Up until the start of my junior year, the most acne I had ever experienced was a pimple every few months that would quickly fade in a few days. But, having to wear a mask every day during school formed acne on my cheeks and my chin. As the year went on, acne developed in areas all over my face. It grew to be cystic acne, and very evident to anyone that would be looking my way. 

Suddenly it seemed like everyone around me had just received their master’s degree in dermatology. I was told my acne was because I didn’t drink enough water or had issues in my diet. These were not the reason in my case, my diet had not changed at all and I consistently drank water throughout my day. Others would tell me it was stress, or most commonly, I was not washing my face and taking care of my skin. Little did they know, my actual Dermatologist had me taking two antibiotic pills a day and was also prescribed two creams in the morning and at night. 

The pills I was given made acne worse before it got better, making my insecurity that I already had about my skin skyrocket. I had to tough through about two months of red, dry and sensitive skin.

Healthline.com states that “There’s no denying that acne can contribute to emotional distress. Acne and acne scars on your face and other visible body locations can affect self-esteem and self-confidence, and they can even contribute to feelings of anxiety or depression.” 

Going into the summer my acne got better because the medicine had begun to work and clear up the majority of my acne with help from the sun. But with the start of the school year, my acne quickly returned as the sun could not help my case much longer. I was placed on another cream which I currently am on.

The issue with acne is it is different for every person, everyone could do the same skincare and would have different results. In conversations, people have told me how they don’t even wash their face or maybe they’ll wash it with body wash in the shower, if they remember. Hearing these statements easily upsets me, given how much I have to do to maintain the skin I have currently. 

I know I am not alone in this feeling. MarieClaire.com’s Chloe Metzger shares “life is deeply unfair. I know this because even though I consistently wash my face, apply a four-step prescription regimen and avoid dairy, soy and sugar, I still get zits. Meanwhile, my best friend, who sleeps in her makeup and runs off a steady diet of Mountain Dew, chicken fingers and stress, has marble-smooth skin that glows with the light of a thousand moons.” 

Skin can be helped or hindered by influences like diets, stress or washing it. But skin health can also be fully affected by genetics and hormones that cannot be changed. It is not that there is an acne gene, but genetics that affect how your skin reacts to oils and bacteria is passed down. On Proactiv.com, the company prints this statement on genetic acne: “we get this question a lot. The one-word answer is yes, acne is far more genetic than environmental. Acne genetics determine how your immune system responds to P. acnes bacteria, one of the root causes of acne.”

I know it’s easy to look at someone with bad skin and assume that they don’t take care of it, but if they are anything like me, they are doing everything possible to make it improve.