bad complexion

[CynicalGuitarist]

Not only am I dissatisfied with my life, but I also have a very, very, very bad complexion. I frequent acne breakouts and have horribly rough chapped lips. I shower a whole lot more than most of you probably do on top of constantly using acne medication, but it just keeps getting worse and worse and worse. I thought it would at least tide a bit by the time I reached 18, but it's remained the same. I still have red, bumpy, oily, itchy skin that hurts almost all the time. Plus, my lips are so dry and chapped, chap stick doesn't even work... in fact, my lips get even more chapped after using it. I can't stand how horribly ugly I am... girls won't even talk to me, so I'm pretty lonely as well. I thought it was bad enough that I have to be so goddamn short, but the bad skin/dry lips are the sewage icing to the 5h!t cake. That's only the surface of my iceberg of problems/setbacks.

 

Thus, I'm planning on killing myself very very soon, seeing as I am Darwin's prototype of a "useful idiot".

[NetLurker]

There's more to life than just getting girls. Major acne problems aren't the end all be all. If you can find someone who can see past your pimples, they'll be a much more suitable person to spend your time on.

 

Keep living .. and try and see a doctor. Maybe more stronger acne creams work better.

[CynicalGuitarist]

been to that gig before... but for me to find someone like that... I dunno, I might as well turn gay or something (which I'm not gonna do)...

 

Oh, and for the record, I've tried using products with 10% Benzoyl Peroxide... makes my skin worse.

[arwen]

Hey man,

 

I understand that being plagued by acne on top of feeling depressed with life in general makes you feel horrible. I also think that acne is not a permanent problem. A lot of adolescents and teens have it, it's part of the changes in your hormonal balances. As for keeping yourself clean, it may be the case that you are showering and cleansing your skin too much, this leads to more irritation and infection of the already blemished skin.

 

Wash yourself with a clean washing cloth with lukewarm water, rinse with cold, in the morning and in the night. I have a dry skin so I don't know what to recommend for a more mixed or oily skin, but there are lots or creams and lotions if you feel you need those. Tea tree oil has helped some of my friends with acne. You can get products of that at the body shop. Try not to 'scrub' the irritated skin too much. Use vaseline or Neribas cream (non-irritant) for your lips. Chapped lips can occur when you use chapstick too much. Your skin gets used to the fatty substances and stop hydrating themselves. I think it will help at least a bit to let nature do its own job there but it will be difficult NOT to use chapstick when your rough lips hurt so much. But I'd try it. I know a friend in hs used to be 'addicted' to chapstick, to the point of having dry skin all around his lips! It stopped when he stopped overusing chapstick.

 

Although you have to be careful with sun, SOME extra sun can help with acne outbreaks and dry skin. For my eczema/dry skin I go to a solarium like once during winter when it's so bad that it itches like hell. Of course too much sun isn't healthy as well, that is why I think that once in two months could help.

 

As for girls, I understand it's difficult to believe that a girl will see just acne, because you are so bothered by it yourself. I know when I have a rash I tend to think that is all there is to see about me. But it rarely is. It is the confidence showing in your attitude and eyes that a girl is looking for. The hubby of one of my best friends has bad acne as well. She was never bothered by it and has been head-over-heels with him for years now. They got married in May this year. If I was single and I'd find a person that would very much meet my needs and share my interests, I don't think that acne would be a reason not to persue a relationship.

 

Hope this helps. Please don't end your life over this. You are more than your skin and you're not an idiot.

 

Ilse

[NetLurker]

Yes initially, outward appearances matter when meeting new people. However, personality is a far more attractive quality. A smiling face and happy persona can do wonders. On the other hand, negative attitudes.. are not so attractive. If you can't get rid of the pimple, then get used to them and live with it. Don't gloom and doom over it. So you won't be the most attractive person of the bunch. It's ok, don't worry.

 

Ps. Maybe take frequent showers.. and use those oxy pads? ( i dunno.. never used them.. ..i use the benzoyl cream)

[New_Horizons]

Man I can understand. Although I don't have acne, I have very dark skin (which girls don't like), I am SHORT and my lips are always chapped. Girls never talk to me either.

I'm afraid of exiting this world unnaturally, because you don't know what it's like after that. I've heard it's a lot like being in a dream, like Dr Malcolm Crowe in the Sixth Sense. That wouldn't be too good. So think real hard before doing anything like that.

