It's Acne Awareness Month!

Hi there! Did you know that June is Acne Awareness Month? I know it's the 3rd of June today, so I might be a little late, but hey, it's still June. I am someone who struggles with mild-moderate acne, and it severely affects my self-esteem and makes me feel terrible about myself. And I'm sure there are others like me who also deal with acne. I am someone who finds it very hard to accept my acne and move on. Accepting acne is a lot easier said than done. That said though, I do wish we had Acne Acceptance Month instead of Acne Awareness Month.

As someone with acne, here are a few things that I wish everyone (whether or not you have acne) knew about acne and its effects (this list is in random order):

1. It is not somebody's fault that they have acne. Sure, a lot of things like stress, hormones and diet can affect acne. But it is not someone's fault that they have acne and it is not always possible for people to control things like stress and diet. I am currently in a very stressful family situation with abusive and unsupportive parents, and things do stress me out quite a bit. You might try to tell me "Hey Blackberry! Your diet is something you can control, right?" No, it is not. I am a teenager, and I simply have to eat whatever my parents want me to or whatever my parents give me to eat. Yes, I do get to choose what I eat sometimes, but I have to choose between options and my options are very limited. I might get to choose whether I want to have cornflakes or oats (cooked in milk), but I do not get to say that I don't want to consume dairy.
2. Not everybody with acne has access to the treatment they deserve. For some people, it's because they can't afford the cost of visiting a dermatologist. For me, it's because my parents aren't convinced that I need a dermatologist visit. They think my acne isn't "bad enough" for me to need treatment. At the same time, my parents point out my acne and make me feel worse about it. My parents also won't allow me to try OTC acne treatment.
3. As a teenager, here's something I wish all parents to knew: If your child tells you to take them to a dermatologist, take them seriously. Do not ignore them or put them off. If you absolutely cannot take your child to a derm, for whatever reason such as if you can't afford it, let your child know. Do not, by any means give them false hope that you're going to take them to a derm and not do it. Also, do not ignore your child's cries for help. My parents ignore my serious cries for help, and it leads me feeling terrible about myself, makes me cry in bed, and even make me feeling suicidal. I never felt comfortable telling my parents that I want to see a derm, and to finally have gathered the courage, only to be ignored is a terrible disaster.
4. Also for parents, or people with acne who have access to healthcare without their parents interfering, acne is never "not bad enough" to see a doctor. That is something my parents tell me, and I am sure many others have been told the exact same thing. The earlier acne is treated, the better. So if you are a parent, and if you can take your child to a doctor, either do that or allow your child to use safe, effective and proven OTC acne treatment. At the same time, if for some reason, you haven't been able to treat acne for years, it is probably never too late to start.
5. Even mild acne can severely affect a person's self-esteem and body image. You do not need to have extremely severe cystic/nodular acne to have it affect your self-esteem. Even mild acne can and does affect people's self-esteem. And to be honest, my acne is not very severe. It's generally mild, with quite a few non-inflammatory (blackheads and whiteheads) acne bumps and maybe a pimple or two. However, when I am breaking out (which I currently am), I can have quite a few huge, inflamed pimples and these incredibly painful, red bumps which never have a head. But this is enough to affect me so severely to the point I even feel suicidal at times.
6. Acne can be physically painful. One thing a lot of people don't realize is that acne can be physically painful. It isn't always painful for everyone, but it can be. Acne is not a trivial problem, and it can be not just emotionally, but also physically painful.
7. Body acne can also be equally worrisome as face acne. Sure, it is probably easier to hide body acne than it is to hide face acne. However, it can make a person (such as myself) feel terrible about themselves when they do have to wear clothes where their body acne is visible.

With that, I end my list of things I wish everyone knew about acne. I hope I am helping others like me realize that their experience is valid and that there are others like them.

If you are someone who struggles with acne or has struggled with it in the past, or if you know someone who has acne or has had it in the past, what are some things you wish everyone knew about acne?