I have seriously struggled with self-esteem issues, body confidence and general mental health as a result of this skin condition. I have been obsessed with looking at YouTube videos of remedies and treatments; which are almost always fake or completely unattainable for someone with my monthly wage. Sometimes I won't even leave the house due to the pure anxiety of anyone looking at my face. A few times I've even driven to the gym, sat in my car outside the entrance for 20 minutes, and just cried and gone straight home due to the fear of feeling exposed. It has even got to the point where I refuse to look in the mirror.
While it certainly felt like it during these low periods, I'm not the only one who has struggled to this extent. In fact, in a 2018 study by the British Journal of Dermatologists revealed that patients with an acne diagnosis have a 63% higher chance of developing depression or anxiety, compared to those with clear skin. To put this into perspective, a huge 8 out of 10 people In the UK aged between 11 and 30 are affected by acne to some extent. This is a real problem, and not just a vanity thing like people may first assume. So, why is it that so many people are suffering with acne but Instagram feeds are spotless? Pun intended.
In 2019, we spent a global average of two hours and 23 minutes every day on social media; 53 minutes of which was on Instagram. The social platform has come a long way since the days of harmless food diary updates to approximately 12 followers. The way it’s used now is having a far more detrimental effect on our mental health. It's a place for people to post about their life in the most perfect light. We only see this one side to people. Therefore, we soak that up and think it's normal. I for one, follow hundreds of beautiful celebrities and influencers who post at least once a day. My feed is clogged full of lavish homes, the latest trends and flawless selfies. People in the public eye rarely share problems that may make them look anything less than perfect. But it has happened. And it is happening more and more.
Celebrities such as Kendal Jenner, Ruby Rose and Bella Thorne have started sharing their bare-faced selfies online to their millions of followers. But it's the new breed of influencers that have really paved the way for change on the platform. I follow two women in particular who I have found so brave and inspiring for sharing their stories. Abbie Bull, a blogger with over 100k followers who has overcome acne after being on the potent drug Roaccutane, and Kadeeja Khan, who has more than 350k followers and is still very much fighting angry acne. They often share before and after photos, with and without makeup.
I have found content like this empowering and uplifting, but haven't ever really curated my feed to see more of it. I have still been enclosed in an online world of people showing only the best of themselves and never admitting vulnerability. That was until recently when I started using the 'follow hashtags' feature on Instagram. Following a hashtag opens you up to so much more content. It isn't restricted to a single account, any public profile that uses the hashtag can appear on your feed. It's like an online community. A few of these I have followed recently include #AcneAwareness, FreeThePimple, #SkinPositivity and #TheAcneEffect. While most of the hashtags have tens of thousands of posts attached to them, #TheAcneEffect was relatively new with less than 100 posts. The person behind this hashtag is 33-year-old Wendy Lewis from Dallas, Texas.
Wendy started The Acne Effect account in December 2019 to raise awareness and educate the public about the impact that acne has on mental health. She has dealt with acne and scars for two decades. Social media has played a big part in her journey to self-acceptance and admits it hasn't always been an easy ride. "I've found myself spiralling down the rabbit hole of Instagram, only to feel terrible once I've stopped scrolling". These acne movements are a relatively new community to have appeared on social media, and they are something Wendy wishes were around during her worst acne periods. "For many years, I was sitting at the bottom of a barrel of self-hate" she admits. "Times have changed so much over the last ten years and as a collective, we need to do better at promoting these positive accounts".
"Social media has the power to tap into some very deep-seated insecurities, while also highlighting the best in people" Wendy Lewis A.K.A The Acne Effect
"When we don't allow people with acne to hold a positive space in the public eye, we are telling suffers that it is not synonymous with beauty and worth," she says. "These conversations are needed now more than ever in a growing world of Photoshop, filters and editing". Accounts like The Acne Effect show that social media isn't all bad. In fact, it can act as a friend and help people banish their inner demons. Wendy states that "Social media has the power to tap into some very deep-seated insecurities, while also highlighting the best in people".
Creating The Acne Effect has helped Wendy overcome her insecurities and use her online platform to make a difference. To get to the point that she is at now, she started unfollowing accounts that made her feel insignificant and followed more accounts that were in line with her new set of values. "With some honest self-reflection and a lot of work on my mental health, I'm getting better at feeding my eyes with content that uplifts me rather than devours me. It's a process but I'm getting there".
Research by the NHS says that acne usually disappears when a person is in their mid-20s. But what if like Wendy that doesn't happen to me and I have another 10 years of this? So, in a bid to feel comfortable with the current condition of my skin, I posted a completely bare-faced selfie to my 1,500 followers using seven hashtags. It catapulted me into an online community full of like-minded people who have all been on similar paths from self-hatred to self-love. It has been one of my most popular posts to date with over 300 likes and it's reached nearly 3,000 accounts. I was showered with praise and thanks for my bravery and realness from fellow acne suffers and friends who have never seen me without makeup.
Instagram and other social platforms are no longer a place to fear. People are skipping past the photo-editing stage and posting raw, natural photos. Thanks to online communities and hashtags, the acne positivity movement has reached new heights. After posting my photo, I now fully understand this. I feel liberated, empowered and it's given me the drive to want to use my account to spread positivity and stop looking at my skin with disgust. Because I'm not the only one. I've found a place on the internet to express my differences.
What was once an often-overlooked subject, acne positivity is the final frontier of body positivity and it is truly taking off.