How Can Acne Affect Your Self-Esteem?

Acne is an inflammatory skin condition that arises when hair follicles are plugged with oil and dead skin cells. This skin disease often affects more than just the skin; it can have severe impacts on one’s self-esteem. Here are 3 ways in which acne can negatively affect an individual’s life.

1. Depression

Depression may settle in both young and adult acne patients. Anyone suffering from acne or other skin issues knows that it’s more than just a spot on the face. These skin conditions can have emotional and mental effects on a person’s daily practices, which eventually leads to depression. For instance, in teens, depression can disguise itself as reduced school performance or social withdrawal. In others, including adults, depression may begin as a loss of appetite, various bodily aches with no identifiable cause, mood swings, sleep disturbances, and more. In severe acne cases, the condition can be so psychologically devastating that individuals try to attempt suicide, especially when they are at a point in human development where their self-image is being built.

2. Body Image Concerns

The anxiety caused by cutaneous diseases can result in serious emotional distress regarding one’s body image. People suffering from this condition can be embarrassed to the point of hiding themselves from public scrutiny because their skin is bumpy and red. This can mainly be witnessed among young adults who consider acne at this age as unacceptable and that it should have stopped by now. Moreover, we are constantly getting hammered by pictures of the ideal beauty standard on social media with flawless skin. Those beauty standards often develop into feelings of insecurities regarding one’s appearance. Some might even opt for cosmetic surgery to uphold these unnatural beauty ideals.

3. Affects Self-Confidence

For many people with acne, their skin has always been their biggest complaint, and this one feature usually has the power to build their self-confidence and self-worth. The different assumptions non-sufferers have about acne patients such as not washing the face properly, eating junk food, continually being told not to wear make-up while they have a no-makeup-needed skin can be detrimental. For instance, these beliefs can turn into a deep-rooted fear in acne patients, thinking that their face makes them unlikable and unattractive. It makes them feel unworthy, causing them to focus more on their flaws rather than their strengths.

If you feel that your acne significantly interferes with your life resulting in the results above, seek help promptly from a dermatologist.