A Very Real Stigma
- Sierra Gillespie
- Sep 14, 2015
- 3 min read
After completing my first month on the severe drug Accutane, I recently sent out a celebratory Snapchat to all of my friends. I have been very open about my acne struggles with my friends and on social media, so anyone paying any attention knows my insecurities and the side effects I have been experiencing.
In writing this blog,
I’ve come to terms with the very real stigma that surrounds acne, or people talking about acne, and I’m fed up. We can call out those who shame people with heavier weights, telling everyone to “love their bodies,” but we don’t call out those who shame people with acne, telling them to “love their skin?” It doesn’t seem appropriate to me.
I sent my Snapchat to Mitch Britton, and he
mocked my celebration. He is one of the many who would address acne negatively—though it is something suffers cannot will away.
According to a study conducted by Swansea University’s School of Medicine, many people associate acne with dirt and poor hygiene—“young people believed ‘not washing’ worsened acne.” Can you believe that? Apparently we acne sufferers spend our spare time rolling around in the mud like a bunch of barnyard animals.
With this in mind, it’s no surprise that the World Health Organization classifies severe acne as a legitimate handicap. Multiple studies show that people with acne are viewed as lesser because of their ailment.
For example, Swansea University conducted a study involving those with acne and those with clear skin. Four male and female models were chosen to represent those with clear faces and those with acne (the same models were used for clear faces and blemish-filled faces—makeup artists transformed their skin from clear to acne ridden for this test). Their photographs were shown to case study volunteers, who ranked those with acne and those without based on their appearance.
Overall, those with acne were found less friendly, sensible, honest, attractive, considerate, bright, mature, and less likely to be a possible friend than those with clear faces.
Keep in mind those with acne used in this study were the same people who were used as those without acne. Based on appearance, those with acne are considered subpar on all accounts except one: modesty.
Swansea University’s study was not the only one to conclude that sad fact. Perusing across university databases for hours led me to the conclusion that people across the world view acne suffers as lesser human beings. Many of these studies point out the human value of attractiveness, and again remind us that those with acne do not fall under that category.
It is no wonder, then, that acne can cause “significant anxiety and avoidance that lead to social withdrawal.” (According to a study published in The Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology & Venereology.)
A study conducted by The Journal of Investigative Dermatology concluded that there is a linear relationship between severity of acne and social impairment. The study found that those who suffer from acne are more likely to have low attachment to friends, struggle in school, lack romantic relationships, and never have had sexual intercourse.
The study concluded that acne sufferers have an “80 percent higher level of suicidal ideation in adolescents with substantial acne than among those with no/little acne.” Meaning that overall, it is more common to have suicidal thoughts and/or mental health problems for sufferers of severe acne, than it is to not have those problems, regardless of gender.
Still, it baffles me that 80 percent of the planet share the same difficulties that I do. Beyond just personal taste based on appearance, it seems that across the board acne is deemed disgusting. Clearly I’m not a huge supporter of the lesions across my figure—why else would I put myself at
risk for half a year with the countless side effects of this medication?—but it doesn’t mean I want to be treated poorly because of my unlucky genetics.
My acne and face may be disgusting, but it doesn’t mean it needs to be shamed, nor do I need to keep my #NoMakeupSelfies to myself. I’m not proud of my acne, but I am proud to be part of the one of the biggest clubs in the world. I, personally, think it’s time to start treating others nicely, if for nothing else than the statistics this article has provided. Mental health is not something to be taken lightly, and the negative feedback surrounding those who are sufferers of acne is frankly unacceptable.
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