How I Learned To Love My Flawed Skin

How I Learned To Love My Flawed Skin

Time Magazine mentions that, for the most part, both men and women are unhappy with their looks. Some of these people hate getting up every morning and seeing blemished skin in the mirror. Most Americans see changes in their skin around puberty, but others start seeing problems with it at a later age. Bad skin isn’t easy to cure and tends to persist throughout your life. Personally, I wish that it was as easy as using a cold sore laser to nuke all the imperfections. But it doesn’t work that way. Luckily, I came to terms with my blotchy skin and eventually learned that I could love myself, even when I look this way.

Long-Term Adult Acne on the Rise

The International Dermal Institute mentions that about half of the adult population between the ages of twenty and forty are diagnosed with low-grade adult acne. While it’s comforting to know I’m not alone in this struggle, it makes me realize that blemished skin is a common problem with many people in my age group. Adult acne has several causes, ranging from stress to acute hormonal imbalances. They can be even more pronounced in women on their periods, leading to breakouts that aren’t confined to your face. In a lot of cases, it gets worse before it gets better.

Soldiering On Through

As a woman, when you’re faced with flawed skin, one of the first things you do is reach for the makeup or hyperbaric chamber. In this case, I managed to hide a lot of the flaws and scars underneath heavy makeup. The problem with this approach is that you end up feeling like you need makeup just to be able to go out. In my case, I felt strange going out without my face covered in so many chemicals. This approach isn’t the way you want to be living your life, and eventually, hiding your face like that starts having a negative mental impact on your body outlook. However, once you start losing the makeup and going out naturally more often, you become less self-conscious. You realize that a lot of people just don’t notice the acne.

Being Comfortable In Your Own Skin

Probably one of the biggest influences I’ve had to help me feel comfortable with my blemished skin is seeing so many other people struggling with the same problem. Some Instagram personalities even dedicate their entire channel to showing how they deal with the everyday issues of having flawed skin. And that’s really the crux of the matter. We all have imperfect skin in some way. Not everyone’s skin is flawless and perfect, and that’s okay. Being comfortable with your skin means accepting that it may be flawed. Sure, you may have acne that you might want to cover up and hide, but you shouldn’t. You should be proud of your skin because it’s part of who you are. Keep treating it, but don’t be afraid of showing it off. It is, after all, a part of who you are as a person.