The reflection in the mirror is met with a shattering silence as you narrow your eyes to meet the inflamed, bumpy red spots that cover your skin. You begin to grapple with the weight of self-loathing, disappointment and shame, you feel yet again a disgrace to perfection. 

The obsession with trying to get rid of acne follows. Experimenting with products that promise clear, acne-free skin becomes tiring. Exhaustion bubbles from scrubbing your face until it hurts, only to dab your towel away at the same, bumpy skin. 

Clear, spot-less skin is just another beauty standard that fails to represent the true spectrum of different skin types.

Part of the stigma around acne is a result of the overuse of TikTok and Snapchat filters. Normal conditions are made out to be “disgusting” by shockingly perfect images that skew our perception of reality. Beauty campaigns and influencers often market shiny, poreless skin when the reality is quite the opposite. Influencers, celebrities, and characters are glorified in the media, more so, their seemingly perfect, radiating skin. 

But from behind the screen, we tend to often overlook the meticulous editing of images and photo and lighting techniques that sharpen and accentuate clear, unblemished facial features, disregarding the fact that even celebrities have acne. The allure of seamlessly edited models distracts from reality, and the expectations that everyone naturally should look that way skyrockets, and if you don’t, you’re automatically labeled as unattractive.

With the easy accessibility of the media, teens that consume the superficial reality are constantly exposed to and internalizing the harmful belief that they too must achieve the spotless look. 

Wanting to attain healthy skin or show off a poreless face is not the issue; it’s the obsession that stems from the pressure that our skin must be perfect, every time, all the time. But having one-hundred percent clear skin is just not realistic. 

“Just wash your face” or “stick to a good cleansing ritual” are all supposed to be helpful advice when you reach out. And in some cases, sticking to a good diet, applying creams and medications, and having a skincare routine does help. But the solution isn’t always as simple as that.

According to an article from Ponds, hormone changes and imbalances are big reasons behind stubborn acne in teens and young-adults. Up to eighty-five percent of adolescents aged twelve to twenty-four are affected by acne, according to Yale Medicine. Such a high percentage of teens regularly face acne, yet society continues to stigmatize a normal occurrence that oftentimes, one cannot control. The real issue at play is society’s vicious obsession with perfection. 

It’s crucial that as a society we wake up to reality and take steps to combat harmful stereotypes and biases that target teens with acne. If the media aims to push out messages concerning real issues, then they should start by making influencers look a little more realistic and embrace imperfections. Destigmatizing acne and accepting that it’s common, normal and inevitable is the first step to combating the desire for perfect skin. Not only will this promote improved mental health, it can propel a more inclusive and informative society.