How Acne Can Impact Self-Esteem
Nowadays, social media has a lot of power over people’s mental health and wellbeing. The idealization of 'perfect skin’ is continuously affecting us day to day. We’re surrounded by information: people’s incredible lives, bodies, and relationships. It’s easy to forget that everyone chooses what to show and that the reality is far from what we see on our screens.
A lot of people are constantly trying to achieve the glowy, clear skin that beauty brands are consistently promoting. Even though we know that acne, marks, hyperpigmentation, and pores are normal, we still feel bad about ourselves when we do not look like the people in the skincare ads that we see everyday. Even though there are brands that now promote real skin with acne, eczema, etc. it’s usually followed by a statement to fix it, such as “how to get rid of acne” or “how you can clear your skin”. It can be frustrating when you realize that products will not magically clear your skin in a week. Everything takes time and there are no products that will get rid of your acne instantly. However, there are products that, overtime, will help as long as you have a consistent routine and healthy habits.
My acne journey has been tough! It is not just about having acne, but it’s also how it makes you feel. It has made me experience many different feelings such as frustration, anger, disappointment… However, ultimately I felt that complaining about my acne was not the right thing to do and it should not stop me from feeling happy and confident. I was dealing with an internal battle between what I was feeling and what I believed was the right thing to feel and that situation negatively impacted my self-esteem and stressed me out.
Studies show that your stress levels directly correlate with acne. When you are stressed your body will immediately reflect it. Therefore, the solution should be simple, right? Just do not stress and the problem is fixed! Unfortunately, it’s not that straightforward. There are many factors that play into your skin’s health. Personally, I had to work on not just finding the correct routine and products for my skin, but also in building up a strong self-esteem. These factors can all have an effect on acne; however, it is also very much down to other factors such as hormones, genetics, nutrition. Even if you have healthy habits, you can still break out. It is normal, and it is beautiful. Because there is nothing more beautiful than acceptance, kindness, and self-love.
For me, learning that every skin is different, every human is different, and accepting that my acne does not make me ugly or less valuable was one of the biggest steps to start building up my confidence again. Once I built up my self-esteem, I had more energy, I felt happier and I started to treat my acne as a normal thing, rather than an obstacle. Acne will go away, with time, but the longer you wait to take care of your self-esteem the harder it will be to build it up.
I also learned that focusing on hydrating my skin was actually better than using harsh products to clear my acne. Maintaining a healthy and strong skin barrier helped me to stop breaking out and to heal my acne quicker and better. I included Night Nutrition as a moisturiser, which contains ceramides that help the skin barrier to be strong and healthy. I also included the Strawberry Booster to lock in the moisturiser. These two BYBI products are my new skin besties!
Here at BYBI we believe that we are more than our skin and what we look like and we must embrace our insecurities and not let trends, brands, and ourselves push us down. Don’t forget, every skin can GLOW!
Written by Alba, Marketing Assistant