Fatima
Fatima has had acne since she was aged 12/13. She attended a skin clinic and was prescribed a cream which helped clear her skin. Acne does not affect her life much and Fatima says she feels no need to try and conceal it.
Fatima is 21 and an undergraduate university student. She developed acne when she was about 12 or 13 but says she was not bothered about it at first. Fatima felt it was a normal part of puberty and many of her friends had skin problems too. By the age of 16, it was getting much worse and Fatima went to a walk-in skin clinic recommended to her by her friends. She was prescribed a cream which helped clear her skin. Fatima says the clinic appointments and the cream are really expensive and in the future is looking into finding cheaper alternatives. She is sceptical about the need to have such expensive treatment and thinks it benefits more the people running the clinic.
When Fatima moved to the UK to study, she found that the colder and less humid British climate is better for her skin. Over here, her skin does not get as oily which used to make her acne worse. She has also noticed that stress can have a negative impact on her skin. She is still using the cream prescribed to her back at home and a 6-step process which takes her half an hour daily. Fatima does not find this too much hard work and says that acne does not really have a negative impact on her life in any way. Fatima does not usually wear any make-up and sees no need to conceal acne. The only time she felt the need to do this was when working in customer service in a hotel. She is not fashion-conscious but says that many young people can feel pressure by the ideal of flawless skin portrayed by the media. She points out that there are no models with acne in magazines.
Fatima says she does not know that much about acne or its causes and has not felt the need to search for information about it either. She shares experiences and tips about different treatments with her friends.