I don’t remember the first time I had an acne breakout, but I do know that my acne did become worse during high school. I have never been good with makeup so whenever I had a breakout that lasted a long time, it was always paraded to my family and classmates. Did they comment on it? Definitely. Did I like that? Of course not. If I had a nickel for every time someone (a friend, a family member, a stranger) made a comment about my acne (negative or positive) I would probably be able to buy that satin dress I want from Shein. I never did anything about it though just stood there taking the shots. I would just “uh huh” them and nod my head. My friends and family always thought I wanted to know what they thought about my acne. I’d get comments from my friends like, “how do you take cute pictures? Your pimples never show up in them.” Yes, I would use Snapchat filters and Retrica filters occasionally (sue me). But I also get the “do you treat your acne?,” “Why don’t you try something to help with that?,” “You should try this if you haven’t yet”. I understand that some people genuinely care and that’s why they ask but whenever it becomes such a constant topic of conversation with someone, it makes one feel like that’s the only thing they are. I would constantly think, “maybe my acne is the only thing people look at when they see me” I would be paranoid when talking to someone thinking that they were staring at that. Do not get me started on acne scars, they are the worst. I remember the many times my mom would tell me not to pick at my pimples, but I never listened and that is something that I regret. I have a ton of acne scars that seem so bad that I don’t even know if I will ever be able to get rid of them. There are various products that people have recommended me for that and the one that I am currently using seems to be working. The product is called Bio Oil, it’s a small 60mL pink bottle with a white cap. The product says that it helps with scars, stretch marks, uneven skin tone, aging and dehydrated skin. The product is like $9 at Walmart. A bit on the expensive side I know. But there are other products you can try. There are other articles on our website about acne products like one by Katie Walsh named, “5 Products that Helped My Acne” that you can all read to look more in depth about treating acne in general. Anyways, I have now become used to hearing other people comment on my acne and it doesn’t bother me as much as it used to. I listen to their suggestions and decide whether or not to take it. I rarely ever use filters anymore because I am learning to embrace my acne. It takes a lot longer than I thought it would but I’m getting there. I am not as bothered about it anymore when I see pictures where my acne is clearly visible. New pimples actually bother me a lot more than acne scarring, and my acne scarring is much more noticeable. I am also trying to change my eating habits so that I don’t break out as much anymore. I hope that reading this, helped you see that you are not the only one going through the acne struggle. We have to stick together and embrace it. Embrace it our own way, I don’t cover it up and rarely use filters anymore but if you like using makeup then you do you boo. If I knew how to do my makeup I would try honestly but I think that it just worsens my acne. Whatever embracing your acne means to you, do it!
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at NMSU chapter.