Redness. Scarring. Bumps. 19 women on what their pimples actually look like.

This week, model and reality TV star Elyse Knowles shared a post of six selfies with her 900,000 Instagram followers.

“It’s me, baring all and standing in a completely vulnerable position. But I’m doing it because the time is now to make sure you know that while my life can appear glossy at times, there’s a reality behind it all – and this is part of it,” the 26-year-old captioned the images.

The Block 2018 star felt vulnerable sharing these photos online because they showed what her skin looks like.

Without makeup. Bare. Pimples, acne scarring and all.

 

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My skin is one of the hardest things to talk about. It’s me baring all & standing in a completely vulnerable position. But I’m doing it again because the time is now to reach out to all of the amazing women who follow me & make sure you know that while my life can appear glossy at times, there’s a reality behind it all – and this is part of it. I want to share my story with you because you guys are what drives my positivity! The more open we are with each other and the more we help each other, the better & more confident and capable we will all be! LINK IN PROFILE – to read and see what I’ve been doing ☄️

A post shared by Elyse Knowles (@elyse.knowles) on May 28, 2019 at 7:39pm PDT

Speaking openly about how adult acne has affected her throughout her twenties, Knowles said her skin is “one of the hardest things to talk about”.

“The more open we are with each other and the more we help each other, the better and more confident and capable we will all be!” she added.

This is the second time Knowles has posted about suffering from breakouts and cystic acne – the Myer and Aveda ambassador first shared photos of her skin on Instagram at the end of 2018.

 

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I tend to keep things bottled up because I know how blessed I am in many ways. But SKIN does get to me. We all need to be vulnerable & honest at particular points in our lives. It’s not about attracting attention, it’s about being human & reminding ourselves that we all battle with different things from time-to-time. My battle with skin has been ongoing & constant. While it may not look pretty, it’s real. I’m accepting it more and more, but would love to knock them out of the park. Read my thoughts and history with skin! LINK IN BIO. ☹️????????????‍♀️

A post shared by Elyse Knowles (@elyse.knowles) on Dec 19, 2018 at 7:00pm PST

At the time, she wrote on her website:

“I never usually show a completely bare face, wearing absolutely no makeup or tinted moisturiser. Skin has always been a trouble of mine… it can really get me down and cause me to feel incredibly self-conscious.”

“I tend to keep these feelings bottled up because I know how blessed I am in many ways, and some people have much greater troubles with the condition of their skin. I also understand that breakouts are not the end of the world. But despite these rational thoughts, I’m only human and the truth is that my skin issues do make me feel crappy.”

Elyse Knowles spoke to Mamamia’s Leigh Campbell about managing her skin on the You Beauty podcast, get it in your ears below. Post continues after audio.

Knowles is right. Pimples aren’t the end of the world. No one will die from a particularly nasty acne breakout, and the world will continue to turn, despite acne scarring or angry blind pimples popping up (literally) to ruin our days.

But knowing there are greater things one could worry about in the world doesn’t diminish how your skin can make you feel. It’s a part of your face, after all.

Thanks to the mattified, filtered world of Instagram, it’s really easy to forget what real skin actually looks like. That acne and blemishes and divets and spots that bleed because you didn’t pop them right aren’t rare, but something we all deal with.

Skin isn’t poreless. It’s not a perfect pane of glass – even though some beauty brands reckon their products can give you glass skin.

In reality, skin is more like marble, dotted and freckled in your own unique (and often frustrating) pattern. And there’s also nothing wrong with not liking your skin or wanting to try skincare products and treatments to make you feel better about yourself.

We know how sh*t skin issues can weigh on your confidence, but we’d hate for a puss-filled pimple to stop you from living your life. So, inspired by Knowles’ skin selfie, we thought we’d share a bunch of photos of women and their skin.

Pimples, scars and all. No filter required.

And, here are some more women like Knowles who are sharing their skin experiences on Instagram.

 

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A post shared by Emily Van Arendonk (@em.van) on Aug 29, 2018 at 11:50pm PDT

 

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A post shared by ???? Liz Claire • Skin Posi (@prettyprogress23) on Apr 17, 2019 at 3:26am PDT

 

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A post shared by Steffany_blooms (@acnetane_) on Feb 20, 2019 at 11:12am PST

 

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A post shared by SOFIA⚡️skin positivity (@isotretinoinwiths) on May 5, 2019 at 7:02am PDT

 

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A post shared by Grace (@anotheracnepage) on Apr 25, 2019 at 5:11am PDT

 

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A post shared by abi (@abis_acne) on May 5, 2019 at 10:13am PDT

 

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A post shared by Sindhu.J.P (@sindhujp) on Apr 14, 2019 at 6:08am PDT

 

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A post shared by self love nutrition | Kelsea (@selflovenutrition) on May 29, 2019 at 8:04am PDT

 

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A post shared by Deanna Blake | Acne Journey (@deannaskin) on May 20, 2019 at 10:26pm PDT

Do you suffer from adult acne? What works for you? Tell us in the comments?

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