College is supposed to be the best years of your life. You're young and free. You can go out and try new things, make a few mistakes, and still come back home when all is said and done. Life is fresh and exciting, but there's just that one thing dragging you down. You see it every time you look in the mirror. You're conscious of it whenever someone looks or talks to you. Your acne is always in the forefront of your mind.

Every morning you wake up and hope that when you look into the mirror you'll see less red splotches and bumps on your face. You try to cover it up with make-up but that only makes it worse. You've tried every medication and home remedy to vanquish this beastly foe, but nothing seems to work.

You're conscious of it every second of every day. You avoid pictures because you don't want to document that you're 20 and still have zits. The thought of meeting new people terrifies you because you're afraid that when people look at you all they will see is your acne. It's like a mask that you wear, not by choice, but because your skin hates you.

It's easy to fall into the pit of self-loathing and reduce yourself to being a fly on the wall but you are better than that. Regardless of your appearance, you are strong. Life has given you a lemon, so instead of sitting there and sucking on the bitter juice make something better out of it.

You are more than your acne.

We have been trained our entire lives to think that we have to have flawless skin to be beautiful. All the models and actresses look so perfect on the posters, ads, and screens, but when you eliminate the photo-shop and wipe off the makeup, their skin is flawed too. Our ideal is flawed, so why do we hold ourselves to these ideals?

Eventually, the acne will go away, but until then start loving who you are now. Life is too short to try to have a flawless complexion. Instead of being stressed and ashamed of the mask that you wear, own it and accept it as a part of who you are. Being comfortable in your own skin may be one of the hardest concepts for you to accept, but take it in small doses. Make strives daily to love your skin, and to love yourself.

Start off small and work your way up. Stop all the bad habits and change your mindset. Acne sucks, but hating your own skin sucks more.

1. Stop staring at your acne in the mirror.

2. Stop thinking those "I hate..." and "If only..." thoughts about your skin.

3. Stop layering on the makeup to hide your skin.

4. Think positive thoughts about your skin and face.

5. Stand tall and think about how great you are, and actually list the reasons.

6. Smile because you are confident.

You are more than your flaws. You are more than your acne. You are the only 100% genuine *Insert your name here* in this world, so don't sideline your life because of some bumps on your face. Go out and live your life.

You got this girl!