Hello Superstars,
I feel that I have not had a deep post since "What 2012 Has Taught Me"(my first ever post!). I was thinking of making a YouTube channel, but I would like to focus on this blog- my baby. So, today I would like to tell my acne story. I feel that it is important for me to open up about an issue that most girls experience (For the girls that do not have an issue with acne, I am not mad at you. But very jealous.)
Acne is one of the few shared traits in my family. My mother and father both had their fair share of the skin condition, and could not get it controlled until their late thirties. My sister also had a short, but difficult battle with acne. So, it was not a surprise when I started flaring up.
I remember my first severe breakout was a few days before the start of fifth grade. My chin was taken over by dark colored pimples, there were pimples along my hairline and forehead, and to top off the acne sundae my T-zone was the home of oil. Instead of back to school shopping, I spent an afternoon browsing through the Walgreen's skincare aisle looking for a holy grail product to knockout- my- breakout. I came across Noxzema, and thought it would do the job of erasing my breakout in two days. Sadly, it did not and I entered fifth grade as the "girl with the crappy skin". My skin continue to go downhill.
That December I started my period, and learned that it really was a b-word. Also in that month, my best friend at the moment decided to become Regina George. One of the few things I remember her saying to me is,"Eww you need to do something with your skin,"looking at my chin,"That is not cute." Honey, I know it was not cute. You could have checked my bathroom cabinet and seen the amount of products I used.
Another friend had the nerves of using her pencil to poke a huge pimple that I had for a month. While she laughed and said,"That thing was huge", I was thinking of all the bacteria on the pencil that could start a new breakout. The pencil did just that plus I still have a scar from the poke.
Those girls did not know I had started my period, and was the only one in my group of friends that had. They did not understand I was developing early, and acne was just an amigo of the period. I hope they understand now what it is like to experience both a cramp and a pimple at the same time. And that they know karma is a bigger b-word than the time of the month.
Moving on to the summer in between fifth grade and middle school. I was spending everyday walking at my local park and staying hydrated on H2O. By the time I started middle school, I had slimmed down and my skin was clear and had an amazing glow. Like light, a glow eventually burns out. After my first month of sixth grade, the pimples returned and did not want to leave. "Is my skin that comfortable?"I thought. It most of have been because blackheads joined the party.
My mom, the hero in my acne story, told me that I would be visiting a dermatologist. In three months. So, I waited and finally my appointment, which was a few days before Christmas came. I was so excited. The dermatologist was a nice man in his late thirties. He prescribed me an oral pill and a gel. That was my first time experiencing something getting worse before it got better. But the ending results were amazing.
I spent the rest of sixth grade enjoying my clear skin until the summer. All the YouTube beauty gurus were going crazy over the St. Ives Apricot Scrub. Of course, I had to get it. The scrub did well the first few times, but after a month of using it two to three times a week I noticed it was a little too harsh for my skin. And that was the beginning of my acne scars.
During that year, I was doing well on my medications, but was searching for something to help with the acne scars. Every time I would ask an medication to help the scars, my dermatologist would prescribe something that would not do the job.
Jump to eight grade year, my skin could have been a roller coaster at Six Flags. I was always on a new medication- something to help the acne scars, the breakouts, and reduce my oil production. I even brought medicated pads to school and used oil blotting pads to use throughout the day nothing was working.
During the summer, I was so depress. I was working out everyday, but did not see any results. I was treating my skin properly, but did not see any results. Plus, I did not have a period for three months. After hours that turned into weeks of research, I thought I had Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS-I will make another post dedicated to the syndrome).
Five days after my fifteenth birthday (September 25th), I had my first visit with the OB-GYN (separate post). The doctor was a laid back woman that could have been a model. I took test for PCOS which all came out negative. But I was prescribed birth control (100% not for sexual reasons, I swear).
I was taking the pills as scheduled for three months without seeing any results for my skin. I went to my dermatologist around February and was two oral medications to balance out the birth control and a topical cream, none of which worked.
During that time, I given up fried foods and dark sodas for Lent. No results. I even went the extra mile of giving up a lot of my dairy intake. No results. Finally, the acne story hero, my mom, suggested for me to see a new dermatologist. This time I did not have to wait three months to see the dermatologist, which was a female. As a former acne victim, she understood my struggle. After seeing my long list of medications, she suggested Accutane which was a big "no, no" in my house.
My mom heard horror stories from friends and co- workers. Thankfully, my dermatologist explained that that was only one person out of the millions of people that have taken the medication. From the explanation, my mom was on board. And that was the start of my Accutane journey.
In three days, I will start my first dose of Accutane. I know that it is going to be a difficult experience, but one well worth it. Don't worry, I will definitely post updates. I hope this post will help anyone going through acne. Please remember, never to give up because one day we will know what it is like to have a clear face.
xoxo Superstars,
Sarah E.
