in my own skin Persevering through the struggles of having acne in high school
ARTICLE & ILLUSTRATION BY HAYLIE YEE DESIGN BY KYLA ULUG
H
ans Christian Andersen’s 1843 fable “The Ugly Duckling” tells the story of a duckling who, when hatched along with his siblings, is teased and ostracized because they perceive him as ugly, ultimately teaching readers that individuals should accept and love themselves no matter their appearance. Junior Alyssa Hartmann learned the same lesson after dealing with acne in her early middle school years. She felt alone in her struggle with her skin, but after starting high school, she noticed other students her age began to develop acne, too, and she became used to it. “I felt a lot better about myself because I stopped caring about what my face looked like,” Hartmann said. “I gained more self confidence by being comfortable with myself when I didn’t look perfect.” Sophomore Maxine Dizon has also worked toward being confident by caring for her skin and taking pride in what she sees in the mirror.
Dizon was first introduced to skin care through TikTok trends, specifically skin care enthusiast and content creator Hyram Yarbro, better known as “Skin Care by Hyram.” Dizon learned to do research involving her skin and what she was putting on it. One of Dizon’s first mistakes was using retinol—a type of retinoid containing vitamin A derivative—too often and burning her skin. Dizon struggled with slightly textured and reddish skin on her cheeks that was worse on her arms. This caused her to feel self conscious when wearing dresses that exposed her arms.
"I don't have perfect skin
right now, but I feel confident knowing that I'm taking care of it." -Maxine Dizon “I don’t have perfect skin right now, but I feel confident knowing that I’m taking care of it,” Dizon said. “I’m working toward being a better person for myself.” While factors such as poor
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hygiene or diet can affect acne, they are not sole explanations for the condition. The pores in skin contain sebaceous glands that produce sebum, an oil that lubricates hair and skin. As teenagers hit puberty, hormones cause excess sebum, and pores become clogged with bacteria trapped inside. Depending on whether the pores stay open or closed, they can become blackheads,
whiteheads, pimples or cysts. UC Davis Health estimates that more than 85% of teenagers have acne, and it is rare to have clear skin during high school. Sophomore Celia Cuenca was first encouraged to start taking treatments like doxycycline, an antibiotic used to treat severe acne, by her stepmother, who would
