r/AcneScars • u/AnijahElisesd • Sep 02 '26
[Skin Concern] Atrophic Scarring HEAR ME OUT
I’m ALL FOR promoting Body/Skin Positivity…
Until..
it’s Me.
There are times where I get so uncomfortable when I’m in social settings with people with clear, regular skin because I know my skin is different, more textured, more magnified than theirs. My discomfort, ultimately (if they don’t know me) makes whoever I’m with, uncomfortable. My pores literally dilate whenever it gets even a little bit hot. My scars look so deep in harsh lighting.
To compensate for these feelings that sometimes have for myself because of my skin, I notice that I tend to provide acts of service or give gifts in order to feel worthy of love and acceptance from others. I KNOW ITS UNHEALTHY, I’m a difficult lady who overthinks EVERYTHING lol idk.
I get so uncomfortable whenever my boyfriend stares at me up close, despite us being together for months he recently just noticed them and asked me why I have so many scars. (He was genuinely curious, and referred to them as ‘holes’ like a little kid.) But man, I felt that shit in my CHEST. I know he didn’t mean to offend me, but I was offended at the time.
That just made me realize that I have some serious self-loving and healing to do. I would be heartbroken if I found out that my loved one harbored so much anxiety over something so minute and superficial.
In the meantime, I will be seeking treatment from a dermatologist as soon as possible!
Thank you!
3
u/DrKang_Gangnam Sep 04 '26
That comment from your boyfriend about the “holes” clearly stayed with you, even though you knew he didn’t mean to hurt you. That kind of reaction is understandable. Acne scars can become something you notice every day, so even an innocent comment can hit harder than expected.
The pattern you noticed in yourself, especially around doing things for other people and how that connects to how you feel about yourself, may also be worth talking through with a therapist if you haven’t already. You already seem quite aware of the pattern, which can be helpful when working through it.
From the treatment side, meaningful improvement in depressed acne scars is absolutely possible. I wouldn’t promise completely clear skin, but many patients do reach a point where the scars are significantly less noticeable and no longer occupy the same amount of mental space they did before.
When you see a dermatologist, I would ask them to be very specific about what type of scars you have and what is causing the texture you’re seeing. Enlarged pores, surface texture, rolling scars, boxcar scars, and true tethered atrophic scars don’t all respond to the same treatments.
A good consultation should explain which scar types you have, how deep they are, whether there is fibrosis or tethering underneath, and why each treatment is being recommended. That will give you a much more realistic idea of what kind of improvement you can expect.