You know, I used to be a materialistic person. I could still be that up until now... I used to think that everything was just about the glamour and appearance. If you've seen my Draw My Life video, you'd know that I grew up as a very, very insecure kid. To overshadow that insecurity, I tried hard to dress up nicely, do my hair and put make-up on. I went on with my life and I was totally fine. But I could have been too much. That's when God decided it was time for Him to tap me on my back and remind me about the more important things in life...
I was given ACNE. A very TERRIBLE acne at that. Not just those 3-4 zits that would go overnight... But the kind of acne that makes me cringe up until now... that by just merely looking at the past photos, I still feel the pain and still wonder how I was able to go through life looking like that.
If you can't bear awful=looking face or skin, please do SKIP this post. I wanted to share this to people who might have suffered or could still be suffering ACNE until now.
In a month'ts time, I'll be celebrating my 28th birthday. And I'm not even ashamed to tell the whole world my real age. :) Exactly 2 years ago, I had this very terrible acne.
That was the time when my acne broke out SO BAD. Looking back at the photos, I just feel so thankful that I have good family and friends. At that time, they didn't make me feel like they were disgusted to look at me, take photos with me or even hug and kiss me. They acted normal. Looking at my self in the photo, I really did look ugly! But my family
and friends, they are amazing!
At that time, I had no other wish but for God to touch me and heal my heart-breaking acne. I wanted it so bad that I cried myself to sleep each night praying and praying...
My face got SO bad! The next photos are going to be extremely horrible.
Of course, that's not even the whole story. My face got 3 times more horrible than that but I won't be posting those because I'm afraid you might get scared and never read my blog again. lol
I did a lot, and when I say a lot I mean A LOT. I took antibiotics, birth-control pills, acne treatments, acne injection, topical solutions, chemical peeling, water therapy, fruit diet, a lot of prayers and more. If you want to know exactly all the things I did and used please click here.
I went out the house looking like that. It was heart-breaking but I had to be tough. At that time, I thought I was already hopeless. I was already on YouTube and Blogger at that time so you could only imagine how painful it was... Bloggers are not always beautiful but at least presentable... My skin was far from acceptable so it was just shattering.
Little by little, with the help of all the treatments and products, I saw improvement on my skin.
MAY 2012
JUNE 2012
JULY 2012
AUGUST 2012
SEPTEMBER 2012
It's true when they say THINGS WILL GET BETTER. Because my acne got better! I went through hell just because of acne. I then found out who my real friends are... and how important family is. I also found out that people, even if some of them are your actual family members, could still be mean. I won't forget how one of my relatives told me she didn't want to get close to me since I might give her acne, too... But I did try to forgive. Because that was the whole point why God give me this. To teach me how to be humble,simple and forgiving, how to be appreciative of the things I have and to always be thankful for His blessings.
This post is more like a Diary entry. If you want to know more about my acne, please click the ALL ABOUT ACNE tab on the right corner of this page.
Not all bad things that happen to us are supposed to be bad. Some of them were given to mold us and shape us... some were given to teach us. It's just a matter of perception and how you handle things. I've learned a lot because of this.
- Inner kindness is more important than outer appearance.
- Sonner or later, your beauty will fade... people will forget how pretty, tall or skinny you were. But they will never forget how you helped them and how you made them feel. So always strive to reach out to people than to be admired for your beauty.
- Clothes, shoes and makeup don't make a person.
- Everything is possible if you believe. :)
- If there's something that you really want, focus on it and never give up. Even if it seems impossible or hopeless. At the end of the day, it's not about how sooner you get it. But it's about the lessons that you have learned along the way while working hard to achieve what you want.
I always get emails and messages from people asking me how I got rid of acne. So this blog post is for you guys. I do feel ashamed to show my ugly pictures to people who've never had acne before. Because they don't know the feeling and I would understand them if they feel a bit off when they see my photos... But for people who are suffering and are trying to find a solution, I am here to tell you guys that acne is not the end of life. And no matter what your appearance is now, never settle! Never accept that acne will be a part of your life forever. Because truth is, it doesn't have to! It shouldn't be! While believing for the best, always do something about it. It was a long journey before my acne got better. So always be patient and never lose hope!
To give you an idea, here is my bare face NOW. Untouched, unedited.
I am just thankful for my skin and I want the whole world to know. 2 years have passed since the breakout and I am very happy now.
How about you? What lessons have you learned and what are you thankful for?
♥
Kristine