It’s not an easy thing looking in the mirror when you’re a teenage girl. By the time your teen years hit, puberty is in full swing, and the daily battle against acne begins.

First pimple

I got my first pimple when I was ten years old.

Little did I know that single red dot pushing up from my forehead would be joined by an army of cohorts, all trying to get the best spot on my freshly mottled skin.

It was a harsh reality that slowly crept its way into my life, as it has for most every teenager.

So began a futile attempt to banish acne from my face that would last well into my late teen years.

Every morning involved a heavy dose of anti-acne medications, a thorough face wash and moisturizing routine, and a breakfast wholesome in foods that supposedly prevented breakouts. Nothing seemed to work; I was at my wit’s end.

I was getting tired of spending what seemed like hundreds of dollars on acne products and seeing no results.

Self esteem issues

If acne does anything well, it’s lowering your self esteem.

How are you supposed to catch the eye of that cute boy at your school if your face looks like a badly baked pizza?

You walk around the school like you’re some sort of leper, turning away from people’s gaze like Dracula hissing at dreaded rays of sunlight.

Those cute fuzzy mirrors you had on your locker door are gone, stuffed under the mound of books that you use to shield your face while in class.

You don’t actually read them, but they make good cover.

Senior year calmed down a little bit.

Happy end with my acne

By that time, I had learned how to properly use makeup to cover up most of my blemishes. Hormones were beginning to settle down, giving me some reprieve from massive breakouts and embarrassing trips to the school nurse.

I even had a couple dates with a guy from my math class who had asked me to prom. I slowly started to gain my self esteem back and realized that my acne didn’t define me. By graduation, my stress levels had lowered, and I noticed my skin starting to clear up a bit. It was time for college.

My college years saw a further decrease in acne levels, as well as an increase in dates as my confidence grew.

Now that I’m 25, my skin is all cleared up. Simply because I stopped trying to fight it, using harsh products with high doses of peroxyl benzoyl. I wish I had read those acne reviews with zenmed or exposed sooner because I did use proactiv skincare in my teens years. These reviews confirmed my hunch about acne. Using very agressive treatments is not always the best way to handle it… It can even backfire….

My advice to teenage girls is to be patient; acne won’t go away overnight, but it does eventually get better with proper acne skincare.

Just remember that it’s a natural part of life. It sucks, but it’s something you have to go through. Your teenage years don’t have to be defined by acne. There’s much more to the best years of your life than that, so do the best you can in the meantime. Your adult self will thank you.