We live in a world of oversharing. It's not uncommon to reveal the most intimate details of our lives on our Instagrams or Snapchat stories. And while we might know everything there is to know about what our work wife ate for breakfast and our sister rise-and-grinded to, there's one area of our lives we keep private: our skin.
If you're lucky enough to have great skin, you try to downplay it, skirting compliments by trying to point out minuscule "flaws" and giving credit to filters. And if you don't have great skin, well, you experience the complexion equivalent of a grieving process: determined, pragmatic, angry, depressed, ashamed, insecure, withdrawn, lonely, desperate, hopeful, accepting, defeated. It's a roller coaster of emotions that only those who have struggled understand. It's the very literal version of being uncomfortable in your own skin.
One of the most common skin issues is acne. Affecting over 50 million people of ALL ages in the U.S., acne is, despite what many blogs and beauty brands may tell you, almost incurable. And yet, despite the fact that a very large portion of the population is dealing with this skin disease, in person, few of us will bring up the topic.
People think that ignoring it is more comfortable for everyone. I won't ask you what products you are using to control your hormonal breakout, and you'll pretend not to notice that my face has erupted into what looks like a topographical map of the Swiss Alps. But, by not having these frank discussions, we only contribute to the social stigma.
This is why we're introducing The Acne Diaries, a collection of stories covering all things acne. More than just treatment tips (don't worry, there are plenty of those too) and product recommendations, The Acne Diaries cover every facet of the disease. From why we find popping so damn satisfying to a first-person essay on what it's really like to go on Accutane, consider this your safe space for learning, sharing, and kvetching.
We'll be introducing new content each week throughout the month of June — which is Acne Awareness Month — so be sure to bookmark this page and check back for more great stories. And please use the comments section to connect with your fellow breakout-prone babes. Let's start a real conversation about acne and how it affects our lives — and how we can stay positive about it.
We're all in this together, and it's high time we started showing it.
The grown-up guide to dealing with acne. Read more from The Acne Diaries here.
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