When you have acne, your self-consciousness goes through the roof. You feel everyone is staring at you, whispering about you, laughing behind your back. And just when you try to assure yourself that you’re overreacting, someone goes up to you and calls you “pizza face”.
If you’ve gone through a similar experience, know that many feel your pain. The acne-prone have been on the receiving end of jokes, teasing, insults, and downright viciousness for as long as pimples have existed. Which is strange because upwards of 90% of the population are affected by this condition at one point or another.
The effect of acne during adolescence
Acne is a terrible thing to go through at any stage in life, but even more so in the teenage years. At a time when all you want is to be accepted, when the major developmental milestone is to form a strong sense of self, severe acne can truly waylay your progress. Ask any adult who has gone through acne as a teen, and it’s easy to see how far-reaching the consequences are.
Acne is consistently associated with depression, low self-esteem, and anxiety. And perhaps it has less to do with the actual medical condition than the social perception of beauty and acceptability. If the world we lived in didn’t set such unrealistic standards about skin condition with filters and digital edits, then the stigma against pimples might not be as strong. If people stopped making fun of those with pimples, then maybe the association between psychological conditions wouldn’t be as high.
When you are bullied for how you look, it’s all too easy to believe what people say. If you are constantly ridiculed, you start to believe you’re ridiculous. If you’re constantly ostracized, you start to isolate yourself. If you’re being called names, you start referring to yourself by those names. The true harm starts when you internalize the bullying.
A vicious cycle
Unfortunately, the stress you feel about acne and the bullying you receive because of it likely makes it worse. The skin is part of the body, and the body responds to emotional and psychological stress. Both anecdotal and scientific evidence proves it, although the mechanisms are not yet clear. So far, the best guess is that the increase of steroid hormones during periods of stress causes increased sebum production.
But it’s not just the way our body responds to acne-related stress, but the way we respond towards it. When you feel ashamed about acne, asking for help with it becomes that much harder. You would much rather deal with it alone by consulting social media. And while there are some internet personalities that give sound advice, it seems that they may be drowned out by the multitudes peddling ineffective products or unsafe skin practices. A study found that among those who get their acne advice on social media, only 31% implement guidelines that are in line with dermatological practice. Without the proper guidance, teenagers could be trying (at best) ineffectual, or (at worst) harmful ways to get rid of their acne.
When the high of a new product or a new regimen comes crashing down after every subsequent breakout, the feeling of despair and helplessness comes in. The thought that you’ll have to forever live with acne and the stigma that comes with it is yet another blow to your mental health.
The combination of stress from bullying and poor advice perpetuates the cycle of acne.
What you can do
If you feel the burden of acne, it’s important to address both the physical and emotional aspects of it.
Ideally, it would be best to seek professional help from a dermatologist. If you are an adolescent, try to approach your parents to see if they can help you look for one. It may be difficult to let your guardian know about your insecurity, but you will need their help to find a medical professional who can help you get clear.
If seeing a doctor is not an option due to financial constraints or other reasons, the next best thing is to get your advice from legitimate sources. Lots of dermatological organizations have online resources that are helpful, particularly in treating mild to moderate acne.
But while you’re working on the damage acne has wrought on your skin, you also need to work on the damage bullies have wrought on your self-esteem.
If you feel that your mental health has suffered on account of the taunts and insults, do not hesitate to ask for help. Ask someone you trust to help you look for a counsellor. Some schools and universities offer it for free to their students. You may also want to join relevant support groups on social media to learn more about the resources available to you.
While you may not be able to control how other people treat you, you can definitely control how you react to them. With the proper guidance, you can learn how to process the complicated emotions that arise from bullying, and channel them in a way that is healthy and conducive to growth.
Conclusion
Living with acne is difficult enough as it is. But when you add bullies to the mix, it just gets worse. But the only way you hit rock bottom is if you think that there is nothing you can do about it.
With the proper guidance, acne can be significantly improved. And in the same way, the way you feel about yourself can be improved too. But as they say, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Dealing with acne may take months or years, but dealing with its effect on your self-esteem and confidence will take exponentially longer. It’s an uphill climb, but there will be many times when you realize just how far you’ve come. And that alone makes it worth it.
This content is for general information only and is not a substitute for medical advice.
Resources:
Chiu A, Chon SY, Kimball AB. The Response of Skin Disease to Stress: Changes in the Severity of Acne Vulgaris as Affected by Examination Stress. Arch Dermatol. 2003;139(7):897–900. doi:10.1001/archderm.139.7.897
Revol, O., Milliez, N., & Gerard, D. (2015). Psychological impact of acne on 21st-century adolescents: decoding for better care. The British journal of dermatology, 172 Suppl 1, 52–58. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjd.13749
Yousaf, Ahmed & Hagen, Rachael & Delaney, Emily & Davis, Stephen & Zinn, Zachary. (2020). The influence of social media on acne treatment: A cross‐sectional survey. Pediatric Dermatology. 37. 10.1111/pde.14091.
