Dealing With Acne: Emily

From a young age I batted with acne. I was the stereotypical ‘spotty teenager’ from the age of around 12-18. I can remember trips to the doctors and trying various antibiotics and creams, but nothing really worked until I started using Benzoyl Peroxide. This kept the mountains under my skin at bay for a few years, and also stained all of my bedding and towels - a small price to pay for clear skin!

When I was 22 I headed off to travel around Asia and New Zealand. I left the UK full of confidence and spot free, but unfortunately I returned 4 months later with some really deep cystic acne. This was just the beginning of what was about to get a lot worse.

In September 2018 things got even worse, my skin erupted like it never had before and that really knocked my self esteem.

Everything I was doing seemed to make it worse. In the past year I tried going gluten free, dairy free, eating less sugar. I’ve had chemical peels, IPL, LED treatment and used countless products and supplements to help fight the acne, but nothing has truly worked. 

I noticed how much my mood had declined throughout the year, especially when I broke out badly in September. There were (and still are) days that I don’t want to leave the house. I have shed many tears about my skin and I have battled with bouts of depression. In a world that is so focused on superficial beauty, I started to feel like I wasn’t good enough.

A couple of months ago I started posting photos of my skin on Instagram and Facebook. I was so fed up of seeing perfect pictures online, I wanted to show something real. Acne is such a confusing and individual problem. Everyone's bodies are unique and react differently to things, so I wanted to highlight that. I have tried to be honest and open about my skin journey as I want to help others that are going through something similar. The response I have had has been amazing! I have has hundreds of messages from people struggling with similar issues.