the horrors of acne and how to get it sorted

Acne is one of the most common skin conditions found amongst those between the ages of 12-21, but it is something that can affect adult who are even in their 30s and 40s! Acne is the clogging of multiple pores that results in the formation of blackheads, whiteheads, pustules, or cysts above the skin. Acne can appear on any part of the body, but the most common places are the face, back and chest. This skin condition can have a real negative effect on your self-esteem, and can make people feel ‘ugly’ and ‘disgusting,’ so it is best to try and seek a treatment to improve your confidence. 

Acne is different for everyone, and, therefore, so is the treatment. A good place to start is with tackling your diet. You could have the clearest skin as a child, but as we grow up, we can slip into bad food and lifestyle habits that affects our skin. Try keeping a food diary to see if certain foods affect your skin more than others. Keep this up for about a month to see if you can pinpoint certain foods that makes your skin worse and cut them out of your diet. The more healthy you are on the inside, the more healthy you will be on the outside, too. 

If diet doesn’t seem to be affecting your skin, however, it’s worth trying a different route. Acne could be a result of you not washing your skin a lot, or it could be as a result of the products you’re using. Try and get a face wash that is cleansing, but good for sensitive skin. As someone who comes into the latter category, I’ve found that Neutrogena has been a real help with my type of acne without irritating my skin. Don’t wash your face more than twice a day, otherwise you’re at risk of losing the natural oils that your skin obtains. 

Makeup is another thing that can make or break your skin. Naturally, people with acne want to cover their skin up, but this can actually be detrimental. Makeup, when not washed out of your pores properly can either create acne, or make it considerably worse. So, if you are going to wear makeup, try using water based products, as these are less likely to clog your pores. The downside to buying non-comedogenic foundations is that they can be hellishly expensive. But they are worth the money, and is better than creating more skin problems for yourself. From experience, the best ones are the Nars All Day Luminous Foundation, or the Bare Minerals Undefined Original SPF Foundation (although the latter needs to be built up for better coverage.) 

If your acne is starting to drastically affect your confidence and, in turn, your mental health, it is probably time to go and see a doctor about it. They will be able to prescribe you creams and medicine that can help your acne a lot more than any drugstore products can. Some acne can be treated through the use of face washes and lifestyle changes, but others it’s a bit harder, and the acne is a bit deeper than the face washes can treat. Seeing a doctor would probably be the best option when your physical appearance is making you self conscious.

I suffer with an acne that didn’t actually surface above my skin. All the pimples grow underneath the skin’s surface; some days are worse than others. It is soul destroying enough for me to see that my acne has grown, so I can’t even begin to imagine what those with visible acne feel like. Society has made us feel like this condition should be ‘hush hush,’ like we aren’t pretty, or we don’t fit in. But, each time I see a picture of a girl on Instagram with perfect skin, I have to remind myself that filters and photoshop are rife in our generation, and that acne affects a whole lot of the population. Acne doesn’t make me ugly. And it doesn’t make you ugly, either. ​

​Tasha