[poetsheart]

Dear Cynical

 

Growing up is never easy... we all have things that get us down... you are faced with this challenge now, but it's not always going to be that way.. please don't think of doing anything rash. Most people suffer acne/pimples

at some stage of life, I'm not an expert buy maybe don't cleanse/wash your face so much.. I heard splashing with cold water helps the pores..

 

If a girl can't see how fantastic you are maybe she's not worth your time.. it will happen eventually when the right girl comes along and looks beyond what you see are your faults at the moment...

 

Not everyone feels attractive everyday, everyone has something deep down that they don't like, do a poll here and you will see how many people reply. No-one is perfect. I dated a guy for a long time who had marked skin and i couldn't care less. It was him I liked and cared for at the time. He was a very popular guy because of his attitude...

 

You are more than the outside and you've got to know that about yourself.. this isn't a forever thing, it's just how you're feeling now. Keep focused on within and pretty soon, the outside will follow your thoughts...

 

Drink plenty of water, it's good for you, start to love yourself and you will see that life is amazing.

 

Take care and good luck.

[sweetheart21]

Ok I have some tips for you...

 

I'm not sure what kind of acne medication you are on but you need to go to the doctor and ask for some acne tablets that you can take. I have taken 'Minomycin' that helped me A LOT. I dont know if they have it in the US. Also I tried taking the pill which was a special one for getting rid of pimples called the 'diane' pill but it actually made mine worse! So if one isnt working try another.

 

Also acne medication will dry out your skin very badly. Even if your skin is oily it will still be extremely dry underneath. Your itching and chapped lips is proof of this.

 

You need to buy a very heavy night moisturiser for dry skin and use it as much as possible (at least twice a day), or even an oil that is made for dry skin, or even a body butter. (normally your not supposed to use body cream on your face, but at the moment your skin will drink it up).

 

I find that if my skin is very dry it actually makes me get more pimples! They are usually really sore ones that are kind of invisible/ under the skin but hurt really bad when you touch them, I especially get them around my jaw line. When ever I notice pimples like this on my jaw line I know I need to use mousturiser and they go away in a few days.

 

For the chapped lips use your toothbrush to scrub off the dead skin. Do it slowly over a few days so they dont bleed. Then use mousturiser instead of chapstick because it will absorb better.

 

Also if your skin is clogged with dead skin/ oil or is very flaky you should exfoliate it. Exfoliant scrubs that you can buy at the store dont seem to work for me. They aren't rough enough for my skin. So I usually use a rough face washer or some kind of body scrubbing brush. Again be gentle at first so you dont make your pimples angrier. Do this every night in the shower when your skin is soft from the warm water.

 

Hope this helps a bit

Let me know what you think!!!

[sweetheart21]

Oh, and for the record, I've tried using products with 10% Benzoyl Peroxide... makes my skin worse.

 

Oh and another thing, is this stuff your talking about proactiv?

Because when I tried that it made my skin worse too. But it was only because my skin wasn't used to it and was very sensitive. It kind of made my skin go blotchy red and dry!

 

So I stopped using it as much... maybe once every 3 days... until my skin got used to it. Now I can use it everyday with out a problem.

 

Also they dont include mousturiser with the pack which is really dumb because mousturiser is just as important as the rest.

[confused25]

Have you used Proactiv? I have friends that tried it and it really cleared up their face and complexion . . .

[CynicalGuitarist]

I'm mostly white, but my dad was mostly philipino/portuguese... i wonder if that has anything to do with it?

[whyisthatlegal]

I've found that using a facewash that doesn't dry out my skin really works. When it's dry out, I use Oil of Olay face lotion because it's good to keep it hydrated. Try not to touch your face too much. Acne usually clears up in your early twenties.

 

As for your lips, try using an all natural chapstick like Badger (I think that's what it's called) or the hemp one because they are more oily than waxy. Or you can use vaseline (like I saw someone else say).

 

You kind of have to try different things to find out what works for you best.

 

Girls will get over what you look like. Trust me. I would much rather be with someone I liked for their personality than their looks. Just act confident (very attractive) but not to the point where your being a jerk. And don't kill yourself. What if you ended up having to relive your worst moments when your dead? No one knows so I would just wait. Life will change, not necessarily getting better or worse. Just different.

[shelly7]

ACCUTANE

Once you get sick of wasting money on products that don't work.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, MIRACLE DRUG!

 

See a dermatologist and demand it!! Then suck up the side affects for a few months and say goodbye to your skin problems.

 

Good luck!