How Acne Affects Self-Esteem

HowAcne Affects Self-Esteem - Our appearance does not define who we are. However, most, if not all of us, think otherwise. Good looks are extremely important nowadays. Society and the media, in particular, make us believe that the good looking people are happy and successful.

They have good jobs and high salaries. They live in great houses and have perfect relationships with other equally beautiful people. In addition, the desire to look great and to have all this is growing proportionally.

Given all this, it is perfectly natural for anyone with acne to get upset about the problem. Sufferers believe that they are not good looking. They might be embarrassed by their appearance and may even feel guilt about the occurrence of pimples.

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This naturally lowers their self-esteem. Even though they might be smart and friendly, people with acne may start thinking less of themselves.

Low self-esteem naturally leads to low self-confidence. Acne sufferers start having concerns that they might have problems in their relationships with other people.

The fear of rejection and abandonment grows. Adults with acne might start worrying about their job as well. In some more severe cases sufferers may even begin to see a distorted image of themselves.

It can be safely said that acne can be a direct cause of low self-esteem. The problem is that this is not usually considered a major issue. In many cases, sufferers are not understood and cannot rely on support and help from family and friends.

This aggravates their situation even further. In turn, this otherwise common condition may trigger a much more serious one.

Researchers have found that a growing number of acne sufferers become depressed. Their low self-esteem can be accompanied by feelings of worthlessness and even hopelessness. It can also lead to growing sadness.

When these feelings become persistent, they become direct causes of depression. One interesting thing to note is that adult acne sufferers are more likely to develop depression than teens.

This can be explained by the fact that more life aspects are dependent on looks in the world of grown-ups. Teens, on the other hand, are more likely to accept the pimples since this is a common problem among their peers.

Anxiety can also be triggered by the presence of acne. The embarrassment and the fact that the pimples are usually persistent and difficult to remove naturally lead to worrying thoughts and frustration.

Low self-esteem can easily make a person extremely sensitive and nervous in normal situations such as work meetings or exams at school.

Another one of the grave consequences of acne and low self-esteem is social withdrawal. It is equally common in adolescents and adults. Sufferers refuse to meet friends and new people because of the way they look.

They might start avoiding specific types of social events and activities altogether. For instance, a teen with acne might refuse to do his/her favorite sport just because they have pimples on their back.

There are more severe cases in which sufferers refuse to leave their home for work or school because they have an acne outbreak.

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If you have acne and feel embarrassed by it, you should not hesitate to ask family and friends for help. If your condition is lowering your self-esteem and is causing emotional distress, you might want to talk to a psychologist.

You should not hesitate to share the problem with your dermatologist either, especially if you are not comfortable talking about your worries with your loved ones. Your doctor will certainly give you advice and/or direct you to a professional for further help.

One positive thing that can be said is that with the relief from acne, the self-esteem of sufferers grows. Generally, you should not let looks make you think less of yourself.

Still, if you are embarrassed by your pimples and feel they affect your confidence, you can always remind yourself that this is just temporary and things will get back to normal.