List of acne medications:
Oral Pills
Minocycline
Spironolactone
Sulfamethoxazole
Topical Creams
Ziana
Aczone
Tazorac
Birth Control
Junel (1 month)
Gildess
I feel that I have not had a deep post since "What 2012 Has Taught Me"(my first ever post!). I was thinking of making a YouTube channel, but I would like to focus on this blog- my baby. So, today I would like to tell my acne story. I feel that it is important for me to open up about an issue that most girls experience (For the girls that do not have an issue with acne, I am not mad at you. But very jealous.)
Acne is one of the few shared traits in my family. My mother and father both had their fair share of the skin condition, and could not get it controlled until their late thirties. My sister also had a short, but difficult battle with acne. So, it was not a surprise when I started flaring up.
I remember my first severe breakout was a few days before the start of fifth grade. My chin was taken over by dark colored pimples, there were pimples along my hairline and forehead, and to top off the acne sundae my T-zone was the home of oil. Instead of back to school shopping, I spent an afternoon browsing through the Walgreen's skincare aisle looking for a holy grail product to knockout- my- breakout. I came across Noxzema, and thought it would do the job of erasing my breakout in two days. Sadly, it did not and I entered fifth grade as the "girl with the crappy skin". My skin continue to go downhill.
That December I started my period, and learned that it really was a b-word. Also in that month, my best friend at the moment decided to become Regina George. One of the few things I remember her saying to me is,"Eww you need to do something with your skin,"looking at my chin,"That is not cute." Honey, I know it was not cute. You could have checked my bathroom cabinet and seen the amount of products I used.
Another friend had the nerves of using her pencil to poke a huge pimple that I had for a month. While she laughed and said,"That thing was huge", I was thinking of all the bacteria on the pencil that could start a new breakout. The pencil did just that plus I still have a scar from the poke.
Those girls did not know I had started my period, and was the only one in my group of friends that had. They did not understand I was developing early, and acne was just an amigo of the period. I hope they understand now what it is like to experience both a cramp and a pimple at the same time. And that they know karma is a bigger b-word than the time of the month.
Moving on to the summer in between fifth grade and middle school. I was spending everyday walking at my local park and staying hydrated on H2O. By the time I started middle school, I had slimmed down and my skin was clear and had an amazing glow. Like light, a glow eventually burns out. After my first month of sixth grade, the pimples returned and did not want to leave. "Is my skin that comfortable?"I thought. It most of have been because blackheads joined the party.
My mom, the hero in my acne story, told me that I would be visiting a dermatologist. In three months. So, I waited and finally my appointment, which was a few days before Christmas came. I was so excited. The dermatologist was a nice man in his late thirties. He prescribed me an oral pill and a gel. That was my first time experiencing something getting worse before it got better. But the ending results were amazing.
I spent the rest of sixth grade enjoying my clear skin until the summer. All the YouTube beauty gurus were going crazy over the St. Ives Apricot Scrub. Of course, I had to get it. The scrub did well the first few times, but after a month of using it two to three times a week I noticed it was a little too harsh for my skin. And that was the beginning of my acne scars.
During that year, I was doing well on my medications, but was searching for something to help with the acne scars. Every time I would ask an medication to help the scars, my dermatologist would prescribe something that would not do the job.
Jump to eight grade year, my skin could have been a roller coaster at Six Flags. I was always on a new medication- something to help the acne scars, the breakouts, and reduce my oil production. I even brought medicated pads to school and used oil blotting pads to use throughout the day nothing was working.
During the summer, I was so depress. I was working out everyday, but did not see any results. I was treating my skin properly, but did not see any results. Plus, I did not have a period for three months. After hours that turned into weeks of research, I thought I had Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS-I will make another post dedicated to the syndrome).
Five days after my fifteenth birthday (September 25th), I had my first visit with the OB-GYN (separate post). The doctor was a laid back woman that could have been a model. I took test for PCOS which all came out negative. But I was prescribed birth control (100% not for sexual reasons, I swear).
I was taking the pills as scheduled for three months without seeing any results for my skin. I went to my dermatologist around February and was two oral medications to balance out the birth control and a topical cream, none of which worked.
During that time, I given up fried foods and dark sodas for Lent. No results. I even went the extra mile of giving up a lot of my dairy intake. No results. Finally, the acne story hero, my mom, suggested for me to see a new dermatologist. This time I did not have to wait three months to see the dermatologist, which was a female. As a former acne victim, she understood my struggle. After seeing my long list of medications, she suggested Accutane which was a big "no, no" in my house.
My mom heard horror stories from friends and co- workers. Thankfully, my dermatologist explained that that was only one person out of the millions of people that have taken the medication. From the explanation, my mom was on board. And that was the start of my Accutane journey.
In three days, I will start my first dose of Accutane. I know that it is going to be a difficult experience, but one well worth it. Don't worry, I will definitely post updates. I hope this post will help anyone going through acne. Please remember, never to give up because one day we will know what it is like to have a clear face.
xoxo Superstars,
Sarah E.
List of acne medications:
Oral Pills
Minocycline
Spironolactone
Sulfamethoxazole
Topical Creams
Ziana
Aczone
Tazorac
Birth Control
Junel (1 month)
Gildess
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