THE ACNE STRUGGLE
The acne struggle is real but there’s always a way to come out of it stronger. Here’s my story.
The eve of my birthday celebrations and this breakout appeared. Not very well timed right? Totally stress induced.
If you struggle with acne, then this is for you. If you are looking to get rid of acne, then this is also for you. The other day I was sitting at lunch and I overheard a conversation between two ladies next to me. “No one ever shares their struggles on Instagram, you land up just immersing yourself in a pile of supposed successes.” I couldn’t help but agree. How often do you actually see someone open up on social media and share that behind their perfect coffee shot, was a really hard day?
For me, I struggle to open up about my skin. I have had countless of mornings and nights where I have cried physical tears about the state of my skin and this is not a new battle. One day my father looked at me and said “Shloka, you need to take this into your own hands. Don’t rely on anyone else to fix this and once you do fix it, because you will, you can share your journey with everyone else who might be struggling”. Something in that moment clicked for me. I suddenly realised I’m not alone in this. There are thousands of girls out there just like me who experience the same feelings every day. This is not forever, and most importantly, it’s in my control and I can do something about it. Over the past year I really took the reigns with my skin and I’ve come out of it a little bit stronger, albeit with a few battle scars (man, that acne scarring right?) and with a few key lessons on not only how to get rid of acne, but an overall more positive approach to the whole thing.
Don’t rely on anyone else to fix this and once you do fix it, because you will, you can share your journey with everyone else who might be struggling…
It’s A Work In Progress & That’s Okay
I can be quite an impatient person when it comes to wanting results and I am no different with my skin. Having struggled with pimples since I was 12, I feel like now that I’m 25 it’s high time they went away right? The number one lesson I’ve taken away from this whole experience is that there will be great skin days, and bad skin days but you are not alone in this. Everyone has ups and downs in every aspect of their life and skin is a work in progress. It doesn’t take away from how beautiful you are, or how good you should feel and it’s okay to have a day with a few pimples. I’m not saying I don’t have moments where I haven’t broken down about it. In fact, the night before my birthday, I broke down right before my party. I had the most humongous breakout, totally out of the blue and I actually cried. But I wiped my tears, I pulled myself together, I put on my dress and I walked out the door and I still had an amazing night, surrounded by amazing people, and I still felt great! Don’t let one bad skin day get you down. Instead, stay positive and focus on the solutions!
Pictured here: The HORRIBLE reaction I had last year on my skin that drove me crazy but also drove me to take control of my skin.
You know your skin best.
Speaking of solutions, one of my biggest struggles was finding the confidence in myself to treat my own skin. It can be quite intimidating to find the right product, to go through the trial and error process and to not be influenced by the thousands of “experts” out there. I’m not saying that this is the case for everyone, but I found that when I took control of my own skin, did my own research and did not blindly follow what someone had to say, my skin was at it’s best. Of course, I still feel nervous when I get sent product to try because it’s quite unnerving to think that you might put something on your sensitive skin for a second and have a reaction that lasts weeks. But I’ve done so much research on what ingredients work for my skin type, what products go together and what to avoid, that I can gauge pretty quickly now if something is worth it or not. Essentially what I’m trying to say is, take control of your own routine. Understand what you should be doing to fix your skin and don’t be afraid to go ahead and do it! Plus, if you ever need any help, I’m always around.
Pictured here: My skin recovered really well after the horrible break out of last summer, when I took control of it! I remember feeling amazing when I took this photo.
It’s not just about what you put on your skin
A year ago I had one of the worst reactions ever. I felt helpless and sad and I couldn’t figure out WHY it happened. This is when I learnt that it’s not just about what you put on your skin, but it’s about what you put inside your body; what you eat, what you drink and how you live! I’ve noticed that when I eat badly and eat a lot of dairy, don’t drink enough water or don’t exercise enough, my skin suffers. Remember that a lot of the time your skin is a reflection of what is happening inside your body. You can actually acne map your face, which shows you what part of your body to pay attention to depending on where on your face you break out. Treat yourself well!
Be positive & discipline
Treating yourself well doesn’t just mean eating well and exercising. It also means self-love. A lot of the time our breakouts are due to stress factors. Try and remain positive, and continue to flood your mind with positive thoughts and actions. Negativity has a way of festering and a lot of times it erupts on our cheeks and foreheads. Be discipline as well; which means if you know something doesn’t react well with you, then don’t put yourself through the pain of having it. I have a sweet tooth but instead of indulging in dairy all the time, which I am intolerant to, I try to cut it out of my diet. I never go to sleep with my make up on and I always make sure to use products that suit me, not just products that have a hype. Encourage positive habits and see positive results!
Pictured here: This is recent. The aftermath of my break out right before my birthday! The recovery process isn’t pretty but at least it was getting better.
Remember, that beauty is within.
The final, and most important lesson that my journey with acne has taught me, is that beauty is not defined by your skin. Your acne does not define you. Your skin does not define you. Your beauty is not what is on the outside, real beauty is on the inside and that is what we see. Always remember that and never let any issue with your skin make you think otherwise.
Pictured here: No filter and I remember feeling like my skin actually looked really good here! Trust that it’s possible to combat acne!
Do you struggle with acne? I would love to hear your story.
