I know what you're thinking. You probably read "acne" and thought gross. But you probably also thought I have acne too...maybe I can relate to this. So here you are.
Since probably middle school, I've had acne, just like everybody else I know. Not just a little bit, not just on my face.
I can get it everywhere from my face to my chest to my back and shoulders (then there are the random ones that pop up on my legs or butt that I never talk about..). But let me say this: ACNE IS COMPLETELY NORMAL.
Babies can get acne. Teenagers, of course, get it, and even adults can suffer from it. Acne seems to make us all feel less than we are, especially now that looks seem to be such an important factor in everyday life.
You're not supposed to pick at your acne, but I always would. So I would end up having little scabs everywhere that often ended up as scars.
I cared a lot about how I looked, so I felt uncomfortable in more open-backed shirts and dresses, or even just in tank tops because then my body acne was on display.
I didn't get into makeup until two years ago. I'm thankful for that because then I didn't give myself even worse skin by drowning my already clogged pores in heavy makeup.
I always thought that using a loofah in the shower would help clear my body acne because I would scrub away the dirt, sweat, and dead skin. So I used one every single time I showered. Little did I know that it was actually really bad for my skin.
When I got to college, I noticed some of my friends didn't have loofahs in their shower caddies and I was confused. How would their skin be cleaned? Some used washcloths and some just used their hands.
I tried ditching the loofah and using a washcloth instead, but it seemed ineffective and nothing seemed different, other than it took me even longer to shower because washcloths are small and it's hard to get a good grip or good angles for your back.
Sometime last year, I decided to ditch loofahs and washcloths altogether and just use my hands to wash my body, like my roommate did, and she has very clear skin. To my complete and utter surprise, my body acne started to clear up, and I found less and less as time went on.
Now, could this be a coincidence, that maybe I've just outgrown acne and the time frames line up? Sure. Could it actually have a correlation? Sure.
I don't know any of the facts behind it, I'm basing this solely off of my firsthand experiences.
My accounts are in no way a guideline for all of you, as I said I don't have any hard facts that support any side. I just wanted to share my experiences in the hopes that I can help someone else out.
