Acne is a tough topic to talk about for some people but the reality of it is that most women at some point in our lives, struggle with it. My acne story isn't the typical scenario but I know it's one that many women deal with, so I would like to share my experience with acne and how I have successfully gotten rid of it for the majority. This is going to be Part one where I share what my acne is like and what was going on in my life. Parts two and three will come over the next two posts, one focusing on what I did to clear it up and then the other focusing on some products I loved to help camouflage some of the worst breakouts.
When I would think of acne, I used to think of the typical pubescent teens going through what they think is the hardest and most crucial part of their lives (shocker! It's not...). Growing up I would get one zit every now and then, and like most teen girls, think it was super embarrassing and everyone was staring at it. But looking back at it, I skated through the teen years without any real or serious acne. I thought I had made it through and I would have beautiful unblemished skin forever. Boy was I wrong. It wasn't until I hit my mid twenties (around 23 to be exact) that I got some of the worst acne I personally had ever seen. Luckily, I am pretty skilled at makeup and people would be shocked to see what was really hiding underneath but for the past year I have dealt with some of the worst breakouts that I never saw coming.
If you're reading this and dealing with something similar, you aren't the only one! It is so common for women to deal with adult acne and I am going to share with you some changes I made that have dramatically helped my skin.
Now there are some things you need to know. First off, our skin is the largest organ of the body. The thing that I find most interesting about it is that it can be one of the first indicators of something going on internally that we need to bring attention to. Having an allergic reaction to something? Your skin will show you with hives. Not drinking enough water? Your skin will be very dehydrated. While this is very cool to think about, it also makes skin issues hard to deal with sometimes. Skin problems, especially acne, can be very trial and error because our bodies are all different and need different things so what works for some people may not work for others. Be open to trying new things and making changes and you will find what works best for you!
Now back to my acne story. I personally have very oily skin that is acne prone. New products can cause me to break out very easily. I also have a Medeterrainian/South American skin tone that is very olive-toned. I get dark hyperpigmented spots from blemishes even if I don't touch them. It's just the way my skin is and I've accepted it. (That's a huge step in healing your acne. I promise it'll be easier if you just accept that it's something you have to deal with and don't stress. The less stressed you are, the easier the healing process will be for you to go through!)
Who knows why I got acne right at 23. It was probably a combination between trying new products in esthiology school, stress, significant weight loss causing fluctuations in my hormones, diet, and more. It all started appearing on my chin and jaw area quickly. This area of acne generally is usually hormonal or dealing with digestion. Within the course of a month I probably had at least 15 blemishes in my chin area. At my skin's worst I probably had as many as 30 or 40 blemishes ranging from deep cystic acne to small comedones. Not to mention all of these blemishes were now scarring my chin and I had such bad hyperpigmentation throughout this area.
It would change of course and some weeks would be better than others but I felt like the second I would get my hopes up that maybe it was clearing up (meaning I probably had about 10 blemishes only...) I would wake up the next morning with 10 new ones. Can you say frustrated?
At first I felt the need to cover it up all the time. It was embarrassing that I was studying to be an Esthetician and had some of the worst breakouts I'd ever seen. I worried people wouldn't trust my opinions if they saw my skin wasn't clear. Luckily, I discovered some amazing products that helped me completely hide my acne while I was with clients so no one had any idea (which yes I will be sharing with you in part three).
However, you can't cover your skin 100% of the time and when I finally decided to not care what anyone thought of my acne I let go of a lot of stress and anxiety that goes along with having imperfect skin. While it's wonderful to be able to cover these blemishes, sometimes we just have to let our skin breathe and not put anything on it besides good healing skincare. We need these no makeup days to help our skin heal. While trying to heal my acne, and even now a lot of the time, I will be in public with all of my blemishes and scars showing because it was a part of me and it's not something you should be embarrassed about. If someone is going to judge you for something that the majority of women deal with then they aren't worth your time anyways.
Make sure to come tomorrow where I will be sharing what changes I made in my life and skincare routine that ultimately cleared up my skin!
Have a beautiful day,
Dre
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