I'm new here! I have a changeable condition and medical fears, I want to speak with other people with visible differences

[littlemy7]

Hey! It's good to see that we have a forum. I'd really like to be able to connect with people with visible difference, particularly those with changeable conditions and medical decisions to make. I'm not in London, so I don't know how I'd find people in a similar position to me.

I have experiences with very severe acne and I don't respond well at all in many ways to drug treatments or anything else really. Most things online about acne specifically are geared towards 'curing' the condition, which is something I don't have hope for, and I feel it's an unfair and unhelpful expectation to strive for something that unrealistic. I struggle with social anxiety about looking different (from how I did yesterday, and will tomorrow, and how I did a year ago, or two years ago, and compared with everyone else). It's really hard in lectures particularly (I'm a full-time student) , as I feel very stared at without being able to say anything or share all the other things about myself.

But I also have lots of fear around drug treatments, due to extremely nasty experiences with the only treatment which ever helped me. This makes me scared and overwhelmed and this is worse for me at the moment than the social anxiety. I'd love to speak with some people who have had similar experiences and struggles, and to hear about some of your strategies for dealing with these things, particularly with medical fears but also life in general (I'm a final year student, and so scared about everything that's to come!). Thank you for reading! xx

[SamChangingFaces Partner]

Hi littlemy7. Welcome to the Changing Faces community! Thank you for your post and for sharing your experiences here. It sound like you've been through a lot and hopefully, as the community grows, you'll find people to connect with and to share your thoughts with.