Tips for Supporting a Friend Who’s Struggling with their Acne

AcneXpert Writers
3 min readJul 7, 2021

If you have a friend or family member who is struggling with acne, you may have noticed that their confidence has taken a hit recently.

Supporting your friend through the struggles they are facing can help to make a huge difference in their life.

You’ll find that when you offer support to someone who is stressed about their skin, they’ll still enjoy going out and spending time with their friends regardless of how bad they may feel their skin looks that day.

1. Don’t Make Comments On Their Skin

Unless your friend specifically asks for advice about their skin, we encourage you not to point out to your friend their spots.

They are very familiar with how their skin looks, and the last thing they need is another dent to their confidence by someone pointing it out.

A digital sign bearing the words “Love one another”.
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

If you are asked about their skin, do try to be honest, but don’t tell them anything which may upset them or make them feel worse about themselves.

2. Avoid Making Product Recommendations

Most people who are struggling with acne have already tried a wide variety of products.

Everyone’s skin is different, so suggesting treatments and products that worked for you isn’t necessarily going to be useful to your friend.

While you may think this is a helpful conversation to have with your friend, unless they outright ask you for assistance, don’t suggest anything else they should try for their acne.

3. Be a Good Listener

Whenever we are going through a challenge in life, sometimes all we need is someone to talk to.

Be a good listener and let your friend talk about their problems when they need to. They may not have anyone in their close family they can speak to, and so venting and letting out their stress and frustration may be all they need.

They’ll really appreciate having someone who will listen to them, and it will help them to become more accepting of their acne.

4. Try to Find Fun Activities To Distract Them

Just because your friend is suffering from acne, it doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t enjoy a fulfilling life.

Continue doing all of the activities you used to do together, whether that’s going out for dinner or to a bar or heading to a class at the gym together.

While your friend may be struggling more than usual with their self-confidence, try to find things that will keep them distracted. By choosing places you are both familiar with, you’ll be able to relax and enjoy spending time together.

When someone is going through a big change or challenge in their life, they often just need someone who will listen to them and support them no matter what.

By being there for your friend through the ups and downs, you’ll be able to offer them encouragement on their hardest days.

Your relationship doesn’t have to change just because someone is struggling with acne, so remind your friend of that every day by being there to support them.

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