For as long as I can remember I’ve had acne. It’s practically part of my personality at this point.
If you happen to watch The Vault podcast on YouTube or social clips, you’ll see the fallout of my acne-heavy teen years with scarring marking large areas of my face. When you’re a teenager you’re told that your acne is hormonal, that it will inevitably calm down and you’ll enter early adulthood with smooth, blemish-free skin.
Unfortunately for many of us, that’s just not the case. We’re left with the battle wounds and if you’re like me, you’ll still be battling cystic, painful and very visible acne into your late 30s and beyond. Welcome to adult acne! A club I really didn’t want to be a part of, yet here we are.
I’ve tried every single cream you can imagine. As a teen, my mum scoured the shelves looking for any miracle cure to stop her daughter’s shame and embarrassment but to no avail. I was prescribed a number of antibiotics and completed a couple of courses of Accutane. This is a really, really strong prescription that can cause a number of unpleasant side effects and even birth defects should you fall pregnant. It required close monitoring throughout and wasn’t a long-term solution for me.
As the years rolled by, I started to just live with my acne. I’d come to terms with the fact nothing I did or tried would clear the cystic acne or improve my scarring. If you’re the friend in the friendship group that suffers with acne, just know I see you. It’s really tough to have a group of friends with gorgeous, clear, plump skin who complain from time to time that their skin is horrible, that their face is full of spots and you’re sat battling your inner demons every day.
Once I had kids, my priorities changed. I started to not care so much about how I looked. You’d think with the way my skin looked, I would be wanting to cake on the makeup at any given opportunity but these days you’ll see me rocking around my local village with no makeup on. Sometimes I worry about how my skin looks and other times, I really couldn’t give a sh*t to be honest. I think growing up does that to you. There are more important things going on in the world. I’m not the main character in everyone’s story. I’ve just learnt to let it go.
A few weeks ago, a dilemma dropped into my inbox for us to workshop on the podcast and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since. And I know it struck a chord with so many of you – the inbox tells me so.
The community dilemma from Episode 122 touched on a Financielle Community member funding treatment to improve her skin health after battling with acne and eczema most of her life.
“I’ve had eczema since I was a baby — quite moderate to sometimes severe if not well managed — and it’s all over my body.
Over the past few years I’ve also had acne, which has left me with horrible scarring.
After being fobbed off by my GP for a dermatologist referral many times, I went to an aesthetics doctor for a consultation.
I haven’t implemented everything she suggested as it would cost many thousands — but I’ve changed a few things.
With the addition of good quality vitamins and extra private prescription skincare, that £200 a month has become £500.
My question is — is this justified?
Or is this lifestyle creep, wanting to spend more money on something?”.
I totally empathise with this community member. I have toyed with going “all in” on improving my skin over and over again. Each time I save the money, I back out and feel it should be spent on other things like holidays, home improvements or the kids. Basically, anything that isn’t me.
What does that say about my self-worth? That something I’ve struggled with all my life isn’t worth my investment? At Financielle, we talk about making our money grow and work, but sometimes we need to spend money on things to help us in the here and now. Whether it’s a personal trainer to finally take control of our fitness for long-term health, a nutritionist to fix our gut after years of struggling, or a qualified skincare specialist that can help improve our confidence after years of stress and lack of confidence, you are worth it. Creating a sinking fund, getting intentional about it, and making that pot grow proves it to yourself. What a confidence boost!
This year I’m committed to filling up my sinking fund to get professional help when it comes to my skin and I’m going to let you hold me to it.
If you want to share your story, email me at hello@financielle.com
Until next time,
Holly