"My Skin Stole My Happiness"

Plagued with chronic acne, Patricia, 19, from Mount Carmel, IL, reveals her emotional battle—and how she’s learning to handle it.

I used to have clear skin—in fact, friends and teachers would compliment me on how great it looked, making me feel pretty and confident. But my senior year, I started getting breakouts and things changed. At first, I didn’t think my acne was unusual: You get a pimple, treat it, and it clears up. But mine didn’t go away.