Shiny purple zits between my eyebrows have instantly thrown me right into a downward spiral of hopelessness and panic. Darkish spots throughout my chin had been the very causes I wouldn’t let a soul—not even my boyfriend on the time—see me with out color-correcting concealer in highschool.

As somebody who handled persistent zits in my teenagers (and nonetheless does, at 25), let me let you know that it managed my complete life—whether or not I used to be ditching college as a result of I used to be too unhappy to get away from bed or making a behavior of avoiding eye contact with anybody and everybody. In case you can relate to any of those experiences, I don’t should persuade you that continuously battling breakouts can do a quantity in your psychological well being.

“I additionally had horrible zits as a teen, and the affect it made on my life was so vital,” Ife Rodney, MD, board-certified dermatologist and founding director of Everlasting Dermatology Aesthetics in Fulton, Maryland, tells SELF. “I used to be so harassed. It actually tousled my vanity.”

Breakouts aren’t only a teen difficulty, in fact, however no matter when—or how—they present up, take it from me and the specialists: Their affect isn’t solely pores and skin deep.

Listed below are a few of the methods zits can harm your psychological well being

It could possibly shatter your confidence.

As a dermatologist, Dr. Rodney says a lot of her sufferers with energetic zits or scarring really feel insecure and embarrassed about the best way they appear.

This self-consciousness could be so intense that you simply may keep away from having your image taken on your loved ones’s annual seaside trip, as an illustration. Or, maybe you will have a mini breakdown after analyzing your hormonal cysts underneath the unforgiving glow of fluorescent fitting-room lighting. One 2011 research even discovered that folk with average to extreme zits had been much less more likely to pursue romantic relationships.

“Worrying about your pores and skin may appear to be a superficial concern, which is one cause why many individuals really feel embarrassed opening up about it,” Dr. Rodney says. “However the reality of the matter is, it does have an effect on your high quality of life, and for that cause, it needs to be taken severely.”

It could possibly trigger you to isolate your self from even your favourite folks.

In case you’re something like me, you is perhaps satisfied that everybody is zeroing in on these flesh-colored bumps or dimpled, ice-pick scars. So naturally, the answer to escaping any undesirable stares, double takes, or perceived glares of disgust is isolating your self—which could embrace canceling plans on the final second or holing up till your pores and skin is magically “higher.”

Staying residence a couple of times isn’t essentially a warning signal that zits is ruining your life. But when withdrawing throughout “dangerous pores and skin days” turns into a behavior, which means these cussed zits are controlling your each day decisions and relationships, Shasa Hu, MD, board-certified dermatologist and assistant professor on the College of Miami Miller College of Drugs, tells SELF. Hiding from the world may appear to be a innocent strategy to defend your well-being, however analysis exhibits that social assist can enhance psychological well being and vanity. I additionally know from expertise that connecting with family members could make a giant distinction in the way you’re feeling about your pores and skin.

It could possibly make you depressed.

We’re not simply speaking about one gnarly zit cropping up earlier than a giant work presentation and placing you in a crappy temper (although to be clear, that’s depressing too). Generally zits could make you are feeling so overwhelmingly unhappy that you simply change into clinically depressed.