I’ve been going through something effecting me deeply lately and I wanted to share.Whenever I write my thoughts down and I’m in my feelings, I always feel like a weight has been lifted afterward.

I have no idea what changed in my body in July 2016 but it has resulted in me having a continuous breakout of hormonal acne. Let me say, I did suffer from acne as a teen and young adult but nothing this bad. My face has developed red bumps on my cheeks, jawline and most recently, my forehead. I went to a dermatologist for about 2 years before this and had visited her any time I had a skin issue. So of course, I made an appointment! [August 11]I see her, she gives me some creams and pills and tells me to use them and com back in a month (my skin is so bad, we discussed Accutane and I was registered by her, on that day.) I walk out of there with some sort of hope that when I come back next month, I’ll be given a strong medication to rid me of my “face demons.” My face got worse :/. I must confess, I’m a picker. There’s something satisfying about extracting whatever nasty stuff is in your skin.

Anyway (rolls eyes,) I go back to the Dr. [September 12] and she tells me my insurance won’t approve the medication just yet and I need to try another drug, not as strong, to see if it will resolve my issue. I broke down crying!!! I’m embarrassed to say it but I couldn’t hold it in, I felt like she was stealing all my hope in that moment. So, I sobbed and she was kind enough to make an appointment for me to go back next month and I walked out with my head hanging.

When I calmed down I thought to myself, “Why is this bothering me so much?! Why am I so vain?!” I am thankful for being alive and healthy another day but this huge insecurity is overshadowing that and clouding up my thoughts. It’s hard for me to appreciate the good cause the bad is pissing me off so much, I feel like I gotta handle that first. And I admire how smooth and clear everyone else’s skin is.Smh This stuff on my face has taken over my life. I don’t like to go out because I feel like people are staring at my face, people who do know me blatantly ask me “wtf is going on with your face?” and I literally have no idea what to say. I try not to wear makeup so my skin can breath and heal and I’m going into meetings/trainings for work, meeting new people with my face like this. This shit SUCKS!

A part of me feels guilty for being so vain. But this has definitely been a humbling experience. And once my skin is clear, I will never take it for granted. And I am going to stop picking, stop obsessing and stop worrying about these imperfections and start to recognize and embrace the traits I do like about myself.

I also feel disgusted with how much looks matter to me. I realize I’m still the same person now, I’ve always been and all this is, is a physical attribute I don’t appreciate lol.But it’s out of my control. All I’m saying is I need to start treating everyone equally, no matter what looks may perceive. I plan on being kind to everyone and staying positive because, as the NYC MTA reminds me,”Courtesy is contagious.”