My Struggle with Acne and the Road to Self-Acceptance

You’d never know it from this photo or any of my recent selfies but from the age of eleven, I suffered with horrible acne & acne scarring well into my mid-twenties. The discoloration & blemishes made me feel ugly.

I thought all people saw when they looked at me were my blemishes. So, by about my junior year of high school, I started covering up with makeup, mainly foundation. I literally WOULD NOT so much as go to the corner store without foundation or concealer on much less any special occasion or gathering!

Welp, that all changed when I met my husband.

We met while working together at a popular retail chain. We finally hit it off after  a bunch of passing “hellos”. We realized we had a lot in common and became best friends — I may tell you the whole story another time. 😉

Here’s the kicker: determined to prove to me that I didn’t need to wear makeup, he challenged me to meet him for our first date WITHOUT MAKEUP ON! *gasp* ? He said if I had in ANY makeup when he saw me, he was gonna turn around and go back home! Thing is, I already knew this man well enough to know… he was NOT bluffing! HA!

So, what now? Would I let my insecurities get the best of me and tell him, “I’m sorry, but I just can’t”? Or would I suck it up and reluctantly go out in public with a bare face?

Well, I did.

And, guess what? Shortly after we boarded the train on our way to the city, he told me how much MORE beautiful I was without all the makeup…

Yes, he’s a KEEPER!

From that point on, I resolved to never wear makeup again… not regularly anyways. I made diet changes — more water, more veggies, less juice, junk food, all that jazz — and skin care changes. But after years of feeling far less than beautiful, there was still work to be done mentally.

this was a MAJOR improvement!

It was quite some time before I felt completely comfortable going outside without makeup. Despite what the hubster told me, I often went back to feeling like all people saw were the blemishes for a while. But I’ll never forget something my husband said in one of our random chats, discussing the way he walks around like he’s so… unbothered: 

If you walk like you’re confident, others will start to believe in your dream.” (I dunno what “dream”… he’s Mr. Funnyman, just go with me on this! LOL!)

He had a point. If I walked out the door with my held head high as if I had nary a blemish on my face, people would pick up on that and look beyond any imperfections. “Fake it til you make it”, if you will. The more I did so, the more confident I felt. Now, you can’t *clap* TELL. *clap* ME. *clap* NOTHIN!

Nope, no makeup on here either… no airbrush, no Photo Shop, nothing! (PC: Abi Ishola for Beyond Classically Beautiful)

I’m so happy to say that, at 37 (yes, I’m 37!), my acne-prone skin has been pretty much under control (with, of course, the occasional disrespectful breakout here and there) for the past 10 years! My makeup wearing days are few and far between. But when I DO wear it, it’s no longer because I feel like I need it.

No, not everyone who wears makeup is covering up insecurities, but that was my story. If it’s also yours, I’M telling you… YOU’RE BEAUTIFUL just the way you are! ?

TWEET IT!

If you also struggle with acne and have found yourself fighting to keep your skin clear, I’ve shared some simple lifestyle changes that I made and YOU can make right now to take control of it. I’ve also shared how a certain skin care product and regimen has been helping me maintain a virtually flawless face for the past few months. ? I really hope it helps!

Read: 5 Steps to Looking Flawless WITHOUT Makeup

Did you ever struggle with acne or maybe something else about your physical appearance? What steps did you take to finally deal with or accept it?