THE PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF ACNE

AS A TEEN

Being a teenager is hard. Being a teenager with acne is even harder. It is a time when our bodies go through extreme changes. The most noticeable is the physical change. This leaves emotional outbursts unchecked; dismissed on account of raging hormones.

It is hard for me to separate my struggle with acne and becoming a woman because I dealt with both simultaneously. I went from being a care-free child to a paranoid, self-loathing, young adult. Suddenly, how I looked was important. Was this what it was to be a woman?

My basic cleansing routine evolved from using a bar of soap to ten different products overnight. In my desperation I tried anything to clear my skin; despite the risk of lasting damage. When all that failed I convinced myself that contraceptives, antibiotics and isotretinoin was the only way to achieve clear skin quickly.

AS AN ADULT

As the years passed I clung to the promise that by the time I reached my twenties I would simply grow out of acne. While for some this can be true, it encouraged me to leave acne to fate rather than understand the cause of my breakouts. By the time I reached my late twenties I felt utterly hopeless.

Even now, (approaching thirty) I wake up early to begin the meticulous process of concealing my skin. The very thought of being seen in public without makeup sends fear bubbling up into my throat. And simple, everyday decisions are dictated by how I feel about my skin.

Although I recognised early that I dip in and out of depression, the guilt I used to feel for allowing acne to have such a debilitating impact on my life deterred me from seeking help.

£1 of every LYS journal sold will be donated to MIND to raise awareness of the psychological effects of acne.