Acne Is More Than Just Superficial

Acne Is More Than Just Superficial

         What a beautiful morning! The sun peaks through the curtains, and there's a perfect chill frosting on the windows. Wait a second; what's that sticking out on my face? Oh no, it can't be! The red, angry zit throbs on my forehead, sitting just above the left eyebrow. Just perfect, how am I going to hide this? How am I going to be able to look people in the eye? What if they stare at the alien bump instead of focusing on what I'm trying to say? I couldn't possibly go into public looking like this now. I'll just stay in bed today. Hopefully, it'll go down by tomorrow. Unless you're born with freakishly flawless genes, we can all relate to this feeling of insecurity masked in unreasonable anger when we find any form of visible acne on our bodies.
         Acne. Even the mention of the word makes people cringe. Once it strikes, there is no way to evade it. Acne is a common skin disease that is a result of hormone imbalance or improper diet. In Tim Mitchell and Alison Dudley's textbook Acne: The At Your Fingertips Guide, the authors define acne as "...skin [that] develops blackheads, whiteheads, or red or yellow spots and becomes greasy" (Mitchell 1). This covers the basic physical description of acne, but what this does not entail is how mood and psychology are affected by those inflicted with the disease. There is rarely ever a person who is completely emotionally stable when he or she has acne, especially if the individual is an adult. Imagine going through puberty and sprouting these marks all over the face. Embarrassment is usually the first emotion that arises from this. We try every method to rid the blemish: going to the doctor; seeking home remedies; glaring at the zit until it magically vanishes; or just the good old fashioned method of popping the stubborn pimple only to result in a burning, red spot which becomes a constant reminder of the traumatic experience. As a consequence, frustration emerges along with the mentality of poor body image. This period of time is incredibly difficult for the unstable young teenagers who are trying to form some amount of self-confidence. They walk around having other peers tease them for a situation that is completely out of their hands. If not a victim to the schoolyard bullying, then these teens imagine up a scenario where they believe they are being scrutinized for it. However, adults with acne go through more psychological stress than these pubescent, hormonal teens even though their peers are not outwardly pointing and mocking them for their skin disease.
         Individuals with adult acne tend to be even more socially withdrawn and unable to perform everyday tasks without feeling hindered by their affliction compared to those without. Craig Murray sets out to investigate this phenomenon in his study, "Nobody Likes Damaged Goods: The Experience of Adult Visible
Acne" as 11 participants with visible adult acne were chosen to take part in a survey. In the experiment multiple of themes that "...arose most frequently were reduced self-confidence, self-esteem and self-worth, frustration/anger, depression and, sometimes, suicidal thoughts" (Murray NP). Ironically enough, the majority of these symptoms are similar to those of teens who are going through the same deal. When first afflicted with acne, teenagers have some hope in outgrowing it by the time they reach adulthood. However, feelings of powerlessness against this disease soon overwhelm them since they cannot stop it from spreading. This sense of helplessness soon spirals down into depression and suicidal feelings with no other alternative to avoid or cure it. Acne attacks the mind 24/7 when individuals cannot escape it. They have to carefully plan around their appearance and eschew other human interaction just to feel less self-conscious. Some even develop habits like avoiding mirrors just so they don't crawl back into the dark cave of self-pity (Murray NP). Even mature adults can revert back to their socially awkward teenage selves when looks are involved.
         Whether it is physically or emotionally, acne hurts. It is a pain to be on constant watch for new pimples to rise up only to hide them behind jackets and makeup. It becomes even more difficult to avoid seeing friends and family just to escape the criticism that picks at our self-worth. We live in a society where appearance matters, more so than we would actually like. From magazines to social media outlets, there are reminders everywhere of how we should better ourselves to look like supermodels in order to feel accepted and somewhat normal. Sadly enough, there is never going to be a day where people can feel secure to walk outside without anything to mask their acne. Those who do so probably do it without any real cognizance of wanting to fit in or have just given up the fight. For those who have chosen to wallow in their anger against themselves instead of being productive, there are support groups that can help. Acne can be a hindrance to everyday life, but it does not mean we should always let it win the war of our mood and psychological stability.

Works Cited

Mitchell, Tim, and Dudley, Alison. Acne : The At Your Fingertips Guide. London: Class
Publishing, 2002. ebrary. Web. 17 November 2013.
Murray, Craig C. D. "Nobody Likes Damaged Goods: The Experience of Adult Visible
Acne." British journal of health psychology 10.2 (2005): 183; 183,202; 202.
Print.