A couple of days ago I woke up to a small red dot in the middle of my forehead. It was teeny and virtually imperceptible from a two-metre distance. But of course, even with my less than 20/20 vision, there it stood, front and centre – a burgeoning planet in the midst of what looked like a dying constellation. I sighed and continued with the rest of my day. Acne (and the residual scarring) has become just another part of life for me now, ever since it began in my mid-teens. However, it was the first year of university when I gave acne its name as my skin spiralled out of control.
First up, what is acne really? Well according to Mayo Clinic, ÔÇÿacne is a skin condition that occurs when your hair follicles become plugged with oil and dead skin cells’ ,or even bacteria which as we know is all around us. It can manifest as blackheads, whiteheads, pimples and bumps over or under the skin. Common factors can contribute to acne but are not limited to just this. I myself can’t confidently say that I know exactly what causes my breakouts, but with enduring university deadlines, I certainly wouldn’t rule out the dynamic effects of stress. Given the many potential triggers, this would justify the many possible treatment options available. However, this is no easy path to walk down either.
It was the start of a new academic year (a January in September if you will) and with that comes the pressure to change things about yourself which had never bothered you before. I had a sudden realisation that my skin had never been perfect and I longed for the glowing, pore-less skin that I saw all over my social media. Sure-enough I was soon engulfed by a skincare community that offered suggestions of creams, cleansers and serums to achieve the results I was after. I tried the big brand names that were held in such high regard but nothing seemed to work. In fact, it even made matters worse. It was a nightmare period that dented my skin and my pocket but I managed to salvage a few takeaways from this. I learnt that you shouldn’t blindly take skin advice from just anyone, especially not from the unauthorised, self-proclaimed ÔÇÿskincare gurus’, posturing as experts on YouTube. Everyone’s skin has different needs which requires specialised care. The best place to get this, is from an authorised and qualified healthcare professional like a dermatologist who can assess your skin and devise a plan that’s catered towards you. For all its problems and various disguises, acne is an extremely common and treatable condition that with the right help you can manage effectively.
I also learnt that I was chasing an unrealistic standard that didn’t exist in reality. The mainstream media will never champion real, fallible skin because then there would be nothing left to sell. However, my biggest lesson yet and one that I’m still learning, is to practice patience and self-love. My skin isn’t perfect but perfection is a myth anyways. Acne can be persistent; it can be frustrating and there can be a tendency to berate yourself for it. But if you treat skincare as self-care, you’ll find as I have that you can love yourself through it all.
Rume Otuguor
Since the age of 13 I have really struggled with my skin, and whilst over the years my skin has improved, it remains to be one of my biggest insecurities.
Nothing would infuriate me more when in the middle of a breakout, someone would tell me to simply ÔÇÿwash my face,’ which made me feel like I was dirty, and my spots were due to lack of hygiene. I was jealous of my friends who had such clear skin and no matter what I tried my skin would never look like that. Though, after some dermatological research I found that breakouts in certain regions of your face are sometimes the result of different factors, whether that’s diet, hormones, hair products or even holding your phone against your face. If I was getting spots around my hairline, I knew I’d need to maybe change my hair products, if they were on my forehead then I realised it was possibly diet and I tried to eat more fruit and drank more water. However, I realised my biggest factor for breakouts was my hormones, as my skin was particularly bad around my chin and jawline. After realising that it became easier to adopt a new skincare routine, I have a much more vigorous routine the week before my period to try to reduce my breakout as much as possible, and I can use lighter products in the weeks between. Stress is another factor, where during exam season I’m constantly having to exfoliate, cleanse and tone to keep my spots at bay.
I’ve had to do a lot of experimentation regarding skincare over the years, and it’s something I would recommend to everyone, as sometimes the products other people use don’t always work for you, so unfortunately, it’s a lot of trial and error. I found some skincare to be too harsh and made me breakout more, and others to be simply ineffective. The Liz Earl clay facemask for me turned out to be a total gamechanger, it’s quite expensive so I only use it when my skin is particularly bad, but my skin goes from red and blotchy to clear within days, so it is one of my go-to products. I also found wearing less make-up has helped my skin too, which for me was hard because I heavily rely on foundations and concealers to hide my spots; but I found wearing make-up everyday clogged my pores and resulted in more breakouts hence more make-up and the cycle continued. Going make-up free really allowed my skin to breathe, but it also gave me the confidence to realise that I am more than just a breakout and I shouldn’t allow myself to be defined by my acne.
I would recommend to anyone to try to find a factor or trigger that causes breakouts, or try numerous skincare products to help with acne, and honestly, I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you I felt most beautiful when my skin was clear. But the best piece of advice I can give anyone who’s struggling with their skin is to realise that beauty is not skin deep, every time I look in the mirror, I see my own insecurities magnified back at me, but I know that other people don’t see that. So do not let yourself be defined by your breakout.
Emily Plaisted
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