Acne affecting bids?
 

Hi, I'm about to be a freshman at University of Wisconsin - Madison. (I'm also new to GreekChat, so-hello!) I'm really interested in going through recruitment and joining a sorority. However, I'm kind of worried about how physical appearance will affect my bids. I have moderate/severe acne. It's completely genetic, I'm really the cleanest person you will ever meet. With makeup, it's not awful as without but it's still kind of prominent. There's nothing else I think would affect rush, but I guess it makes me a little nervous about trying. In everyday life, I don't let it affect me, I don't carry myself as if I'm ashamed of it (although in college without knowing anyone I admit it will be tough) and I have been able to have a pretty normal life. I'm just wondering because this seems to be a really appearance-based kind of thing, and I was wondering how badly it might hurt my chances at UW-Madison. I have good grades, extracurriculars, good stories to tell - I think otherwise I'm a really good candidate.

Thank you so much for reading :)

I can't comment on your particular school. But don't predetermine that recruitment is an "Appearance-based kind of thing" Go in with an open mind and just enjoy recruitment.

First off everyone has acne. I'm 31 and I still get acne when I am stressed out. It's life. Second, would you want to be in a chapter that couldn't see past the acne? The answer is probably no. You need to go in and be yourself and let your personality shine though and stop worrying about your acne. If that is your "focus", the chapters will notice it, and it will be the personality (or lack there of) that gets you dropped not your acne.

I agree with this. If it is really on your mind, it will show and you won't appear as confident or secure in yourself as you might normally.

I will share a secret with you - Proactiv.

It's about $20 a month (for the basic package) and it works. If you start now, chances are, your acne can be greatly improved by the time school starts.

There's actually a commercial for Proactiv that shows a girl who "moved into a sorority and realized that the secret behind their beautiful skin is Proactiv." When you think about the things you spend money on, $20 a month isn't all that much. If you find it too strong (and they have a money-back guarantee), use a little less.

Some people find relief in competitors to Proactiv (similar 3-step systems) but it can't really hurt to try it out.

And I am not saying this bc a sorority will drop you simply because you have acne, but because we all want fresh, clear skin. I'd love to hear if you try it out.

Proactiv works for a lot of people, but be aware that it can stain your clothes (mainly at the collars).

Sometimes Proactiv isn't enough. You can always consult a dermatologist. After years of struggling and trying pretty much every commercial treatment out there, I finally went to a dermatologist to get my skin under control, and the prescriptions I've received have made a massive difference overall.


Other than that, work on presenting yourself in the best way possible overall. Be confident in your resume, in your appearance and in your qualities. Buying and learning to use makeup that hides your acne and accentuates your other features can help, but letting your personality shine through is most important.

Also be aware that it's nearly impossible to stop using Proactiv. Once you stop using it, the acne always comes back, and a great deal of the time, comes back worse than before. Like the other posters have said, check with a doctor!

You seem pretty confident otherwise; focus on those aspects and have a great recruitment! Good luck:)

If you haven't seen a dermatologist, I recommend that you do. Moderate to severe acne left untreated can lead to severe scarring of the skin. A dermatologist can really improve your skin and help preserve your skin texture. You don't have to live with such severe acne.

1. Proactiv's not really a secret - most people have heard of it...thank-you Kelly Clarkson and Jessica Simpson.

2.10 to 1 odds the OP has tried it.

Personally, it works well for me when I have an occasional breakout. YMMV.

The above posters have given you good information about self confidence. To add my two cents: go see a dermatologist. Acne can be a bacterial infection and there are medicines to clear it up that are not otc. (This is in addition to Proactiv which really does work on some people.)

obviously all schools are different and every case varies, but i have a little success story about this:

this past year i rushed (fairly competitive, but small school) with a bunch of my suitemates, ones of which had pretty moderate/severe acne. She was always so self conscious about it like late at night, when we were washing up for bed, but you would never be able to tell any other time because she was so sweet/funny and pretty much perfect lol. Anyway, skip to pref: she had 2 of the most desired sororities on campus (i KNOW this is frowned upon, but she ended up in the TOP sorority). No doubt it was because she was beautiful inside & out despite her acne.

You can guess what im trying to say :). Good luck with your rush and if any treatments don't work, really don't worry about it!

As long as you act like it isn't there, it probably won't effect how sororities see you. I still get spots occasionally at 23 and mine's genetic too, so I'm sure that it'll pop up whenever I'm stressed...forever. Make up helps, but pretending it's not there helps more. People aren't as likely to notice if you act like you've got the best skin in the world. It took me forever to realize that, but it's true.

You've probably seen a dermatologist before, but you might want to make an appointment about two months before recruitment to see if they have any suggestions for new/different medication that might help. For those of us that have it in our genes, it probably won't go away completely, but treating it is still important. Also be sure to ask your doctor for make up suggestions. Some brands and formulas can make acne worse. (And if you don't want to splurge on department store make up, ask for brands that are sold in drug stores. Nuetrogena is almost always a safe bet.) Also be sure you're washing your face twice a day, and especially at night to remove all the oil and make up from the day. You can also try a Zeno HotSpot...they're $40 and you get about 80 uses from them. They won't help with cystic acne, but they do help regular pimples, especially when you catch them early. The most important thing is to keep your skin healthy and get it under control so that you can avoid cysts and scars (and they all tell you not to touch it-really, don't. I have one scar on my chin because I didn't listen to that warning when I was 18.)

Also-if you do get acne cysts and are able to get to your dermatologist for a cortisone shot, do it. Those things hurt and the shot will dissolve it in about a day.

Aren't there cortizone treatments that can lessen the redness (at least temporarily)? That might be an option for recruitment at least.

I thought those were just for individual pimples, not your whole face.