I Tried Everything to Heal My Acne. One Change Made a Huge Difference

I spent years and years of my life looking at myself like I was disgusting.

I was very self-concious growing up. I started using concealer in sixth grade and I wouldn't go to the pool without wearing a swim shirt because I was so scared of my peers potentially making fun of my back acne.

Having acne isn't just having little bumps on your face and body that you see in the mirror and in photos. Every single second of the day you are aware of the cysts on your body because they physically hurt and ache.

When my cystic acne was at its worst, I would sit at home and ice my body in hopes that it would alleviate some of the throbbing pain.

Putting on makeup hurts. Washing your face hurts. When working and in conversations, I was constantly aware of looking different than everyone else because I could feel my acne hurting.

By 2020, when I was 25, my acne had become debilitating. It was exacerbating my anxiety and depression, and it almost broke me.

The previous year, my dermatologist had asked me if I wanted to try Accutane, a brand of Isotretinoin, which is a retinoid medicine used to treat severe acne.

I decided not to because I realized then that I needed to work on my body image first; I couldn't even look myself in the eye. I knew that this girl deserved to smile and her skin deserved to see the sun just like everybody else's.

So I began going to therapy and some crazy things started happening. I saw a little shifts in my life, like I finally started to go out in public and seeing my friends again.

But more importantly, I started to show up for myself every single day of my life, including on social media.

I stopped editing my skin in photos I posted online and I got an overwhelming response on social media, gaining so many new followers. And I saw brands were picking up that real skin urgently needed to be shown on social media.

Once I knew that I was just as worthy as any person whose skin is photoshopped, I started Accutane in 2020.

It was so hard on my mental health. I was exhausted 24/7. But soon after starting, my cysts began to clear up, first on my back and my chest, and then my face.

Three months after my first round of Accutane, I started getting acne again. Thankfully, it wasn't as bad as the first time, though my skin was still so dry.

I did six months on Accutane before I ended it. Three months after the second round of Accutane, my acne came back—but the cysts did not. It was just hormonal acne.

I went to the gynecologist and it turned out I had polycystic ovarian syndrome, which made sense because I had male-patterned hair growth—and I still do—and severe period symptoms.

My gynecologist decided to put me on spironolactone, which I'm still on, and it's working flawlessly.

I tried all the things to heal my acne. But the number one thing that made the most difference was taking the time to work on my body image.

Because I did that work, I am able to look at photos of myself with and without the symptoms of acne and know that I am beautiful in both. And I'm so proud of myself.

For my most recent acne treatments, I started using Face Reality, a brand with which I have partnered.

They pair you with a local acne expert who uses a combination of their products, ongoing acne education, support, and a personalized acne protocol that is adjusted as time goes on. It has been working so well for me.

Mik Zazon is the founder and creator of the Normalize Normal Bodies (TM) movement, and co-founder of The Rose Retreats, a global company that specializes in body confidence events for women. Additionally, she created one of the first body confidence fitness programs on the market, HIIT30.

All views expressed are the author's own.

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