I am a young woman who takes her appearance with a grain of salt. I wash my face and brush my teeth twice a day. I bathe once a day. I style and wash my hair each day. I wear makeup every single day. I paint my nails twice a month. I look in the mirror three times before I leave the house each day. No matter how good my makeup is, I hate the way I look. I walk around with people not looking me in the eye. I deal with people looking at me as I go about my daily routine. I have learned to ignore the funny looks and the pointing. I have become the master of avoiding the elephant in the room. This is my life with acne.

I was blessed with what my family calls natural beauty. My eyes change colors, my lips are full, my skin is bright, my smile is wide. My face was mostly clear with a few, little red blemishes. I never noticed little spots because I rarely had them. When I was a senior in high school, I noticed more little spots than usual. Little did I know that my days of beautiful, bright skin were over. No matter the product, the brand or the amount of times I washed my face, the spots didn't go away. Two years later, I have learned how to ignore the lack of eye contact and just embrace the way my skin appears. It's a temporary problem but the world doesn't seem to view it that way. Once a blemish is there, it seems to become a permanent imperfection.

But this acne doesn't define me.

I have so much to offer the world. I am one of the best friends you will ever have. I am am one of the best people to come to when you need a favor or advice. I am going big places and I am going to do great things, regardless of the way I look. The power of my brain isn't limited by the amount of spots on my face or even the amount of face wash I use. I posses many skills that the world may have not seen and if you automatically disregard me because of a few spots on my face, won't you be the one who is really missing out?

Why must we live in a world where we are defined by the amount of product we use? Why must I be judged for trying to be confident while I have acne? I, along with many others who have this issue, manage day to day with the symptoms of acne trying to be confident. We face many challenges along side the pressures of the world.

People with acne are the future even if we don't look like it. Believe me, the future doesn't always seem pretty at first, but it looks better and more beautiful over time. Those of us with acne know what that is like. Follow us, one day we will be the leaders.