My Story: Acne 101

Acne, it's something that many teenagers go through, and let me to you something, it ain't pleasant. Not only does it ruin your complexion, but it sure can damage your self-esteem. I can say this because I was once that young girl who suffered from acne. So to help out all those who are currently suffering from acne, here's my story on how I was able to get rid of my acne and overcome my low self-esteem. 

However before I start, I'd just like to mention that the method I used to get rid of my acne may not apply to everyone. This is just what worked for me but I do hope that by listening, well, reading my story you'll be able to get a better idea on how you can treat your own acne!

HOW IT ALL STARTED

I began to develop acne at the age of 11  through to 12, which now thinking about it was quite a young age! My acne appeared quite drastically and out of nowhere while I was on a trip to America. I'm guessing that my skin was quite sensitive to the change of atmosphere over there along with the fact that I was constantly eating junk food. But then again I can't blame myself, it was America for crying out loud! Oh, and I was also going through puberty at that time too. Anyway, it didn't really bother me until I got home and it just got worse from there. It became even red, and worst of all, I was scratching it as well. Luckily though, I only had acne on my forehead and nowhere else. I'd get the occasional pimples on my chin or nose, but they were nothing compared to my forehead. That was when I became very self-conscious about my appearance and I grew a fringe in order to cover all the acne on my forehead. That wasn't necessarily a good idea though, as it would build up sweat, causing more pimples. I wouldn't say that I was bullied because of my acne, but people definitely commented about them which made me feel rather uncomfortable, especially for an 11 year old. However, during that time, I had no plans or ideas to get rid of them. All I was planning to do was hide it away with my fringe. 

MY PROCESS ON GETTING RID OF MY ACNE

My acne was getting so bad that even my mum was grossed out just by looking at me. She was so grossed out that she even thought about putting me up for adoption! Okay, maybe not, but she was definitely sickened by it! So she decided to take me to the doctors to finally get it checked out. However, I was somewhat reluctant to go because I was embarrassed, and I also thought, who goes to a doctor to get their acne checked out? Keep in mind, I was only 11 at that time. I will say though that I'm so thankful that my mum made me go see the doctors as I would most likely still have had acne till this day if I didn't go. Another reason I was glad that I went to go see the doctors was that I was able to get help from a professional who knew their stuff. So I was able to trust their methods on how to get rid of acne. The doctor recommended this soap to use to wash my face, along with this acne cream to apply to my acne after washing my face. I don't really remember the names of the products, since it was awhile ago. But I used them for about 5 or so months and although I did see improvement at first, my acne became worse again. It was also during that time when I first started experimenting with make up. I was rummaging through my mum's make up and found this foundation stick I'm pretty sure it was. I put some on my face and was amazed at how it covered up a bit of my blemishes. So at that moment, I thought, instead of getting rid of my acne, why not just cover it? And so, I started using make up to cover up my acne. This obviously was a bad idea, because it only made my acne grow worse. So, I stopped using make up to cover it up, but I grew an even bigger fringe to cover it up. Unfortunately, I don't have any photos of my acne since it wasn't something that I necessarily wanted photos of...

Approximately six months later, I made my second trip to the doctors for my acne since the previous remedies were obviously not working. Again, I was forced by my mum to go. This time, the doctors gave me two special creams that honestly worked like a charm. The first cream I was prescribed was called the  'Differin adapalene Cream'. The purpose of this cream was to get rid of the redness. 

The next one was the 'Epiduo Gel', which was used on my spots. 

I didn't start to see improvements until after 6 weeks of using the creams. The redness began to decrease along with the scars. From then and there, my acne began to decrease to the point where it was pretty much all gone. Altogether, it took approximately 5 months for my acne to completely disappear. Although these two creams worked wonders for me, I was prescribed by them from my doctor. So if you would like to use them, I suggest to go see your doctor beforehand because they are quite strong and not to mention very expensive. 

TODAY...

I can say that ever since my acne has gone, I've become a lot more confident with the way I look. I still use these two products occasionally when I break out, but not as much as I used to since I don't have acne anymore and I tend to get quite lazy. Nevertheless, I would still get the occasional pimple here and there, and although it still bothers me, I'm not as self-critical about it as I used to be. I guess it's because I've become more mature about it and accepted the fact that it's a part of growing up. However, I will say that I do use make up to cover my blemishes. I mean, who doesn't these days! Even though I don't have acne anymore, I try to prevent it from coming back by following these simple steps:

- Using Bb cream instead of foundation on a daily basis, as it is much more gentle on the skin
- Sticking to my skincare routine
- Changing my bed covers on a regular basis
- Avoid any greasy foods as much as I can 

Acne is not something that anyone should go through, but it is definitely something that you can get rid of if you have it. If I can get rid of mine, then anyone can! I understand that there are people who have tried almost every remedy out there and nothing ever seems to work, but getting rid of acne takes time. It's not something that happens overnight, but if you're able to find something that works and stick to it, which is probably one of the most important aspects, then I'm sure your acne will disappear in no time. 

I can't guarantee anything, but I hope that from hearing my story on acne, I'm able to inspire anyone out there to be a bit more confident about their treatment for acne.

Stay tuned to see more updates on my blog!

xx Trulyvonne