How to Practice Skin Positivity
Living with skin conditions such as acne, rosacea, hyperpigmentation, or dermatitis can be difficult to deal with mentally.
We live in a society where our outward appearance is constantly being judged. Whether we are on social media, meeting with coworkers through a video conference, or walking through the grocery store, we may feel all eyes on us when we are self-conscious about our skin.
With the rise of movements like skin positivity, skin neutrality, and skin acceptance, many people are showing up unfiltered on social media. They are sharing their stories and stating the truth that human skin isn't flawless or perfect.
So how can you accept your skin and gain confidence through the blemishes and the scars? We've gathered some of the best advice from skin positivity activists to help you along your journey.
Recognize Your Self-Talk
Noticing how you talk to yourself about your skin insecurities is the first step in skin acceptance.
Skin realist Oyintofe Oduyingbo speaks honestly about her acne-prone skin on her Instagram. "Self - confidence was something I always thought I had up until I started having acne. It made me doubt myself so many times. I am not talking about just being beautiful. I am talking about when you are talking to someone and you feel all they are staring at is that huge pimple on your forehead or the spot a recent pimple left behind."
How is your skin's condition affecting your self-esteem? Do you find yourself being held back in any way or worrying about how others perceive you? Once you hone in on your thought process you can work to reverse it into a more positive light.
Oduyingbo continues, "I realize that acne itself didn’t affect my confidence, it was the way I looked at it that did. I am still trying to accept that it is normal. It happens to a lot of people and it doesn’t make me less beautiful."
Redirect Your Thoughts
Start getting in the habit of redirecting your thoughts to positive ones when you look at yourself.
Skin positivity campaigner, Lex Gillies told Vogue, “For 14 years, I woke up thinking about my skin: how bad is it? What am I doing today and how will that impact my skin? Will it be even worse tomorrow? Living like that is exhausting and stressful. Now, instead of looking in the mirror and immediately zoning in on my skin, I focus on aspects of my appearance that I do like, or I think about things I achieved the day before that I am proud of. It takes practice, like any new habit, but it helps to reframe yourself as a worthy human being outside of your skin,” she elaborates.
Connect With Others
Rocio Cervantes is a beauty blogger who shares her acne struggles with her audience. She has found Instagram to be a vital platform for the skin-positive movement, as people can reach out to others who deal with common issues.
"The amount of love, positive, and sweet comments I received by just sharing myself with major breakouts to people was so overwhelming in a great way," says Cervantes. "I still get so many messages about that post and how it helped their struggle with accepting themselves."
You can follow hashtags on Instagram such as #skinpositivity, #skinneutral, #skincommunity or #acnepositivity to fill your feed with images of real skin. By consuming content that is from others with similar skin conditions and experiences, you may have an easier time gaining confidence for the skin you're in.
Allow Yourself to Get Better on Your Terms
Accepting yourself, blemishes and all, does not mean you have to like having a skin condition. You can still be working on improving your skin and quality of life despite supporting the skin positivity movement.
Lou Northcote who started a #freethepimple campaign shared her journey starting accutane on social media. She was met with some pushback such as, “Why did you decide to clear your acne? You created a movement to celebrate acne and talk about people accepting their acne. What are you going to do when your acne is gone?”
Lou responded with confidence, "It’s amazing I came to accept myself with the way my skin looked but acne is so much more than the way it looks. Why should I have to live with physical pain just because others think I am ‘turning my back’ on my movement? Why should I keep my acne for someone else? Why should I keep my acne for social media?
She continues, "You should never live your life for someone else or to please someone else or to make someone else happy. By going on accutane I actually represent a huge part of my #freethepimple and #acnecommunity because most people with acne want to clear it and many go on accutane."
Treat Your Skin with Love & Oxygenetix
Oxygenetix is here to support you along your skincare journey. Whether you have rosacea, acne, chronically dry or irritated skin, Oxygenetix cosmeceuticals will help protect your skin and promote renewal. Allowing your natural beauty to shine through, Oxygenetix gentle formulas are made for all skin types and conditions.
Whether you want sheer or full coverage, you don't need to worry about Oxygenetix Foundations making your skin worse. They are dermatologist recommended for their breathability and medical-grade ingredients.
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