The Emotional Effects of Acne: My Struggle and Resilience

As a severe cystic acne sufferer, I know first hand that acne can have long lasting social and emotional effects.

Unless you’ve dealt with the condition first hand it’s nearly impossible to understand the feeling. Today, I want to share my story with severe cystic acne and how it affected me personally. I hope it helps someone else out there who is also suffering acne and so you realize you are not alone.

What Are The Psychological Effects Of Acne?

The psychological effects of acne go beyond just skin, it can affect various aspects of one's life.

Acne can cause emotional distress, social anxiety, decrease self-esteem, and even lead to depression. For many, it's more than just a physical issue; it's a condition that alters how they see themselves and interact with the world.

My Battle with Severe Cystic Acne: How It All Started

I didn’t develop severe cystic acne until I was around 19, before that I had clear skin. I tried countless over the counter creams, washes, diets, even the caveman regimen, without realizing how my cystic acne was affecting my confidence.

It’s hard watching your face go through drastic changes, without ever wanting or triggering those changes in the first place. Having close friends and family noticing the changes and commenting on my skin can be hard to deal with. Overall, acne took a huge hit to my confidence.

The Emotional Toll of Living with Acne

Acne or acne vulgaris may affect someone’s self-esteem in many ways, mostly in a negative manner. Acne vulgaris has been one of the most common skin concerns affecting people of all age groups, however, women seem to be more severely affected psychologically by acne.

Acne can have an impact on your overall well-being and life due to the social stigmas. Which in turn may cause feelings of depression and anxiety.

Common Ways Acne Affect Self Esteem

Feelings of Embarrassment and Avoidance: Many people with acne feel the need to hide their faces or avoid eye contact due to shame.

Fear of Cruel Comments: Acne sufferers may face unkind remarks, making them more self-conscious.

Difficulty Forming Relationships: Acne can lead to social withdrawal and difficulty in making new friends or starting relationships.

Impact on Academic and Career Choices: Acne-related anxiety can affect school performance and limit job options, particularly in appearance-focused fields.

While acne may seem like a debilitating skin condition, it shouldn’t have to rule your quality of life and overall well-being. There are plenty of people with acne who lead confident and successful lives.

Why Acne Often Leads to Long-Lasting Emotional Scars

The hardest part of dealing with acne is accepting the fact there isn’t one single cure. If you have acne you can find ways to manage it but there isn’t one single miracle product that’ll get rid of acne for good.

The continuous search for an effective treatment can cause feelings of frustration, desperation, and even hopelessness.

Even the strongest prescription treatment available, which is Accutane, isn't guaranteed to stop acne permanently and some people cannot tolerate it.

I’m one of those people who took a full course, had miraculously clear skin for almost a year after, and then all of a sudden I started getting cystic acne again.

If you’re always chasing after a cure-all you’ll be left heartbroken. The best way I’ve found is simply to accept the disease for what it is. Sometimes it’ll be better, sometimes it’ll be worse.

How Acne Can Trigger Social Anxiety

Acne doesn’t just affect how you see yourself; it can lead to anxiety when interacting with others.

For years, I experienced panic attacks where I couldn't breathe or think. I realized I was dreading the thought of people looking at my face every time I went out. The constant fear of judgment was mentally exhausting.

Life is hard enough as it is, but throw some breakouts on top of that and it can be too much to mentally deal with.

Link Between Acne and Depression

As you can see, acne brings in a whole slew of emotions, but the two biggest and ones I’ve saved for last (for good reason) are isolation and depression because all of these feelings combined set the perfect stage for these to take over.

Acne can cause isolation in that it inhibits your motivation to see your friends, go to new places, or even be around family because you feel embarrassed or ashamed over your skin. At least this was the case in my experience. And even after the acne subsided, I still felt occasional sprouts of anxiety when going out with friends thinking about how my acne scars would appear under certain lighting.

The constant comparison to others and staying at home can lead to obsessive thoughts about one's appearance.

Breaking the Cycle: Acne, Stress, and Depression

The depression-acne-stress cycle is a vicious one where acne indefinitely occurs within each stage, acne causes stress, stress causes acne, acne causes depression, and depression causes more acne!

Sometimes acne can leave you feeling absolutely hopeless, but there are ways to get your confidence back and feel better.

How to Improve Self-Esteem When Dealing with Acne

Acne is tough to deal with, but you can regain confidence back. Here are some steps that can help improve self-esteem even while dealing with acne:

1. Educate Yourself on Acne and Treatments: Understand how different treatments can impact your skin.

2. Practice Stress Reduction Techniques. Yoga, jogging, and meditation can help reduce stress and anxiety.

3. Remember that acne doesn’t change who you are as a person. What counts is on the inside, and don’t let acne take that away from you.

4. Don’t compare yourself to others! We’re all unique, and there’s only one you for a reason! You are special. Just as this Dr. Seuss quote says: “Those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”

5.Set Small, Achievable Goals. Whether it's sticking to a skincare routine, going outside for just a few minutes, finishing a workout, or attending social events, small steps can rebuild your confidence.

The Role of Acne Scars in Prolonging Emotional Distress

Even after acne clears, scars may continue to affect self-esteem. It's important to continue to practice ways that help boost your self-esteem and confidence after acne, and consider treatment options for acne scars if they continue to strongly impact your mental health.

Remember, You Are Not Alone

Approximately 85% of people will experience acne at some point in their lives. Even celebrities and influencers who seem to have flawless skin deal with acne. Not to mention many influencers and celebrities have edited images. You are real and you can take pride in that! Remember that acne does not define your worth, and many others share similar struggles.

Leave any tips, tricks, words of encouragement, or personal stories below!

Reference: Gallitano SM, Berson DS. How Acne Bumps Cause the Blues: The Influence of Acne Vulgaris on Self-Esteem. Int J Womens Dermatol. 2017 Dec 6;4(1):12-17. doi: 10.1016/j.ijwd.2017.10.004. PMID: 30023422; PMCID: PMC6047192.