Having Acne As A 20-Something


Kind of weirdly personal post today but I have been suffering with quite severe acne since the summer and it's something I have been wanting to write about for a while.

I kept putting it off for a few reasons: 
  1. I'm too old to have acne surely?  This is an embarrassing couple of weeks but I'll get over it, I have to! 
  2. Okay, it's not cleared up this is definitely too embarrassing to post about. 
  3. I know, I'll wait until I discover some magic fix for acne then I'll post about it.  I will be the Acne Anti-Christ, the best blogger since sliced bread...  
  4. Still waiting on that magic fix... 

So that's where I am at right now- I still have acne, it's still embarrassing and I am still waiting for a fix (magic or not) to get me back to the smooth skin I had a year ago.

You can see how bumpy I am under my make up in the photo above.  Now let me show you a picture from 2013, unedited and smooth skinned! 
  
But let me take you back to the beginning....

As you guys know I moved to France in August, and then my skin went crazy!  

At first I thought it was the stress of moving to a new place, starting a new job and

This is kind of a ranty post but that's okay, because having acne as a 20-something sucks.  It makes me self-conscious of my skin, not only in a social setting but professionally.  I am already one of the younger members of staff and I don't need a face full of acne making me look even younger!  From this I have felt a pressure to wear make up which I have never really felt before.  

After waiting for it to clear up itself I then stripped back my face and make up routine- still no joy!  

Next step was the doctors, who gave me several things to try and fix it... 

Six weeks down the line and here we are.  My face has improved slightly, but it's still not great.  I'm still using what the doctor recommended and doing my best but it's still so bleugh! 

My best tips for fighting acne are:
[although I've not beaten it so I'm not exactly a shining example of fighting the acne fight] 
If you have your own tips for fighting acne PLEASE let me know! 
- Clean pillowcases as often as possible 
- Don't wash your face in the shower - use cooler water on your face!
- Go back to basics as much as possible with all your products.
- Moisturise, moisturise, moisturise! 

But for all you fellow 20-somethings with acne I just want to say I know it sucks and we are allowed to be whiny about it, but we will get over this!  We will keep persevering with the tricks and tips we thought we left behind in our teens and we can do it! 

Comments

  1. Recently my skin also went kind of crazy and I have no real idea why. I'm not suffering extremely severe acne but it's definitely more than a little spot every now and then (I'm 22 right now)...
    I haven't got any real tips on solving that issue but just something I've been wondering about: as you said it all started when you moved to France maybe it has something to do with that? Have you changed your diet or do they have chlorinated water in France or something else your skin isn't used to? Is your life more stressful than it used to be? You don't have to answer these questions here, obviously, I just thought those things might be something to consider if you haven't already.
    And if you ever come across a magical skin clearing potion please let me know! :D x

    darjeelingtealeaves.blogspot.com

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    1. That's my thought process too, but it's still on-going so many months down the line so my theory is CRAZY HORMONES and the uber chlorinated water of Lyon.
      Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment- I hope your skin is clearing up as well!
      x

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  2. I had acne at 20, what type of acne do you have? If it's cystic, I'd definitely ask to either go on Yasmin (pill) as it helps the hormones which cause it, or Spironalactone helps but worth looking into first!I kind of wished I had gone on Roaccutane if I'm honest, as I still get monthly cysts even being on Yasmin! I know how horrible it is though, you'll get through it :)

    India / Touchscreens & Beautyqueens

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    1. Yeah the hormonal aspect of these things is so hard to guage. Me and the doctor have our heads together and we have a plan to try for a couple of months.
      Thank you for your advice- good luck with your skin!
      Roaccutane is a tricky one because it is so serious!

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