Living with problematic skin comes with its own set of issues.  Having an easy morning routine isn’t always possible; keeping your fingers away from picking temptations is hard. And the endless questions behind what may be triggering our skin’s problems leave us only with more uncertainty.

This story is all too real for many people. So, I talked with 3 women who are familiar with this scenario and have become content with their skin woes. They share their struggles & changes – and bring home the message living comfortably in their skin.

Christin, 27

‘The truth is that there are actually so many people struggling with skin problems. We are not alone… so let’s share our stories.’

What’s your skin story?

“My first encounter with acne started at the age of 13 during puberty. It seemed like the only solution to treat it was to start taking a birth control pill. A lot of the girls from school were already taking them, so it seemed like an easy solution to fight my acne. I went to a gynaecologist, who immediately prescribed a birth control pill which would even benefit my skin & hair. Yay! Problem solved!

I was taking that birth control pill for over 12 years and didn’t have a single acne breakout. It was only during my mid-twenties that I began to feel the negative side effects. I was fighting with mood swings, downers… I would even go so far as to say that I kind of felt depressed. During that time I was in a relationship and didn’t feel like creating/making a physical connection. I was talking with some friends about it who felt the same way, and in that moment, my mental alarm bell rang; I was pretty sure about putting an end to my hormonal horror story.

I quit using the birth control pill almost 2 years ago and just felt an unspeakable relief. My inner self was reawakening! For the first months, my skin didn’t show any reaction to the hormonal change. But after 6 months, my acne unexpectedly came back – and this time in an even more aggressive way than during my puberty.

Since I was used to having skin that wasn’t complicated at all, I was pretty much swamped by this situation. Dealing with puberty and fighting acne is a completely different story than having acne as an adult. I felt ashamed and never went out without makeup. Around that time I split up from a long-time relationship, and I also stopped eating meat and most dairy products; a lot of big changes came up in my life, and it was probably this combination of circumstances that brought my teenage enemy back into my life. An ongoing research journey began, with no fixed deadline – I know it can last for months, or even years. But I have found my ways to live with it and no longer feel constantly ashamed about it.”

What were/are your main struggles?

“My acne mostly occurs as breakouts on my cheeks. They are usually quite red (no need for a blush, at least!), but I struggle a lot with keeping my fingers away from my pimples and popping them. That’s why I have a lot of acne scars, though they’re slowly fading away.

I am wearing makeup mostly to cover the scars and pimples; I just feel more comfortable with it. But at the same time, I am sad that I have to do this because I never used that much makeup before. But at least I am using organic & natural makeup products from HIRO Cosmetics that are not doing any harm to my skin (or the environment).”

How’s it changed for you becoming comfortable with your skin, and how did this reflect in your life?

“I have done a lot of research online and found many women who are fighting with similar acne problems. Talking with my friends and colleagues about it also helped me a lot by boosting my self-esteem again. The fact that I am not the only one struggling with skin problems makes it so much easier.

Unhealthy skin is not necessarily a result from an unhealthy lifestyle. Our hormonal system is so complex, and it’s just hard for it to find a balance again after huge changes. So I have learned to become more patient and to not let acne constantly affect my mood.”

What would you recommend to others? Do you have any tips?

“First of all, calm down. Don’t compare yourself with others who have “better” skin than yours. Try to talk about your skin problems with other people who share the same story. As I often say, ‘Sharing is caring.’ Do some research and try to find some solutions. I know it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack – but just don’t give up and try to be patient! There is a different healing treatment/diet for each & every one of us. A vegan diet might help one person get rid of their acne, but that doesn’t mean it will definitely work for everyone else.

Also, please don’t strain your skin by using too many different products simply because they are supposed to help. I’ll say again that it’s so much more about what’s going on inside your body, so try not to put too much hope into specific products. A lot of them can heal the symptoms, but they actually don’t address the cause.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned is to not feel ashamed about my acne. I have had moments when I didn’t want to leave the house because I felt like other people would give me a look of disgust… but honestly, I’ve started to see my skin problem in a much broader perspective. There are people on this planet who are struggling with diseases so much more severe than this.

The beauty industry, the commercials… it’s like no matter where you look, they’re advertising ‘perfect’ skin. But the truth is that there are actually so many people struggling with skin problems. We are not alone… so let’s share our stories. Let’s try to help and motivate each other, putting them out into the world to reach even more people. It is so important to generate awareness for this cause.”

Svenja, 35

‘Do not let your skin problems determine your choices, or your everyday life. Just let go.’

What’s your skin story?

“I never had huge problems with my skin; I’ve never had to care about it very intensively. I would often go to bed with makeup on, and not have to take it off until I woke up in the morning.

One year ago at the end of February, I was in a rather stressful and unfortunate phase of my life. All of a sudden I got a very dry spot on the left inner eyelid and below the right corner of my mouth. Then blemishes started to show up around the nose, spreading more & more. The condition was better at times, and much worse at others. From time to time, I would even experience tearing or inflammation of my eyelids. My face was constantly red, itching and shivering.

