I so dream of. I hope and I hope every day and it keeps me going through the pain and it all. And you know what looking at the acne today it looks better. Nothing in my mind is incurable, and nether is yours just keep hoping that day draws closer.
-Ooooooo

I know, wow, I know exactly how it feels to wait for THAT day, that miraculous day where it just stops..that's it.
god, I love you guys so much, even though I barley...if at all know you. Thank you so much for the stories and support.
@strange: I think the hardest thing for me is never being in love...and its easy to blame that on my acne., on ugliness. I believe it so much sometimes, and its hard not too.
thank you, and I'll try not to forget, its hard in the fluorescent lighting of my last year of high school though
how am I doing? pretty much horrible...have I told you guys I pretty much have no friends? yep. I feel so pitiful.
and on top of that, my only wish to feel pretty, even just for 10 seconds..which is way messed up and vain. but I feel like that would help me.
But I am happy, I'm just not emotionally stable
I've waited so long for a friend I could deeply connect to, or a boyfriend, as long as I've had acne...its easy to connect the dots.
I don't know what to do. I just keep at it...I feel so inadequate at everything, but I'm trying my best to stay positive, and I think its working
I question everything so much it drives me insane..I think I just have to start accepting that this is where I am. this is who I am.
this is who I have to learn to love

Ok im pretty sure u are tired of hearing "I know exactly wat you are goin through..." But im here to tell you dont give up its part of life, I see it as a curse you must live with because in the end you will have learned that we are only just humans and this silly skin disease will have to taught you wat suffering really is like, to never judge a book by its cover and to never put no one down. People with perfect skin dont understand how crippling this can be but I say forget them they have perfect skin and I dont so be it I can still play guitar 10x better than that person ever could. You see I channel all my frustration thru my guitar and it relieves my stress and worries, I forget about everything when I am playing, and I think acne believe it or not has made me a better musician. Find something you love to do and forget all the problems you are facing and get lost in the beauty of music, sports, and hobbies because in the end you will have came up with something mesmerizing that you will share with the world. My brother has cancer and its tough going thru this hell you know its like I have 2 knives at my throat. But in the long run everything will turn out for the best!!

hippylu,
It is terrible that you are feeling so poorly. It is really hard being a teenager and having acne on top of that is even more difficult. BUT growing up is not easy for anyone and things will get better. Best of luck, keep your head up.

ok ... i just read every single one of these posts and everything you have been saying after the first page is right on hippylu. I am in the same boat with a lot of things. What you are saying about staying positive and loving yourself that goes for all hardships no matter what they are. We just have to do things for ourselves and trust ourselves. Don't give your acne or anything else that much credit to stop you from living. The second you start blaming anything you are giving it the power and loosing control.

Also reading your posts it seems like a light turned on after you got support from everyone. You really do seem like you are going to be fine if not great. It sounds like you already do but take care of yourself ... and i don't just mean taking care of yourself so your acne goes away. Eat healthy .. exercise ... and do everything you want and like to do. If something is stopping you figure out what it is and why and get around it. Push yourself as much as you can but be accepting of yourself.

I know its hard ... i am struggling too.

thank you so much... and yes, it seems a "light" has turned on, it may be very dull right now but its there
I feel so contradictory to myself all the time, like I'm in a constant war with myself..if that makes sense...I'm a perfectionist, but I'm also a procrastinator...the two don't exist very well together
I'm very opinionated, but I'm very introverted in public
I want to do everything, but I'm scared of everything too
does anyone else feel like this?
like whenever you want to do anything...something within you stops yourself and makes you miserable
I think I need to overcome this...create some balance
maybe my physical appearance will change upon the augmentation of my inner being.

My Dad had cystic acne and it actually made him ineligible from being drafted into the vietnam war. So , in a way, his acne might had saved his life, my life and my brother's life. Thank goodness he had that acne! And today, at 66, my dad is a great guy and loved by our community. I didnt have cystic acne, but I did have acne... acne so bad that I didnt want to be seen in the sunlight, it ruined my self esteem, I would constantly be looking at people with naturally beautiful skin, i would have done anything to have beaustiful skin. But finally, I said enough! I decided that as long as the world would see me as ugly, and I had nothing left to lose (by the way, the world doesn't judge us anything like we judge ourselves...) I said that I am just going to act like I am gorgeous. And that is what i did. I acted like my skin was great! And it's not, and at 37 it's still not... but I am truly one of the happiest people I know. I feel great, I am healthy, I am empowered. I look back at my younger years , years of pimples, and puss, and black heads, and scars, and think about how that made me who I am, and I do love myself. My skin today is basically clear, but it is a battle. In the meantime I have had great boyfriends (one especially handsome). I did have a loser husband (but i link that to my low self esteem at the time... a reason NOT to have low self esteem). one more thing, I once was in guatemala where i saw a man begging for food. he had no arms and no legs . I will never forget that and i will always be grateful for what i have. please stay positive... and in the meantime...until you let yourself be the beauty you are... fake it till you make it. I did, and it changed my life.

accutane wont mess your hormones its a high concentration of vitamin a in all honesty u should open your mind a little to this med in saying that i know how harsh of a drug it is but as long as u r closely monitored while on it u will be fine you can suffer with acne for god knows how long or take accutane for 5 mos and be free of it and happy for a long long long time

i'm an esthetician who specializes in skin care theory and the treatment of undesired skin conditions, such as acne. if there is anything that i can recommend that you do, it's first of all to switch to a good make up that wont clog your pores, such as bare escentuals mineral powder foundation. as far as diet goes, dairy, citrus foods, and red meat could potentially affect your skin health. drink lots of water and green tea. create a skincare routine that is consistent

1. cleanse with a surface cleanser (dermEd surface lotion cleanser)
2. cleanse with a gentle foaming cleanser (NOT proactive, instead try GM COLLIN puractive cleanser)
3. tone with an alcohol free toner (GM collin puractive, dermed acne III, etc -- google online where to buy these)
4. follow by using a glycolic with at least a 10% strength every night (gm collin derm renewal gel, dermed glycolic purifying gel)
5. use a lightweight moisturizer twice a week...oil freee

and honestly, regarding accutane, yes there can be several negative affects but there are also many wonderful benefits. you don't necessarily have to take it forever, just until your skin clears up. it literally shrinks the size of your sebaceous gland, which produces the oil in your skin, which is what is causing your acne. if you are hesitant on trying accutane, you can do to the dermatologist and begin getting a series of glycolic peels (30% or higher), but i would honestly still recommend accutane if you are really serious about getting rid of your acne.