Harbingers’ Magazine is a hands-on school of journalism which teaches all things creative by inviting teenagers to run an online literary magazine.
harbinger | noun
har·bin·ger | \ˈhär-bən-jər\
1. one that initiates a major change: a person or thing that originates or helps open up a new activity, method, or technology; pioneer.
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'Makeup can help conceal acne blemishes and scars, but it won’t treat your acne. Sometimes, it might even make it worse,' reports Healthline.
My struggles with acne started from the age of 11 and for years I felt different from others. I was sad when I saw girls of a similar age who did not have the same problem as me.
From the start, I questioned why I had it so bad. Spots first started emerging from my forehead, then on top of my head, my left cheek and on my chin. Between 2023–2024, it was at its worst. It had spread all over my face, shoulders, back and chest.
Acne, which is a common skin condition that causes pimples, can affect people of all ages and factors including hormones, stress, and family history may increase the risk of developing it, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
It seems that it was down to my age, hormones and stress, which is common given that acne affects around 85%of people between the ages of 12–24, and 9.4% of the global population are estimated to have acne.
Despite other young peers also having acne, I compared myself to them as I had much more acne then they did. Though, they did not seem to notice my struggles that much because I concealed my skin with makeup.
The first year of high school was the worst, I spent the first month masking my spots on my face with concealer and foundation. I tried to avoid places with cold light as I noticed how visible my acne was in it. And when I walked around town, I questioned when people were looking at me – ‘were they looking at me because of my spots?’ I felt most comfortable and happy going out at night.
I remember that I woke up early in the morning to apply a thick layer of concealer and foundation onto my face to cover my pimples and then when it was night time I had to remove it and I saw redness all over my face. I became a pro at applying this level of make-up very quickly.
I felt more comfortable during low light and night, but not when the sun was out. I was lucky that no-one ever laughed about my acne. All my friends were hyping me up, but I also knew that they didn’t see me without makeup.
The worst thing for me was sleepovers. I was ashamed and scared to show my friends my real skin, even going as far as using my hair to cover my face. If my skin was particularly bad, I did not want to go out for the day.
I could not cope with it anymore and after three years of being distraught about the situation, I went to a dermatologist for help. And my feelings of insecurity were thankfully addressed which resulted in tears when the dermatologist provided medication to help manage my situation.
Now, following treatment, my skin is clear, smooth and I feel happy. But even still my trauma of acne always has me questioning whether it will come back again.
My journey taught me a lot, most importantly that it is only temporary. There are many ways to deal with it from a physical point of view. But an important thing that nobody talks about is learning how to accept yourself.
Many people struggle with it, it doesn’t control you and you shouldn’t let it. You’re not alone. Acne is a challenge, not a burden.
