Dear counsellor, I am developing pimples, and my colleagues in class laugh at me saying I look weird. I fear going to school nowadays because of their hurting words. My parents told me that’s Normal, but i am confused. How can I deal with the situation? Is it normal? Beatrice

I know what it’s like to feel the discomfort, embarrassment and anguish of teenage acne, often leading to low self-esteem. Don’t freak out when you feel that your pimples make you "look bad”. Remember your overall self-esteem comes from a variety of more specific domains other than facial appearance alone.

If you think that your pimples make you look unattractive, there are many things that you can do to improve your self-image, such as challenging negative thoughts, building up your confidence and focusing on the underlying potentials that shine your personality as an exceptional girl above the ordinarily. Focus on what you like about your abilities, individuality, relationships, and perspective on the world. The feeling of not being good enough because of pimples usually comes when you give it room to undermine the value of your noticeable positive attributes that define your unique character. So, the more positive self-thought you have, the better your overall self-esteem will become.

You shouldn’t care about what your classmates think about you. If they judge you for having pimples, that’s not your fault and it’s their own problem. Remember, most interesting and successful people in the world got that way by ignoring peoples’ perceptions and utilising their true talents and potentials. Focus on keeping your body healthy and well balanced because being concerned about your body’s shape isn’t beneficial to your overall well-being. Therefore, engage in enough exercise and appropriate diet to get in shape, but not to the point of trying to achieve the image of a fashion model.

Surround yourself with academically focused friends who don’t criticize or judge you because it can negatively affect you, and for this to work-out, choose your friends wisely by paying attention to the compliment they make of you. In fact good friends can even help you work towards your career and fitness goals, which may help you, feel more confident in your looks as well.

Relaxation techniques may help you break the habit. Also, take a daily multivitamin including vitamin C, which helps with healing scars, and zinc, which is good for skin health and avoid heavy and greasy make-up. If the acne persists, seek medical advice from a skin specialist to help identify whether your acne is adolescent-related or chronic but above all, be patient while knowing that acne heals slowly even with the best treatment from your doctor. By practicing the above strategies you can learn to accept and hold yourself to higher standards to live a much healthier and happier life.