Here’s what they had to say.
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Cystic acne has been a constant struggle for almost 15 years.
I was super depressed and would refuse to have any pictures taken of me.
For me it was makeup and hair.
I constantly colored my hair different shades to distract from my skin.
Courtesy of Samantha Schuerman
If you cant fix it, disguise it and thats what I continue to do to this day.
Its a day by day thing.
The art of distraction is a beautiful thing.
Courtesy of Kadeeja Khan
Now acne is just an unfortunate thing I have to deal with.
It no longer consumes me or my thoughts.
It doesnt take over my happiness.
Courtesy of Cassandra Bankson
Its like living with a bad roommate.
Thats how I feel about my acne.
There could be much worse things that I could be dealing with.
Courtesy of Rachel Crawley
Im healthy, I have my vision, my hearing, I can walk, and hold my kids.
Thats the difference between me as a teen and me as an adult.
I had no joy for life back then, and now I do.
Courtesy of Naseem Delan
That would be goals.
You should never feel a need to change due to what society shows them as beautiful or perfect.
Everyone should embrace their natural beauty.
Courtesy of Cynthia Chen
For years, acne changed my life for the worse.
I used to plead and cry to God to change the way my skin was.
I was depressed and scared to go outside.
I would wear a ton of makeup and Photoshop images to change how I looked.
But now I embrace it.
Ive turned that negative energy into positive.
I let the world know, ‘Yeah, I have acne.’
And I show them that its OK to have imperfect skin.
I show them that everyone is beautiful no matter what society shows them.
Its made me feel worthless to a point where I realized I had to make a huge change.
Now, I just remind myself that Im great the way I am and that I am truly blessed.
Or, I could make the choice to be happy with who I am and what I’ve got.
There is nobody else on this earth quite like you.
With your unique views, gifts, talents, quirks, life experiences, and preferences for pizza toppings.
Do not ever take that for granted, and do not ever venture to dim your light.
You have something irreplaceable that is meant to light up this world in profound ways.
Overall, I believe the acne has been one of my biggest blessing in disguise.
Yes, I was suicidal.
Yes, I isolated myself and had no friends.
At its best, I felt sad looking in the mirror when washing my face in the morning.
But at the same time, looking back I am glad that acne happened to me.
Without acne, I never would have met some of my best friends in life.
Cassandra Bankson, 25
I have struggled emotionally with having cystic acne.
It changes the whole relationship you have with yourself.
Youre ashamed and disgusted with your reflection in the mirror.
On many occasions I sat and cried about how bad the spots where on my face.
I wanted to hide.
I lost all confidence and it has taken a long time to build it back up.
My advice would be to try and accept the situation whilst dealing with it in a positive way.
No matter how hard on yourself you are, its not going to make the acne disappear.
Being depressed about it adds to it, making you feel worse.
You have to realize that beauty is not in the face but within.
Acne does not change who you are as a person.
And as hard as it can feel, you deserve to live life being happy.
So, I usually practice meditation to get rid of any stress.
I like to fuel my body with nutritious foods, smile, and dance to my favorite songs!
I have learned how to take better care of myself both mentally and physically.
My attitude towards myself is a lot more positive now than before.
Its also allowed me to express my emotions and pain in helping other acne suffers.
Knowing that I have helped another person through their struggle, means so much to me.
We have control over our own thoughts and mind.
We truly decide our own happiness.
Rachel Crawley, 23
Don’t give up hope!
Everybody’s body is different and sometimes it just takes time to find what truly works for you.
Listen to your body and do what is right for you.
There is no magic pill.
It is a journey and healing starts from the inside.
I now view my skin like I do any other organ or body part.
Our skin is a direct reflection of what is going on inside our bodies.
I have a go at feed my body with whole, nutrient dense foods.
Healing takes time and I remind myself daily to be patient and persistent with good habits.
Naseem Delan, 30
Having cystic acne affects me more than just physically, but absolutely emotionally as well.
I want to remind anyone with cystic acne that they arent the only one going through it.
Its so easy to feel like youre the only one suffering and everyone else just has flawless skin.
Acne has honestly been the bane of my existence for at least the last 5 years of my life.
Cynthia Chen, 20
Responses have been edited for length and clarity.