But while on vacation – relaxing in the sun & sea – all of these symptoms disappeared within three days, as if by magic. I was so happy and thought that it must be over now. Though when I started working at Amazingy in the fall, my skin broke out even worse than before; I had to go to the dermatologist and was on sick leave for a whole week due to the severity of the inflammation. The doctor gave me cortisone to help the healing process, and a diagnosis of eczema.“

What were/are your main struggles?

“The worst thing for me was not knowing exactly what had triggered the skin problem – as well as what might make it worse, and what it truly was. In addition, I was ashamed of my appearance and had the feeling I would have to explain to everyone what was on my face – but in actuality it wasn’t noticed by others all that often, so I would first usually make them aware.

The fact that as a makeup artist I deal with faces and beauties everyday, and work in a company that deals with cosmetics and skincare, I was being constantly reminded of my eczema and just could not switch it off. I started to have the feeling that I didn’t visually fit into my ‘role’.“

How’s this changed for you while becoming comfortable with your skin, and how did this reflect in your daily life?

“By working with natural cosmetic products and people who are very familiar with the topic of skincare, health & beauty, I have begun to intensively deal with my eczema and my skin in general. I made a radical diet change suggested by friend and naturopath Alana Bonnemann specifically for people with eczema. And in a short time, I’ve already noticed an improvement. I’ve also found products from within our selection at Amazingy (first the Soothing Gel by Dr. Alkaitis and Egyptian Magic, and then later the Treatment Oil and Night Cream also by Dr. Alkaitis) which actively contributed to healing my skin.

I also started to accept the fact I had eczema, and that I would probably look this way longer; I let go of the stress I felt with my skin and this stage of life, and I felt much better. With this more positive attitude, my skin improved day by day.

I refuse to stop eating any foods permanently, but I definitely just eat a bit more consciously. I realized I could even take a step back with skincare, so now I no longer treat my skin so intensely.”

What would you recommend to others? Do you have any tips?

“I think you have to go through certain stages and try things to get to the point that you can truly accept your skin problems, and thus promote healing. Mostly stress and similarly external problems are the reason why the skin suddenly goes crazy. Only when you’re at peace within your own heart will the skin also feel calm.“

Nicola, 25

‘Accept and love yourself for who and how you are. Don’t wait until the skin is fully healed to you love yourself. How would you live if you didn’t have this problem? Live that way.’

What’s your skin story?

“I think I was 20 when my skin problem appeared for the first time; my chin was basically just one fat pimple, and I started to squeeze it, which of course just made it worse. I felt like I wanted to cry and just scratch all of my skin off.

This was the time just after my gap year. And at this stage of life, it felt like making decisions about my future had to be final. This mindset wasn’t really helpful, and as a result I ended up putting myself under a lot of pressure. I wanted to give my absolute best in what I was doing, but this only brought a lot of stress into my life. Finally, 5 years later, I have made the connection between my emotional state, eating habits and my breakouts.“

What were/are your main struggles?

“I love easy, but that wasn’t possible… 

1. I wanted to just get up, wash my face, put a cream on, and done! But because I felt uncomfortable, I couldn’t do “easy” in morning – I had to take time to cover all the spots.
2. When a new pimple was coming in, the spot would start to turn red, so I tried to hide it, but I couldn’t forget about the issue. I was constantly worrying about what others were thinking.
3. Not knowing where the problem is coming from – with each & every little thing I discovered, I thought, ‘That´s it! I found the reason!’ But outside of minor improvements here & there, the problem persisted.
4. I also disliked how complicated it all was – watching what I eat meant I felt like I was always having to reject the food that was offered to me. Either at home, with friends, or even at parties by saying, “No, sorry, I can’t eat that.” And whenever I was home, my mom would buy things she would never buy otherwise, just because I was around and only eating vegan/vegetarian, using a different oil, avoiding tomatoes, avoiding bread, avoiding nightshades, blah blah blah… not just at home eating whatever I wanted, or cooking with friends, or eating out… And I love to cook! And I love eating out, too, but I was always worried about the ingredients.
5. I was mostly confused about what was truly helpful and which advice were given simply because the media wanted to make money out of it.
6. It felt so unfair that I have pimples – but I continued to eat healthy and do a lot of sports (how I thought a healthy life should look).”

How has it changed for you becoming comfortable with your skin, and how did this reflect in your life?

“Reading, listening and learning a lot about personal growth strengthened myself the most. It showed me the way to find and love myself – to accept who I am, even with my skin condition – and to trust myself again. There are so many people with blemishes, acne, or other skin ailments, and many of them feel uncomfortable and alone in that. I want to be more comfortable with these kinds of problems, not having them affect me so deeply. Which means I have to talk about it, because then maybe it will also help someone else to feel more comfortable in their own skin.“

What would you recommend to others? Do you have any tips?

“Often it isn’t caused by only one thing; not only by the food or the amount you’re eating, but also the products you use, and the way that you actually feel in your own skin… It is a combination of everything. And remember: start to love yourself, even if your skin is making you go crazy. Remember what it is that you like about yourself.“

Sharing stories and supporting each other is the best place to start. Now a question for you: Is there anything about your skin that has ever made you uncomfortable? And how have you gotten more comfortable with it over time? Let us know in the comments below.

All photography × @thesis.thewordsmith