Learning about puberty in primary school was an exciting moment for me. The thought of having feminine features that would separate me from the boys intrigued me.

Unfortunately, these features also came with acne.

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This marked the beginning of my thirteen-year battle with acne and by extension, my self-confidence.

When the acne started, I thought it was a mere symptom of puberty and that it would all clear up within a year.

After the year was up and there was no improvement, I began exploring home remedies to reduce it.

I tried everything from aloe vera gel, honey, sugar scrubs, and even apple cider vinegar.

Some of my methods were as crude as using toothpaste on my face and even scrubbing my face with a pumice stone.

At the time, I didn’t know better and was only trying to get rid of the pimples not knowing that I was doing my skin more harm than good.

As you can imagine, the pimples got more inflamed, they spread all over my face and I was left with a lot of scarring.

Some of the scars left by acne remain as black spots.

Consequentially, my skin became quite the eyesore and with the dip in my appearance came a dip in my confidence.

With my self-confidence down in the gutters, I began avoiding the camera lens.

Upon noticing that my acne was affecting my ability to even speak in front of people, my parents thought it wise to seek medical advice.

This began our trips to various dermatologists and thousands of shillings were spent on medicated creams and soaps meant to alleviate my predicament.

After three years of struggling with medicated creams and soaps, I decided to entirely give up on them and any other remedy altogether.

I was constantly met with stares from people who often plagued me with so many questions.

What's wrong with your skin? Are you drinking too much milk? Do you change your bedsheets often? Do you touch your face with unwashed hands? Do you eat too many fatty foods? Do you drink enough water?

At this moment, I stumbled into the world of make-up, which I used to cover up the acne, scars, as well as trying to hide away from all the unsolicited advice that I would get constantly.

All this went on until I turned 20 years old. During my first trip to the gynaecologist I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) which tends to cause hormonal imbalance.

It turned out that this was the main cause of my acne.

Once I began taking my hormonal medication, the acne reduced significantly.

Although six years later, I am still left with scars to show for it.

While speaking on the various causes of acne, Dr. Ramadhan Mawenzi points out that acne can be triggered by hormones, excessive oil production, bacteria, genetics, steroids and environmental factors such as constant friction on your face or hair oil getting in contact with your skin.”

Dr Ramadhan Mawenzi is a dermatologist in Nakuru city.

Photo credit: DILIGENCE ODONGO/MTAA WANGU

When asked on whether diet plays a role in causing acne, Dr. Ramadhan notes that there’s no scientific link between the two.

However, if you notice that some certain food(s) causes inflammation on your skin, then you can either reduce or avoid that food.

The dermatologist additionally highlights, “The best way to deal with acne is to wash your face twice daily using very basic or mild soap. Do not use any exfoliant but rather use your bare hands to avoid causing any inflammation.”

According to Dr Mawenzi, acne should not cause too much alarm, however, if it is mild or severe, speak to a dermatologist who'll get to the root cause of your acne for correct treatment.

Furthermore, Dr. Mawenzi encourages patience and not giving up on the treatments since the healing needs time.

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