Acne does not only affect your skin, it can also tremendously affect your self-esteem.
Staying confident can be very tuff while social anxiety and the need for hiding from others can become common thing.
If that is your case, do not let your skin define who you are and find out how to always stay confident, even with acne!
If you read my article on what happened when I went off the pill, you would know that acne affected me a lot.
Not only the pill completely messed up my menstrual cycle, it also brought acne to my face, back and neckline… *amazing*
The impacts of acne on self-esteem
Whilst some of us women going off the pill don’t see any sign of pimples; it was the total opposite for me. Acne affected me a lot, mentally and physically.
The small cysts that characterize hormonal acne aren’t the common pimples that come and go after 3 days.
No, these are pretty big, red, and inflamed – not only do they hurt, they are far from being aesthetic.
I’m initially not a very confident person, so believe me when I say that having acne all over my face didn’t help me a lot.
I began to care even more about people’s opinion on me and therefore felt the need to hide under makeup, caps and big scarfs to hopefully go unnoticed.
Every social situation became a challenge for me. Going out, going to school, to the gym and even to the first weekend getaways with my boyfriend (we started seeing each other when my acne was at its worst).
As a reminder, my severe acne lasted over six months. Seeing my skin conditions worsening month after month, I quickly realized that my happiness could not depend on my physique anymore.
I then put myself in the challenge of accepting and loving myself unconditionally.
Today, I am still not the most confident person in the world, but I can truly say that I am proud of who I am, despite what I look like.
I challenge you to do the same, by applying from now on the following steps!
1. Learn your worth
Your skin does NOT define your value. Your physique does NOT reflect your kindness, goodwill or competence.
You are so much more than what you see every day in the mirror and it is important to be aware of it.
If you struggle to admit it, take action by doing something that would benefit at least one person.
It can be as simple as smiling to strangers, donating, helping a loved one, donating things you don’t use/need anymore. You will feel so good about yourself and instantly
2. Do not allow judgment
Keep in mind that you are your worst critic. Stop judging yourself and putting you down, it will only convince you so.
Rather, practice affirmations such as “I am beautiful just as I am” or “I am a nice and valuable person” on a daily basis, not only when you’re wearing makeup or an Instagram filter.
3. Fake it until you make it
As my favourite Youtuber would say “Act confident and no one will question you” and that is very true my friends.
As my favourite Youtuber would say “Act confident and no one will question you” and that is very true my friends.
Forget your foundation, look straight up to people and smile! Acting as if you were very comfortable in your skin will not only make you realize you are capable of being a confident person, but also convince everyone around you.
People won’t see your imperfections if you blind them with your shine!
I know, it sounds completely silly at first, but you will soon realize that people don’t really care about your acne or don’t even notice it!
A lot of people were shocked when I published pictures of what my skin looked like before – proof that I exaggerated my issues way too much. As always, self-consciousness is primarily a problem coming from our head.
4. Surround yourself with the right people
And if there’s still people seeing your acne and feeling the need to point it out, move on, even if “it was only a joke”.
Keep in mind that people trying to hurt you through your physical appearance are also the ones that are not confident in their own skin. They therefore try to belittle others in order to reassure themselves.
You don’t need that kind of negativity in your life. Hasta la vista.
5. Take care of yourself
Having acne isn’t a good excuse enough to tell yourself “Why should I put effort on my outfit? I don’t look good anyways”.
I have been there, and telling yourself such things will not benefit you at all. You are beautiful, with or without acne, so please take care of yourself no matter what.
Do your hair, wear lipstick, have your nails done, dress up just how you like to. Do not lose your identity, style and enthusiasm for a temporary skin condition!!!
What acne taught me
Even though I suffered a lot from hormonal acne, it has been one more struggle to face in order for me to become the person I am today and to truly love it as a whole, not only as a physique.
If you learn to love yourself just as you are, you will love yourself forever, no matter what your skin condition is, no matter how much you weigh and no matter if you are wearing makeup or not.
When people ask me if I am more confident now that I have clear skin, I always tell them no.
The thing is, I managed to be confident and love myself even with a face and back covered in acne. And yes, you are capable of it too!
What do you do to stay confident with acne? Comment all your tips below so we can all benefit form them!
I have a post-it note on my mirror that says. Work on being in love with the person in the mirror who has been through so much but is still standing. My acne got worse after I lost my dad 2021 and my husband deployed. I’m slowly trying to relove this me.
Loved your article. Needed to read that.
Wow this is powerful Heather, thank you for sharing! Your body will go through all these difficult times with you and will try to communicate in its own way. I think the most important thing is trying to understand this language, what stands behind the acne, the pain, the symptoms – because this is where you’ll find the way to meet yourself, heal and become the greatest version of yourself.
I’m sending you all the love and courage <3