MY HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENCE

"You could play dot to dot with your forehead", "Raspberry jam","Are you on any medication?" Yes, I've heard it all before.... I started experiencing acne at the age of 13, I thought it was normal as I was beginning to understand my body and my hormones for the first time. Mum said it was “a teenager thing”, or so she thought. I’m not saying that I was neglected from my cohort for having severe acne, I made friends easily, but I still felt alone and helpless. Not only did I have acne, but vitiligo also, something which I knew was incurable.

I tried several products for acne, such as over the counter items such as moisturises, cleanes, toners and dermatologically certified makeup whilst also prescribed creams and pills. Students in school would experience a pimple or two, use the Benzac Acne Cream and both the pimple and scare would vanish, but not me. I started seeing a dermatologist when I was 16 to understand where my blackheads, whiteheads, papules and pustules were coming from or if it was just a hormonal phase. For my vitiligo, she clarified that there is no medication but there was a cream to reduce the loss of pigmentation or I could attempt light therapy. Being as naive and young as I was, I didn’t think laser was healthy, so I tried the cream for a few months. I was also prescribed a cream and acne medication to use. She explaned that like most medication, it will get worse before it gets better. It got worse, but never got better. I felt more insecure about my skin than I ever did, because I knew at this point, I have tried everything and there have been no slight improvements to the condition of my skin.

My peers at school were extremely supportive and did not care about the state of my skin, but I wore make up everywhere else. When I went to the shops, on my weekend casual job, when I was seeing friends. Wearing makeup only made my skin worse, as the products would dry and attach themselves on the active breakouts. I had a routine, of primer, foundation, concealer, concealer, more concealer and finally powder. I never realised that the amount of products on my face only enhanced my breakouts and no one ever told me.

I would receive comments from customers at work about my skin, asking if I was on medication or suggestions to try products. I knew they had good intentions, but it furthered my insecurities as I knew it was bothering other people as much as it was me. After months of referrals between my GP and Dermatologist, my GP suggested to go off the acne medication and start the contraceptive pill. I started taking Estelle at the beginning of year 12, in hope to reduce the acne and scaring. It was the pill, so my body experienced several changes such as a different menstruation cycle, extra hormones and nausea for the first few cycles. Even though my body was undergoing changes, I was surprisingly impressed with my skin. My skin was still terrible, yes, but it was slightly getting better.