You don't know this, but I used to have lots of pimples. My acne was very severe and I hated looking at myself in the mirror. My classmates bullied me and at the moment, my friends were kind of non-existent, so I had no one to support me. Even my parents weren't the pillar I needed. They thought I was lying whenever I told them my peers made fun of me.
Do you know what acne is? You probably do.
Acne vulgaris –that's the scientific name– "is a long-term skin disease that occurs when hair follicles become clogged with dead skin cells and oil from the skin." Everyone's skin has holes, they are called pores. These pores can get blocked by dirt, this causes acne.
80% of our acne comes from genetics, or at least that's what people think. It all starts in puberty due to the hormones going all crazy. Our body starts producing too much testosterone (the male hormone, this is why men have more acne than women, usually and definitely not my case) and when these hormones increase, acne starts to appear.
There are common myths that tell us that eating chocolate or greasy foods make acne get worse. It has not been checked by doctors, even when lots of dermatologists say it's bad to eat these foods.
One thing I do know is that everyone goes through acne. Some have it better than others, but everyone gets a pimple in their life.
My best friend used to have a clear, clear skin. But this year she started getting lots of pimples. I thought she was the kind of girl with smooth skin that never went through the same problems normal people do –my friend is like the most beautiful girl on earth.
That's when my mind processed the fact that everybody has flaws, and everybody experiences acne. Because we are all humans, baby. And we were born this way.
No, really, right now you should listen to Born This Way, it's my anthem.
But focusing on our article. As you may have noticed, I always like to give some supportive words to the people reading this and I also like to give my opinion about the whole theme. In this article I'm going to also share my experience.
So let's begin.
In sixth grade my forehead exploded. Not literally, but pimples appeared from night to morning and I was just starting classes. It was so horrible.
As I said before I did have no friends at the moment. I used to be in a group of friends that I abandoned, because those girls were mean to me. It was a good decision, yes, but I had to eat alone. Kind of like in The Perks of Being a Wallflower (great book, by the way).
My friends from when I was little had changed a lot, and even when I tried to be part of them, I just wasn't. They were all so comfortable with each other, so social and loud, while I was too shy and quiet.
After some weeks I started eating with them. One of them didn't want me there. She wanted her group to be the same way it always had been. Ironically she is my best friend now and I'm actually talking with her right now.
Background story, we were best friends in kindergarten but I moved to another country and then moved back and she was like "okay, she's not the same girl I knew, I won't talk to her."
Okay, back to the story. The bullying started in January from sixth grade. There was a boy, he sat in front of me and always told me I looked like a boy with my pimples. He once said "you're not pretty and never will be." That honestly broke my heart and that day I arrived home crying.
It went on like this until eighth grade, the moment my face finally stopped having so much pimples, the moment my body finally stopped producing so much testosterone. And now I still have pimples, but they only appear in small quantities. My self-esteem is a lot higher now and the boy that told me all those horrible things is my friend now. Ha!
Point here is that having acne is totally okay. You won't die just for having it. The best thing you can do is wash your face twice a day (day and night) and don't squeeze the red points. You will probably have blackheads, too. But don't worry. It's all about washing those places very good.
Also, some people believe that green European clay helps, but I don't trust that too much. You just have to remember that you are beautiful just the way you are.
My sister used to say that the moment you start saying to yourself that you are pretty and actually believing, your face starts changing. My mom always told me that your personality shows in your face, and if you are a happy person, people will notice it.
Be happy. Take care of yourself and accept your flaws, they make you prettier.
Beneath a mask of pimples and blackheads lies a beautiful human being. They have a personality. They are funny, sensitive, intelligent, silly, passionate, kind, loving people. But underneath a shroud of blemishes, these wonderful qualities are hidden.
When people see someone covered in zits, they immediately judge them. They may not mean to do so but everyone does. As the severity of the acne increases, so does the level of discrimination. People tend to stereotype others with acne, even if they know that most of it is invalid. Common misconceptions are that people with acne are unclean or that they do not wash their face enough. Others believe that someone with acne eats a lot of gross junk food (therefore adding to the "dirty" stereotype).
However incorrect these statements are, people still believe them. It's unfair and offensive but it still exists. This is the way it is. But we can still help these types of people become educated about acne. It is caused by an imbalance of hormones. It usually occurs in teenagers because puberty kicks in at this time.
Individuals with acne don't apply to unpleasant typecasts. They aren't dirty. They aren't lazy. They hate pimples just as much as the next person. And, most of all, acne doesn't make them any less human. This may be obvious to many but to some, prejudice stains their vision.
They think that zits are a cause to bully someone. Undoubtedly, these uneducated people have been wounded in one-way or another and transferred their own pain onto others. However, this is entirely different subject.
The victims of these biases are incredibly hurt. The emotional and physical damage they may receive is irreparable. And this is all caused by an incredibly irrational reason. Pimples are not a good reason to pick on someone. It's just not.
Instead of focusing on something that is rather pointless, we should concentrate on a person's personality. We shouldn't let something so completely inconsequential define us. So don't let acne define you. Let you do you.
