The aesthetic and beauty conversation surrounding healthy skin often times can obscure the real emotional issue of chronic active acne.  Although these other issues are real and distracting,  the main issue here is one of control.  If something breaks in your body, it’s always very reassuring to know that you can find a medication, a service, or a lifestyle change that can help you get back to normal.  

    However,  when you are diligently making major efforts with all possible resources available and finding no relief,  a real anxiety will arise.

   I observe the classic anxiety that arises with chronic acne as a predictable consequence of this condition regardless of the original strength of one’s character.   If you are feeling anxious about your acne that has not yet been controlled using standard treatment,  try not to get down on yourself for it.  It’s extremely common, predictable, and reversible.  Your anxiety, frustation, fear, depression, and eventual hopelessness have all been witnessed before.  I’m writing this post to help people observe their own emotional reactions.  As you become more self-observant, you will find yourself less reactive and more keen to your own feelings and actions.

This control issue is also one of the reasons why those without chronic acne will find it difficult to ever really understand what it is you are going through.   

Here’s an example of the distinction between aesthetic issues and the bigger issue of control:

If someone gets hit in the face and takes a small superficial wound on their cheek, they will likely be upset.  This upset will likely manifest as anger, annoyance, and then quickly resolve into acceptance as it appears there will be minimal permanent damage. 

In contrast,  If an acne patient gets the same size pimple on their cheek at the same time,  they will not go through the stages of grief properly because there is a another issue in the mix.  Although the temporary aesthetic problem may be similar,  there are many differences:

1)  They may be ashamed at the stigma of having acne.   

2)  They don’t really know why it came up in the first place.  

3)  They don’t know when the next wound will be coming.

4)  They are doubly frustrated since they are already eating well and using many acne medications. 

This example was put here to show the differences between aesthetic concerns and control issues. 

If someone close to you does not understand why you are getting upset about your acne problem,  clue them into the real issue of persistent acne. 

This is not a superficial problem.   It is a physical and emotional issue of control.

   You can observe this issue in the videos as the anxiety changes from week to week.   The reason things have changed is not only because their skin looks much nicer.  They are calmed down by the reality that they have regained control of their lives.   Listen closely for the transformation.

Hope this helps, 

-Dr. Neal

©2009   “Control Issues…”      by    Dr. Neal Schwartz

I often refer to this emotional phenomenon in the blog and thought it would be helpful to discuss the detailed aspects of this human reaction.

Search up Self-Victimization on google and you will learn a great deal about needless suffering and the types of behaviors that are extremely common with chonic sufferers of any kind.

None of the quotes online hit me perfectly so I will share my experiences of self-victimization of acne sufferers from my personal and  professional experience.

Dr. Neal’s Definition of Self -Victimization:

Self-Victimization is the act of logically choosing self-pity over self-improvement.   It is often generated  from the combination of prior failure and the loss of energy.   When pessimism is synergistically matched with low energy,  the result is a Logical Conclusion of hopelessness.

( If you are familiar with logic,  you will know that logic has nothing to do with real accuracy.   Rather,  for something to be considered logical,  the conclusion only needs to be consistent with the premises made.   If the premises made are inaccurate,  so is the logical conclusion.   Making Logical Conclusions is the origin of victimization and needless suffering.)

Example of Basic Logic:

premise #1:     This page is green.

premise #2:     All green pages make me hungry.

conclusion:     This page makes me hungry.

(this is a valid logical argument even though premise #1 was not accurate.  The power of Logic is not based in accuracy.  It is based in consistency)

For all who are attached to their powers of logical thinking,  know that the stronger you hold onto your logical conclusion,  the more blind you become to the reality that your original premises that made up this conclusion may, in fact, be flawed.     Deep Attachment to a logical conclusion creates the real blind spot.

There are endless examples of how logical thinking has harmed humankind.  If you think of any genocide or large scale human torture,  you will uncover that the propagators of such acts were not all evil people.   Rather,  they were foolishly duped by Logical Conclusions that were generated from the pseudoscience of the time.    If you review the Anthropological science at the time of the Holocost, American slavery, or any other long standing act of inhumanity,   you will reveal the Inaccurate Premises that were generated from the scientific and popular communities to justify such acts.   Those who propagated the inhumane culture had made Logical Conclusions based in these inaccurate premises.  It was the deeply held power of logic that Blinded all other instincts of what was right or wrong.

