My Acne Story

I was in year 9 when I had my first acne breakout; it struck me seemingly out of nowhere, and suddenly my face was red, irritated and itchy. Some of my friends also struggled with acne, so I didn’t feel alone, but none of us knew how to treat it. I would notice a new spot, fixate on it and end up picking at it, which only provided temporary relief until the next one popped up. After months (although it felt like years) of frustration, and a trip to the GP, I finally started to see my skin clear up.

Here’s what actually helped me get things under control:

1. Less Is More
I ditched the long, complicated routines I saw on TikTok and stuck to three basics:
Gentle cleanser
Simple moisturiser
Sunscreen every morning (even when it was cloudy!)

2. I Stopped Picking
This was really hard, but picking made everything worse and left me covered in red marks and scars which took months to fade. Luckily my skin picking didn't cause me any pigmentation damage, however in darker skin hypopigmentation is a common side effect of scarring and can be very difficult to reverse. 

3. I Asked for Help
Seeing my GP was a game changer - they explained why my skin was breaking out and helped me find treatments that actually worked without wrecking my face. The key was consistency and using a routine everyday to protect my skin from damage and break down and reducing the bacterial loading and clogged pores. 

If you’re dealing with acne right now:
Just know that you’re not alone. Your skin doesn’t define you. And seriously, don’t believe the perfect, poreless skin you see online—it’s often just filters and editing.

Take care of your skin, but more importantly, take care of yourself. 

#RealSkinRealTalk #SkinEsteem #acne #healthyskin