1. Have a Sense of Humor

What’s the best way to stay confident in spite of a break-out? Laugh it out! Crack a joke about your break-out before anyone else can. Come on! It is pretty funny, isn’t it?

2. Ignore Them

It’s totally okay to ignore those snarky, wicked stinkers who think it’s okay to comment on your complexion. I’ll be they’re just jealous of the pre-pimples you… and they’re taking the one chance they’ll have to tease you… so just ignore them.

3. Save the Drama!

Don’t mope too much or get too whiny. It’s just a few pimples! It’s not the end of the world! If you want to get dramatic about something, I’m sure you can find something much better than acne.

4. Don’t Tease Others

One lesson I learned the hard way - it’s not okay to make fun of someone or to tease them about their skin. You might not realize it until it happens to you, but it can be hurtful. So don’t do it!

5. Know What to Say

It’s bound to happen - someone, somewhere will make a comment. So be prepared with a clever comeback or an answer for whatever that person might have to say.

6. Beware the Frenemy

We all have one of them, a friend who acts more like an enemy. When she sees your skin, she’ll make a snide comment that’s disguised to be helpful, but you know better. Avoid her, or better yet, cut her loose! Why do you need a friend like that, anyway?

7. Change Your Focus

Ok, so you’re skin’s a little messy right now. So focus on your other gorgeous features for a while, like your hair, your eyes, your lips.

8. Keep a Journal/blog

If you’re feeling a little insecure, write your feelings down in private in a journal or diary, or online in a blog. You can decide later whether or not to share it with someone else, but it helps to express those feelings.

9. Don’t Cover-up

You might be tempted to cake on make-up to hide the blemishes, but that’s a very bad idea. First of all, it slows the healing process, and second, it looks bad, crusty and uneven.

10. Don’t Hide inside

Don’t spend your evenings living the “if only” scenarios: if only my skin wasn’t this bad, I’d go out. Every moment of your life is precious, and you won’t get them back! So don’t waste time wishing things were different. Get out there and live anyway!

11. Have a Treatment Plan

Take a step in the right direction and develop a healthy skin treatment plan. Once you have a plan of action, and start your new skin-care ritual, you’ll feel more confident and in control.

12. Talk It out

Do you have one friend you can confide in about how you feel? Then talk to him or her when you’re not feeling very confident cause of your pimples. Chances are, they’ve felt the same way, and might be able to talk you into feeling a little better.

See? It’s completely possible to be confident even with a bad case of acne. My favorite joke when my skin’s not the best? I complain that it’s not fair that I have to worry about wrinkles and acne at the same time! How do you keep your confidence when you’ve got pimples? What works best for you? Please let me know… and share your little jokes, too!

Photo Credit: Pink Sherbet Photography