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Woman with severe acne reveals how the agonizing condition left her too scared to go outside

She is so brave for sharing! - by Grace Back
  • 15 Dec 2017

Steph Klassen has battled with severe adult acne for years, and has bravely revealed pictures of her make-up free face while opening up about the debilitating condition. 

The 29-year-old mother of two has been posting regular updates of her condition, showing how her condition leaves her face swollen and red. 

stephmkt1d View Profile
360 likes - View Post on Instagram
Every day when I'm about to post a pic of myself I go into my app that has these crazy cool edits, I edit my face to look like it use to and just sit there and stare at it for a while. Then, I delete it and post the real deal. 🤷🏽‍♀️ yesterday I was looking back on old pictures...the first one is from 4 months ago. The emotional and mental toll of extreme acne is unreal, I have been through some incredibly difficult life experiences 1. My past (too much to go into now) 2. The loss my our baby June at 18weeks 3. This. I know this is just a season, like the rest, i WILL overcome this, and my face will look even BETTER than it did before 🙌🏼💜 . . . . . . . #beforeandafter #activeacne #adultacne #hormonalacne #cysticacne #painfulacne #healthcareaide #passion #t1dstrong #t1dlookslikeme #gobluefordiabetes #westcoastatheart #londonfogaddict #jesuskindoflove #jesusisstronger #wifelife #boymomma #dogmomma #miscarriageawareness #imasurvivor #bekind #weallhaveastory

Steph revealed to the DailyMail her most recent breakout 'came out of nowhere' at the end of September, and that within two weeks it had escalated to a severe stage. 

Klassen revealed to her Instagram followers how difficult it is suffering from adult acne, making it hard for her to go out comfortably in public. 

'My sense of self-confidence is slightly askew,' she wrote in one post. 

'I feel SO great around loved ones—close friends and close family. But then I go out and I have a hard time making eye contact or even holding my head high. I end up exhausted from trying to keep myself from bawling or just straight up loosing it.'

stephmkt1d View Profile
279 likes - View Post on Instagram
> . This is a one week difference. First pic is December 1, second pic is today. . Last night was not a good one for me...i got hit like a freight train with the flu, which is incredibly unusual for me, i haven't had the flu in forrrrever. I'm assuming all the antibiotics I've been on have worn down my immune system. Anyway, once that happened i lost it. I'm sorry to anyone who was in the path of my break down. I've hardly slept, it's been a rough night. Praying i can get some sleep today, blood sugars are running on the high side, of course-thanks flu virus. Tryin' real damn hard to find those stupid 🌈☀️🍭 cuz right now it feels more like ⛈🤬😭💀 . "It's just a bad day, not a bad life, it's just a bad day, not a bad life...*repeat*" . . . . . . . #t1dlookslikeme #t1dstrong #t1dwarrior #omnipod #dexcomg5 #adultacne #hormonalacne #cysticacne #antiinflammatorydiet #131diet #skinprobs #isotretinoin #accutane #healthcareaide #jesuskindoflove #heisgood #throughthestorm #westcoastatheart #prairielife #boymomma #wifelife #banginbangs #floralsleeve #floraltattoo #anxiety #seasonaldepression #bekind #weallhaveastory

According to Steph, her severe adult acne started after she was admitted to the ICU after suffering from sepsis. Doctors saved her life, but several days later, Steph ended up losing the baby at 18 weeks of pregnancy.

Steph has begun a serious skin regime to try and fight the problem, but admits she is 'finding it hard to look at herself in the mirror.' 

'I'm pretty sure I have a warped image of what's actually looking back at me at this point,' she said. 'People tell me it's looking so much better. But I just see a mess. Some days I feel like a monster.'

'The cysts were so deep they were hitting the nerve endings in my face. The feeling was like a million lightening bolts shooting all across my face,' she said. 'I would actually twitch involuntarily. I couldn't wash my face or touch it. Sometimes I felt so helpless I'd just sit and cry.'

This article originally appeared on New Idea.

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