My Acne Story

As my first real post I would like to tell you my acne story. Right now my skin is at its worst, but I'd still like to tell you about the things that I've tried, and how they've worked for me. Even though I can't tell you the secret to getting clear, amazing skin, I still know that I personally like to read about what other have gone through with their skin. I'm not going to take everything in this post, but this is the background story of it. Be prepared for a long post!

So everything started when I was 8 years old, and I started to get blackheads on my nose. That basically means I have had more or less bad skin during the half of my life. My parents and I went to the drugstore, and they recommended me a cleanser and a moisturizer from ACO. The cleanser left my skin dry and flaky, while the moisturizer left it greasy. I stopped using those products, and went back to just cleansing it with water.

This picture was taken in June 2009, right before I graduated from fifth grade. It's slightly retouched, though, so a few pimples are gone haha.

A few years later, when I was about 11, not much had changed. I got a lot of blackheads on, and around, my nose and I also got a few small pimples. The only big difference was that I had started getting pimples on my shoulders and back, as well. At the time I thought my skin looked horrible, but now, when I look back on old pictures and compare to how it is now, I realize that I'd do anything to go back to that skin. I was using a cleanser from Garniér, which I really liked, and I combined it with different moisturizers. A year later I also discovered toners, which I liked because they made my pores look smaller.

Ever since I discovered that cleanser from Garniér, I've tried basically everything that the drugstore or the supermarket has got to offer. Even though I found a few that worked decently, no one ever worked any wonders. When I was 13 or 14 I discovered Cassandra Bankson's channel on YouTube, and her videos about her acne has been really helpful, and has educated me about many different treatments.

Last year, in September, Lady Gaga launched her "Body Revolution" movement, and I decided to post some pictures of my acne on LittleMonsters.com. I never expected anything. I just wanted to share it with my fellow Monsters. But the response that I got was overwhelming. A few days later I had gotten over 300 likes, and a lot of comments with nice words, advices and compliments. Even though it obviously didn't cure my acne, it felt really good to hear those wonderful words.

This is one of the pictures that I posted on LittleMonsters.com.

Since February this year, I've started to take photos of my skin regularly, to make it easier to see if my skin makes any major progress. Unfortunately, it hasn't. Lately I've thought that my skin has looked a lot clearer, and that I haven't gotten as many pimples as I use to. But since I've taken these photos, I've seen that so is not the fact. Maybe I've gotten fewer pimples, but the marks after the old ones looks worse than ever.

These not very flattering pictures were taken today, March 17th, so this is what it looks like right now.

At times I've considered taking medications, but I feel like the side effects are not worth it. I don't want to ruin my liver, or get thin hair as well. I'm going to make a post this week about what I do right now, so stay posted! (: xx