This is mostly a question for the females, but anyone can offer an opinion.

So. Assume you have a good-looking guy, right. Not just average, but in terms of facial structure and so forth actually good-looking. Now assume that he has mild to severe acne.

When does it begin to have a big impact on his attractiveness? One or two pimples is too much, or does it not really matter unless there's so much it actually disfigures his face, or what?

Well, I'm pretty much into this girl at work, and she has acne but I don't think it's a big deal. I mean, I would hope they looked at me the same way...right?

Find a girl with the same problem, she will probably be glad of the attention.

just clean up your face if your worried about it, and i dont know about you, but if a girl didnt like me becuase i had acne i wouldnt want to be with her

Unless it's very extreme (I mean like deep, cystic acne covering the entire face), acne doesn't play any part in my decision as to whether or not a guy is attractive. I actually like it if a guy has or has had bad skin because then he can understand the struggles I've gone through with my skin.

I may be more understanding because I have acne, but I don't think I've ever heard any of my girlfriends with perfect skin say anything bad about a guy because he has zits. I thinking having acne is more of an internal struggle with yourself, and most other people don't really care/notice what your skin looks like. My skin is pretty crappy and I still have a sexy ass boyfriend with perfect skin. So yeah, don't worry about it.

Sicky, I love you, but if you mention your boyfriend in one more post, I plan to hunt him down and ruin that beautiful face with a pick axe.

And to all the girls who claim that acne doesn't matter, I used to have it.
Now I don't; guess what? I get laid with far more ease and frequency.
But I do have a friend with terrible skin who gets laid all the time. So it's a real coin-toss. Probably has something to do with your personality.

In my experience... propre > sale.
This is all.

Fuck attraction, from this one person, i can come to terms that it's personallity.

This kid bishu i know is a skinny 15 year old punk rocker. Dirty, brown skinned, ceptum peircing in his nose, and always walks around with his pubes, and ass crack out. Ugly fuckin kid, but he's cool as shit. He's scored with several good looking chicks, and he's even managed to get a hot chick to let hm piss, that's right piss, in her mouth.

My world was turned upside down when i met this kid.-

I don't think acne is that big of a deal. My boyfriend is a very good looking guy, but he has a fair bit of acne, but it doesn't bother me at all. A fair share of girls hit on him so they mustn't be bothered by it either. As long as you're not covered in crusty, pus-oozing craters, it isn't too much of an issue.

Well in a biological sense, having acne is a sign of ill-health, which demonstrates a lower survival value, which is not as likely to attract a mate.

But whatever, it doesn't matter.

Thanks all for your replies. They are, for the most part, reassuring. :)

As you might have guessed, I have lots of acne. It's really weird, though - only a few are actually raised red bumps, none ooze pus, and most are just pinkish discolorations. Scarring, I guess? Anyway, it's noticeable but hopefully not gross.

My partner has quite bad acne, not as bad as it used to be, it's getting a hell of alot better.
But it doesn't bother me that much, it's a superficial thing, and it does eventually go away (unless I see a really big, white one, and then I do that anoying female thing where I have to gouge it out and my male component whines like a bitch).
If you're personality is killer, than you really don't have anything major to worry about, imo anyway, because I tend to think that looks are a bit of a bonus, and you said you look fine, you just have a bit of acne, and only matter really for the first ten seconds.

With the acne thing I don't think you have too much to worry about as I managed to get a stunning girl and have mild acne.

Even thought I have pretty mild acne now (usually only comes after shaving or letting my beard grow out), I've had my skin anywhere from terrible to completely clean during my high school years. I have noticed that when I had bad acne, I felt worse about myself, but I eventually realized that chicks didn't care, so I started not to care either. Now I have an all-right complexion and I still get pussy because I have the confidence. I reckon that guys with bad acne who don't get laid only have their confidence to blame, not their acne.

Oddly enough, with everything I've gone through, I still prefer (not exclusively) a clear-skinned girl over one with acne. Can't explain why, I'm an hypocrite.

I'm not sure about facial acne. I'm a guy, and I don't really care if a girl has it.

I've heard a girl say that she thought her boyfriends bacne was gross. But she didn't dump him because of it.

Dude, that's what S&A all about. What would it be without Sick mentioning her BF, XiaoMiao mentioning her husband and me going on about my dirty flatmate that I had a habit of falling into bed with?

Anyway.. to the OP. I've never had super severe acne, but I can't seem to shake what I do have. I still get my fair share. How you present yourself otherwise should be of more importance and actual confidence/personality. You know the drill.

I have bad acne and I think it has an impact on my attractiveness. I think a few pimples don't make much difference but once you start getting into a large area of acne it becomes unattractive. I wouldn't want to go out with a girl who was covered in spots. Although the majority of posters have said the complete opposite, so maybe i'm wrong?

