Something similar happened to Chelsea Fahey a girl who had always been celebrated for her looks, since she was a child model and won more than 10 beauty pageant titles, eventually going on win the Miss Teen America 2004 crown.
Her nigthmare began in seventh grade, when she fought an embarrassing battle against severe acne. “I would hide my face with my hair, and I would look down so I wouldn't see people's reactions and I wouldn't have to deal with the pain of seeing people wincing”, remembers Chelsea, who is now 18.
Acne affects personality and emotions of people. Although it is a common problem, it devastates even who are stronger. According to the Academy of Dermatology, almost every teen aged 12 to 17 will suffer from some form of acne, but 40 per cent of those will develop severe acne. They will not get pimples; they will get cysts that can cause scarring and emotional devastation.
“I didn't make very many friends, not wanting to date anyone. I didn't want anyone to touch my face, not looking in mirrors. It was really sad”, tells Chelsea.
She even covered all the mirrors in her house, so she could not see herself. Chelsea tried everything in treatment and medication, such as pills, creams, different face washes, medicated makeup, but nothing seemed to work.
Chelsea refused to talk about the problem, even to her mother. She thought that if she talked about it, she was admitting that she had a problem. And she didn't want to have any more problems than any normal teenager has.
Under Chelsea's mother point of view, she seemed to be fighting a losing battle and retreated further into herself, but the first and main thing Chelsea got to do, it was to admit that she had a problem.
