Let me say it again for the people in the back hiding themselves, a spot is not the end of your world. We all get them. We all hate them. But it’s a part of life.

I’ve been going through a lot of changes since I started this blog and one of them, unexpectedly, was that I have started looking differently at myself. It’s a constant struggle to stay positive and re-programme myself to not jump into negativity at every opportunity. And of course it still happens. I am still human and still have the scars of all my past insecurities. I see them everyday when I look at my face. When I asked someone a few years ago if the scars from spots were obvious, they said no, they thought I had freckles. As sweet a statement as that was, it was complete and utter bulls**t.

I’m all for embracing things that society calls flaws but even I think spots are a bit too far but really. But what is the big deal though? Spots, according to the Nivea website, are caused when “the skin’s sebaceous oil glands become clogged and inflamed.” It happens from time to time. Sometimes your skin just doesn’t do it’s normally awesome job of secreting the sebum that stops your hair and skin from drying out properly or efficiently. And it’s amazing how this little flaw, little bit of inefficiency can just ruin your day. But you shouldn’t let it, it’s not the world against you, it’s just a spot.

I mean, think how little a spot is compared to how big your face is. I’ll let that thought marinate for a little while.

My first reaction when one of those little white heads appears is to pop it. Sometimes even when it’s just the very beginning, I want that thing off my face. Squeezing until my skin goes red, probably causing more damage than good. Probably the cause of most of the acne scars I have on my face from my youth. So this time I decided to be patient. Yes, I felt awkward. I wanted to talk to people but only when they could see me in profile. Place my hand on my chin so I could look intelligent, like someone at an art gallery. Or ask a dodgy friend who owns a balaclava if I can borrow it. Having a spot changes your whole body language. And it could all be ended with a little force.

You know you shouldn’t do it though. And if you don’t know, you shouldn’t pop them because it can cause inflammation, redness, further breakouts, scarring and infection. Thanks for the list of horrors La Roche-Posay. And the worse thing is, I knew all this when I as a kid. I just felt that it was worse having the spot because the consequences where well in the future. Well the future is now and I am trying to overcome all the insecurities spotty skin gave me as a kid.

It was so hard to last the day without getting rid of it. I persevered and I felt quite proud of myself. I don’t know if it popped or dried out but at the end of the day, it wasn’t the gross thing that had ruined so many of my days and a large portion of my teenage years. It was just a thing. My skin isn’t great, I’m in the midst of a little bumpiness on the old chin area (I think it’s currently stress and hormone related) but I’m actually quite proud of where my skin is now.

I know some people are crippled by having “bad skin” and are struggling to find a way to cope. And I’m not going to tout a cure or a wonder treatment. I will hold my hands up, there will be times when nothing much will work. Sometimes you can’t fix the problem but you can definitely fix the way you look at the problem. Or decide if it’s a problem at all. Now if you’re getting picked on because of your skin, there is nothing that you can do to change the other person, just know karma is probably going to come round and kick them in the arse one day.

Karma is a bitch!

I will leave this post with some sage advice – cleanse regularly, drink water,  DON’T pop your spots and don’t stress about it. Like I said earlier, little tiny spot, big old face. It’ll be gone in a couple of days so think long-term. We all want that glowing skin when we get old, so take care of that skin today and everyday. And if you have to pop it, make sure it’s ready to go. It’s very different digging your nails into your face until it hurts versus a little squeeze.

And I’m not saying to actually do that. You can’t live your life behind a mask. But they are fun!

Let’s keep growing together!

xx Lee xx