56.
ARTWORK: Xuming Du
a connect-the-dots drawing on my face KAROLINA KOCIMSKA
Acne fucking sucks. Being 21 with acne is not where I imagined myself as a teenager. I tried to find comfort in the hope that I would grow out of it, that my hormones would settle, and that my skin would look like an adult’s. Well, I have been a proper adult for 3 years and my skin still sucks. Coming to uni in my first year was especially hard because wherever I looked most people seemed to have skin that was clear and settled. In high school acne was just a fact of life for everyone except a lucky few. I felt somewhat normal even when red cystic dots would pop up on my face every night. It was definitely a shock to the system, moving into a college and sitting in classes and seeing so much nice skin. My skin got really bad a few weeks into first year and I saw the GP about it. I shared my insecurity and distress and he reassuringly said, “everyone is just on medication, that’s all”. I started taking the pill, antibiotics, and using a topical cream. My skin stabilised and after one and a half years on the pill I thought I’d come off it and see what happens.