(This tangent was mentioned to show the “Blinding Effects of Deeply held Logical Conclusions”)

Back to acne….

(We have now shown examples of the blinding effects of deeply help logical conclusions.  Keep this in mind when thinking about the following situations)

Victimized acne patients are constantly telling me how their case is “untreatable” or “special”.    How were these Conclusions made?

Here’s how:

By failing all common treatments, a premise is made.  With a few more failures,  a mistaken conclusion is generated.

Here’s how it is created:

Inaccurate premise #1:    ”Since I failed all other treatments that have helped other people,  my acne must be “special” or “different”.

Inaccurate premise #2:    There are no treatments available for “special” or “different” acne.

Proper Logical  Conclusion:     “My acne is untreatable”

( This is perfect logic !! )

Remember:   Logical thinking is not based in accuracy,  only in the premises that make up the conclusion.

Over time,  an acne sufferer will often deeply attach to this logical conclusion only strengthening the attachment with every new failure.   The deep hold on the conclusion will blind them from EVER reevaluating the faulty premises that created this conclusion.

I witness this “Logical Victimization” every day.   The higher the intelligence of the patient, the more at risk they are of a greater blind spot.  This is the reality because highly intelligent, well studied, individuals are more confident in their skills of logical thinking as it has brought them many successes in other areas of life.  In the artistry of medicine and wellness however,  it is the highly logical thinkers who often times needlessly suffer the most.

For example: Doctors do not have relatively long life expectancies.    (–we’ll do a post about this later.)

Bottom Line:

The combination of prior failure and lowered energy creates a powerful breed of hopelessness we call Self-Victimization.   It is only those with a tenacity for victory who will expend massive amounts of energy to dig themselves out of this spiral of failure.  If you are searching for hope but can’t summon the energy to get back in the fight, follow my lead step by step in the crossfit section of this blog.

I’ll be here,

-Dr. Neal

©2009   “Self-Victimization and Logic”    by  Dr. Neal Schwartz

     As you watch the case studies,  you can hear the heartache of people who have not had a clear month in many years despite incredible efforts to get well.   This type of relentless stress has a long lasting emotional impact that is worsened by every passing month of failure.

    Sometimes family or friends may look at your face and say,  “Why are you so upset?  It doesn’t look that bad??”   Although they won’t really understand, maybe this post will give them an insight into the real emotional problem of acne.  Let them know that this is not simply a superficial concern.  The real agonizing issue of acne is the chronically relapsing lack of control.    

     Those patients who get new bumps every week despite putting creams all over their faces, taking pills, and eating obsessively restricted diets develop a serious new problem.   The new emotional problem is expressed as deep frustration from Chronic Failure.   The combination of fighting very hard and repetitively losing causes a tangible stress disorder.   Add the fact that many tenacious people are unwilling to ever give in,  and the heartache of failure goes on for decades.   Any temporary progress only teases and taunts them, amplifying the cycle of emotional pain.  

   As an example,  I’d like to show you a very, very mild case on a girl who is very intelligent, soulful, non-superficial, warm, and relaxed.   At first glance,  anyone with or without serious acne will dismiss her as a someone who is whining about her imperfect skin.  However, if you listen closely to her real emotion and tone,  you will feel that the chonic persistent failure is one of the main things that distracts her.  This emotional struggle occurs despite the severity of the case.  It’s the stubborness of acne that gets people stuck in a negative emotional spiral.

Even though her case never looked that bad,  listen to the emotional transformation.  It represents the thrill of “Victory” and a core issue of chronic stubborn acne.            

“Janet”

  If you get frustrated trying to explain why you are upset to your family or friends,  try showing them this post and let me know if they gain any insight into the real issues of acne. 

Take care, 

-Dr. Neal

©2008  ”The Agony of Defeat”   by Dr. Neal Schwartz

       You’re a special person.  With all your quirks, your strengths, your history, and your troubles.  Your skin however, is not special.  Regardless of how intolerant of products, or how  heavily oily or reactive it gets…,  it’s still not special.  Your skin’s current state of unwellness is not unique in any way whatsoever.  Millions of people all over the world have suffered from juicy acne bumps, oil slicked faces, red faces, post-oral isotretinon sensitivity, dry irritation, and oily irritation.  The moment you think your skin is “special”, is the moment you stop looking for answers and stop asking for assistance.  This mistake can potentially cause a lifetime of needless suffering.  

©2008 “My Skin is Special”  by Dr. Neal Schwartz