Real Talk

While growing up, I was surrounded by social media. People who had perfect skin without makeup filled my feed and I became increasingly envious because I had always struggled with my skin. From blackheads to huge pimples, I never had control over what appeared on my face. Therefore, I started to try covering it up with makeup. BB cream, concealer, and other various types of coverups were used to try and hide my insecurity. But in the end, this method failed. I was able to talk to Cayla for advice and she was able to relate to a lot of my struggles. She recommended me tips and products to use which helped better my skin. I gained confidence through her comments which helped me to have a more positive mindset about skin. 

When I began my teenage years, it was difficult for me to look at my skin. I would form pimples and the seasonal changes would my skin dry and flaky. It was a difficult change to adapt to because I grew up with clear skin most of my life. Not only that, I began to see the toll my skin was having on my self confidence. I started to not want to hangout because of a breakout and I just couldn't understand my skin. It often felt dry so I put on a thick moisturizing lotion, but then I would break out. Moreover, although I thought I had dry skin my nose would form blackheads and I would have bumps underneath my skin on my cheeks. When I had my meeting with Cayla, it was very easy to communicate and I felt comfortable opening up. The biggest takeaway I had and what helped me the most was the idea of "simple is always better". 

My whole teenage years I have struggled with my skin. One pimple, one blackhead, one discoloration, or one imperfection is all it took for me to go into a spiral looking for ways to fix my skin. It was something I couldn't control. No matter how many skincare products I used or videos I watched I was never content. As I grew up, my skin did improve slightly, but that was not what changed the most. What changed was that I was able to learn be comfortable in my skin and continue to maintain confidence no matter what my skin looks like. 

Starting in 6th grade, I developed acne and I got really stressed throughout middle school over many different things. I didn't understand the importance of washing my face regularly, and my skin is naturally very oily, so over time, acne spread throughout my face. People even started to make fun of my acne calling me "pepperoni face". I got a bunch of salicylic acid cleansers and benzoyl peroxide solutions, but none of it seemed to be working. In 8th grade, I found adapalene gel and that stuff was MAGICAL. I began to really focus on skincare, looking for the most honest reviews online. I used all the strategies and started focusing my daily regimen on hygiene and skincare. After a few months, my skin had improved, but it was still blotchy and had lots of scarring. Plus, it would flare up a lot of the time. When I went to Taiwan in the summer, I found a cleanser that seemed to be clearing up my skin, but that too stopped working after a while. I finally went to go see a dermatologist because of how sever my acne was getting. They prescribed me different gels and over the next 3 months my skin was a lot clearer. I stopped breaking out, and the only thing left was scars. I felt like I had healed not only my skin, but also my mental health. This website is here for people like me, people who have/are struggling through acne. This is a space to share, to support each other, and to remind ourselves we’re not alone in this.