Korea is considered to be the pinnacle of skin-care, with a vast array of products and treatments. But emphasising a clear complexion is not the same as having one, especially where foreigners are concerned. Whether it is the anxiety and stress of travel, the sudden change of diet, or prolonged exposure to the rampant pollution, fact is that many foreigners living in Korea find themselves battling against breakouts. Even those who may have had no history of acne may suddenly find themselves in need of some heavy duty face-wash. Which, for individuals such as myself who do have that history, unfortunately means taking a trip down a very sordid memory lane to a time of pimples and adolescent brutality.

In other words, you will find yourself wishing that mirrors had never been invented.

Or that the whole world had been made blind.

Because God forbid that someone look at you.

But oddly enough, it is not having to wear this face in public that is the worst. It is the irritation to the skin. That constant soreness, which you cannot make stop no matter how hard you scrub, or how often you wash. And believe me, I have tried. Ever since the first blemishes started to appear in hoards on my face, I have been washing twice, sometimes three times daily, as much as needed to remove the fine layer of oil from my skin. On top of which I have been regularly using my speciality toner, spot treatments, and face masks.

If I thought it might help, I bought it.

And hopefully, given some more time, the products I have purchased will bestow a miracle on me and I will be able to return to my prior state of not bad, but not great skin. But if not, if the worst should come to pass, and I remain like this. My plan is to seek out a dermatologist in Seoul, because having acne sucks. You feel as if a spotlight has been put on you, except instead of highlighting the best parts of yourself, it highlights only what is ugly. It makes you want to hide from the world.

And I have spent too much of my life already doing just that.

As I imagine, a lot of us have. Whether it is because of our skin, weight, face, or some other physical feature. The truth of the matter is that for many of us out there, not fitting into that societal ideal of beauty is the same as landing in jail in a game of monopoly. You just sit there, alone, watching as everyone else continues to play, wishing for that way out to come.

Which it will.

The key is to be patient, and to remember that you do not necessarily have to love yourself as is. If you want to change do it. Just make sure that it is for the right reasons. You shouldn’t change to please society, or the crush you wish would hurry up and like you back already. Only yourself. So, if you want plastic, weight-loss, or facial surgery. Get it. Do whatever you need to do to get to a place where when you walk out the door, you don’t have your head hung low, but held up high.

Because God damn you are gorgeous and you want the whole world to know it.