Health. Fitness. Positivity. Lifestyle. Mental health. Self love.

My acne story

My acne journey began in my early teens and reached its worst stage when I was 16, it left me feeling like I wanted to hide. I would constantly have my hand over my face to cover it up, wear scarfs whenever possible and wear a ton of makeup. Everyone would always say to me that it was just a stage and it would eventually clear up but after suffering with acne for over 3 years I decided enough was enough and I was going to take action. Little did I know the heart ache that decision would bring.

After being refered by my doctor to a specialist I was prescribed Roaccutanne. The drug made my skin completely break out, the worst it probably ever had so I didn't get off to a great start but I knew I had to give it time. After a few months I started to feel different in myself and very low. I noticed my moods getting decreasingly worse and knew I had to get help. At first I thought it could be due to an implant I'd recently started so I had that removed and gave it another couple of months, but with no change I made the decision to take myself off the drug. At this point I had no idea that the worst hadn’t even arrived yet and what was to follow were the most difficult years of my whole entire life.

In those years I learnt what pain really was. Roacctuane left me stuck in an extremely dark place where I never wanted to leave my room with no one able to explain why. It took about a year for a doctor to finally get a diagnosis of depression due to Roaccutane. Sadly this was a side effect that I wasn't made aware of when choosing my options, I very much wish it was.

In this time I rarely left the house and withdrew myself from pretty much everyone I knew. I felt completely lost in my life and unable to explain my low moods which lead me to a very dark road where I tried to commit suicide. Thankfully both attempts I made were unsuccessful but that only put me in a much darker place than before. Roaccutane didn't only change my mood but it also changed my mind forever and this is the reason my acne journey is such an important part of my story. It completely shaped the rest of my life. Nearly 7 years later and I’m still affected by the damages of Roacctuanne on a daily basis.

After finishing with Roaccutane my skin got dramatically worse and at the beginning of 2017 I decided I needed to take action again but a lot more carefully this time. I came across Zo health and I’m so glad that I did. Zo health has improved my skin more than anything else I’ve ever tried and it has never changed my mood or my health.

The pictures I have included with this post show my progress with Zo health products. These products have improved my acne so much and although it’s not perfect & I still have breakouts, it’s a million times better than it was. The pictures don't capture the biggest transformation of all, the transformation that happened inside. My whole attitude and mind-set has changed and my confidence levels have soared.

To bring this up to date; I still use makeup to cover up and envy those who can leave the house without any and look amazing but I’m no longer ashamed of my acne. I've finally reached a point where I can accept the fact I have acne and sometimes my skin might look great, other times I have huge breakouts. I wanted to share my pictures to show others that it’s ok to have acne and to not be ashamed of it. We should all be confident in who we are, we all have flaws but should never judge one another because of them.

With this post I also wanted to show anyone suffering from acne that you're not alone, there are thousands of us all going through the same battle but by supporting one another we can make a difference. I hope my story can teach you to be extra careful when choosing your treatment plan because your life isn't something you should take risks with and that you should never be ashamed of yourself because you have acne. Be happy with who you are and love yourself unconditionally.

January 2017
January 2018

2 comments

  1. Hi!!! Thanks for sharing your story. I also had terrible acne in my mid 20’s. It came out of nowhere and completely engulfed my face. I went through many stages of depression as well. I seriously had an altered face disfiguration and didn’t know who I was anymore. I tried every potion, lotion, peels, chemicals, and drugs. Nothing cured my cystic acne and I had no other alternatives, so I decided to try Accutane as well. Fortunately for me I had better success. However, I was on the antidepressant Prozac before starting Accutane. Taking this drug can cause a serious side effect of suicide idelation and required I called a suicide hotline daily. When I called the number, it had me confirm that I was on two forms of birth control and didn’t have any notion to commit suicide. I believe the Prozac really helped. Really it just dulled my heart and mind. I was a zombie. The drug Accutane severely dried my skin as it depleted all oil production. Fortunately, the drug did clear up my face. I still recall that dark time and alone place in my life. It was awful and weakened my soul. It’s been 10 years since that time and I’m in a much healthier place now. Of course I still have scars but I don’t let them define me. I wear makeup to feel extra pretty but love walking around with a fresh clean face. Diet has helped my gut and keeps my skin balanced. I notice when I cheat and eat crap, my skin dulls and out comes the acne. Incredible. Thanks for listening and sharing.

    xo, Christina

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    Replies
    1. Hi Christina, I’m so sorry I’ve just seen your comment! Thank you so much for your message and sharing your journey with me. It really helps to share your story and know that your not alone, sounds as though we have very similar experiences! I’m so glad to hear that you’ve managed to find happiness. Thank you so much for reading my post it means so much xxxxxxx

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