Dear Acne,

I have despised you. You have caused me much stress and frustration. You came into my life in fourth grade when I awoke to a blackhead on my nose. Ever since then, you've never left.

You are an embarrassment to me. First, I tried to cover you up. I spent money on all kinds of makeup, promising me to cover the redness, the huge pores, the bumps on my skin. It made me happy for a little while, but you became angrier and grew in numbers. I tried all the home remedies and all the fancy products. I slathered egg yolks on my face, toothpaste, vinegar. I washed my face constantly trying to scrub you out with each layer of my skin. Yet, I still had no success. I went to the dermatologist and started taking pills. All they did was dry my skin out and make it more difficult to hide you.

I know you are a part of me that I can't control. You run in my family. But you draw too much attention away from me. I'm living in a world of high particular beauty standards that doesn't accept your imperfections on my face. I used to not be able to leave my house without some sort of high-coverage foundation because all people would see would be the red bumps. You made me feel ugly and self-conscious. I envied the girls with perfect skin. They rarely had to deal with you.

Now, we have been together for some time and although I still don't like you, I have grown to accept you. I should not be ashamed of you. You do not change the person I am or the beauty I have. My beauty is not defined by the marks on my skin. If people cannot see or accept that, then they don't belong in my life.

I have wasted too much money and time trying to hide a part of me out of shame. I apologize for making things between us worse most of the time. I can't promise to let you be free all the time, but I will not be ashamed of you anymore. I will not let you scare me or take all my money.

So, in conclusion, we will always have a complicated relationship, but you have taught me to accept the things in life I can't control and not let that define me. Let's just agree to get along and keep things tame for picture days, I'd really appreciate it.

Sincerely,

Me