In the movies and shows I watched growing up, acne was portrayed as a problem for only preteens and teenagers. The main character would reach a certain age, and their acne would go away.
But in real life, this isn’t always the case. Especially for me.
My first unwelcome visitors took residence on my face in sixth grade. My acne stayed pretty bad throughout middle school, but it got a little better during high school. I thought maybe Disney Channel was right, and I’d survived the worst of my acne.
Yeah, no. I was wrong. Last year, my breakouts became more frequent and severe than they had ever been, at the ripe non-preteen age of 20. Mind you, I had not stopped taking care of my skin. Like most people who deal with acne, I had a multi-step routine I’d spent countless hours researching.
I got so discouraged about the lack of improvement that I gave up at one point. I thought, “Trying this hard isn’t working. What if I don’t try at all?” Unfortunately, my acne was not like a crush you could win over by acting nonchalant. Instead, it got worse, and then it got even worse.
Eventually, I felt like my face was more pimple than it was me.
It wasn’t just the lack of progress that frustrated me — it was the unsolicited advice. I was no stranger to comments about my acne, but last year, I got a new level of unwanted attention. It felt like any woman over 40 made it their mission to comment on my skin.
At work, a patient’s wife told me — completely unprompted and in front of my coworkers — she also had bad acne when she was young. Like, geez lady, ouch! I didn’t want to feel like I was just one big pimple walking around with a sign, asking for strangers’ pity and unqualified advice.
I don’t share these memories to pointlessly immortalize my struggles with acne on the internet forever.
When my acne was at its worst, I learned to spend less time thinking about my skin and my appearance, in both positive and negative ways. De-emphasizing the importance of my appearance helped ground me, although it definitely felt hard at times. But I reminded myself that the love from my friends, family and boyfriend didn’t change when the state of my acne did. Mine shouldn’t either.
Eventually, I finally took the advice I had been ignoring for years and saw a dermatologist. I wish I had done it sooner. I’m sure my parents reading this are thinking, “I told you to go to a dermatologist a hundred times.” And, yeah, they were right. I’m not sure why I resisted for so long, considering I’ve had acne for almost 10 years. At the time, it just felt like another suggestion about my skin that I didn’t ask for.
But acne is a medical condition, and over-the-counter skincare can only do so much.
A dermatologist can create a personalized regimen tailored to your specific needs, something acne treatments from Sephora or TikTok shop can’t offer. Plus, health insurance will probably cover most, if not all, of what they prescribe. I don’t even want to know how much money I spent on skincare that made no lasting difference.
My entire skincare routine now consists of just six products. At night, I use a gentle cleanser, a mix of prescription tretinoin and clindamycin topical creams, and moisturizer. In the mornings, I use the same cleanser, my prescribed Aczone gel and a moisturizer with SPF 30. This is the shortest and simplest routine I’ve ever had, and the most effective. These three prescriptions are only a few examples of the oral and topical medications that a dermatologist might prescribe for acne.
With this treatment plan, I’ve seen more improvement in my acne in the last few months than I thought ever possible. Less than a year ago, I thought I would just have to deal with the pain and insecurity that came with constant breakouts. But this isn’t the case for me, and it doesn’t have to be for you either. If you are struggling with any amount of acne, and you would like to make a change, please go see a dermatologist.
With that said, your skin still probably won’t look perfect. Mine definitely doesn’t. I still get breakouts, although much less frequently, and my trusty acne scars haven’t abandoned their post.
The truth is, when you look in the mirror, you can make a choice. You can see the one, two or dozen pimples and scars on your face. Or, you can see your face and the unique combination of features that make you beautiful or handsome. Unless you have achieved inner peace that would inspire a Buddhist monk, you’ll probably see both.
Lara Caglayan is a 21-year-old UF nutritional sciences senior.
