My Cause: This is an outlet for me to accept my struggle with acne. I’ve never felt beautiful or pretty, nor has anyone I ever known given me a comment that I felt was sincere. I have been constantly told by my own family that I am ugly and my experiences in elementary school, high school, and college have only gone so far as to reinforce these painful memories. I believe I do suffer from depression due to my skin problems, and I created this blog to reach out to others. Selfishly and desperately, I want to find people out in the world that are making the same or at least, similar, struggles that I am towards acceptance. Albeit superficial acceptance in our materialistic society, but acceptance nonetheless. On the other hand, I also wanted to become a resource for others who need it.

Skin Profile: I’m a Chinese-American and I have golden-olive skin tones, ranging from medium-fair (winter) to medium-tan (summer). I tan very easily but don’t burn. I do not know my exact skin shade, since I have never gone to ask a make-up counter to ask because I’m too self-conscious. My skin is very oily and acne-prone with large pores and ice-pick scars on my cheeks (closer to my nose). To clear the board: I still suffer from acne.

Skin History The basic rundown of it goes like this: I have been fighting acne since I was 11 years-old. I was born in 1989, so you do the math. Click here for “acne” terminology that I might mention. I have never had less than 10 pimples on my face at all times since it started. It first started as small bumps, small whiteheads that covered my forehead and blackheads appearing all over my nose. My parents were not very understanding and laughed at me, and then told me that it would go away with time.

I have tried almost every over-the-counter product on the market. I have tried homemade masks and I have tried home remedies – from baking soda, to dipping my face in warm/hot water for 60 minutes every morning and night. I have put egg on my face and my grandmother has heated leaves from her aloe vera plant to stick on my face before. Disregarding the humiliation and laughing that my older sister and my cousins decided to direct toward me, and my grandmother’s anger that her granddaughter couldn’t be prettier, I would have to say that it did nothing.

Over-the-counter/non-prescription products that have worked for me for short periods of time (at most 6 months) include: Clean & Clear Continuous Control Acne Cleanser with 10% benzoyl peroxide, Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque, and Dan’s Regimen.

I went to a dermatologist for the first time my junior year of high school and was prescribed Tazorac 0.1%, which has been the product that has worked best for me as of yet. I was completely clear for that entire summer, until I ran out of product in the tube. I thought my fight was over so did not ask for a refill – biggest mistake of my life.

During my senior year of high school, the acne slowly started to flare up once more. Sadly for me, it officially elevated to moderate-severe acne my first year of college. Both of my cheeks were red and bumpy with acne – papules, pustules and nodules. Not much on my forehead, but you could not go a millimeter on the rest of my face without coming across a pimple of some sort. I returned to the dermatologist finally, after six months of persuading my mother that it would not “just go away on its own”. I was prescribed Doxycycline (antibiotics), Clindamycin and Tretinoin (Retin-A) 0.1%. My skin no longer looks as severe but it has left behind many acne scars to remind me of what my acne is capable of developing into.

I have since stopped taking Doxycycline, Clindamycin and Tretinoin, as they have stopped working and my acne is slowly starting to revert back to its previous monstrous state. I went to a dermatologist on July 20th, 2009 and was prescibed Minocycline 100mg (antibiotic), Duac and Tazorac 0.1%.

In November 2009, I switched up my regimen and stopped taking the Minocycline because I felt it wasn’t making much of a difference. I’ve also switched out the Duac with a 2.5% BP gel because Duac is too expensive for me to continue purchasing.