Oddly enough, with everything I've gone through, I still prefer (not exclusively) a clear-skinned girl over one with acne. Can't explain why, I'm an hypocrite.

I prefer clear skinned girls also. But a few pimples dont bother me unless it just stays there and gets worse. I am not shallow i just dont find it attractive. I had bad and oily skin when i went through puberty. Now i only get a random pimple or two and they are gone in a few days.

It's not a huge deal. As long as it isn't blatantly greasy and it's obvious that the person takes absolutely no care of their skin and appearance and general well-being, then it's completely normal to have acne.

Most people can't pretend that they'd choose a person with terrible skin over someone with perfect skin though, barring any personality discrepancies or whatever else you factor into choosing a mate. All of us are superficial in one way or another.

My dad says that it's directly related to how much sugar you consume.

Your daddy, is a fucking lier.

I know this one dude with the worse acne you could possibly imagine. He's worse than the 'before' pictures on those commercials for anti-acne products.

He has boils the size of ping pong balls on his neck and back.

Yet, he manages to get some pretty decent girls, I must say.

I don't really like him much anymore, so I don't want to give him too much praise, but let's just suffice to say that if he can do it, pretty much anyone can do it.

Actually, come to think of it, I think he has some kind of weird skin condition, something worse than acne. It really is that bad. Plus, he's 24, and it hasn't gotten much better.

BP + accutane = No acne

www.acne.org

I heard bleach gets rid of acne pretty well.

I refuse to use Accutane. :p But thanks for the link!

@gadzooks: Maybe I should consider myself lucky...

@All the other new posters: Thanks for the replies! I feel less insecure now, actually. :D

I actually seem to have found a way to reduce my acne. If it continues to work, I will share it for the benefit and edification of all mankind. :o

Why not share now god damn it

if it's just little pinkyness, then whatever. it would only bother me if you were plastered in boillsssss.

my boyfriend had acne like you describe, and hella blocked pores, but for the last six months has skin is virtually perfect now he's grown up. just a few open pores, but otherwise lovely and no obvious scarring to suggest he ever had acne :/ specially as there's stubbly-doo whee a lot of it used to be.

seeing as you're already with your lady, and have been for quite a while, i dout she gives two fucks or even notices :] when i look at him, i don't notice the skin, i look at eyes, mouth & nose, as i do with most people.

I had pretty severe acne when i was in grade 7-9.

It was gettin pretty bad, I tried alot of antibiotics, they were just temporary solutions. Accutane is the only CURE. 6 months on that shit and my acne was GONE. NO it didnt make me depressed. NO it did not fuck up my liver.


Its wierd imagining I had acne at one point, cause now many years later, my skin is still clear.

I want a cure :(, maybe not so much in later life but i'm positive that girls in "high school" as most of the people on here will call it, care about appearances including acne.

seeing as you're already with your lady, and have been for quite a while, i dout she gives two fucks or even notices :] when i look at him, i don't notice the skin, i look at eyes, mouth & nose, as i do with most people.
Good point! :)

It was gettin pretty bad, I tried alot of antibiotics, they were just temporary solutions. Accutane is the only CURE. 6 months on that shit and my acne was GONE. NO it didnt make me depressed. NO it did not fuck up my liver.
I'm scared of Accutane. I'm already prone to depression, and not the healthiest person on the planet. I know it usually works, but still... unless my acne persists past puberty and gets a lot worse, the risk is not worth it.

Why not share now
lol, k :D

I have tried benzoyl peroxide; didn't work very well. Antibiotics - same deal. Nothing seemed to work. However, as soon as I started doing these two simple things, my acne started to go away. So here is my super-secret incredible acne-destroying plan :D:

1.) Wash your face twice a day with antibacterial soap. This is the main part, I think... even when I don't do #2, this seems to help. Waaay better than prescription medicines, even!
2.) Get sunlight. Two reasons: a, sunlight kills germs and seems to bleach my acne as well; b, sunlight darkens skin and makes acne less noticeable. My friend has about the same amount of acne that I do, but I didn't notice until today because he's swarthy and the acne blends in really well.

Let me know if it helps. :)

lol, k :D

I have tried benzoyl peroxide; didn't work very well. Antibiotics - same deal. Nothing seemed to work. However, as soon as I started doing these two simple things, my acne started to go away. So here is my super-secret incredible acne-destroying plan :D:

1.) Wash your face twice a day with antibacterial soap. This is the main part, I think... even when I don't do #2, this seems to help. Waaay better than prescription medicines, even!
2.) Get sunlight. Two reasons: a, sunlight kills germs and seems to bleach my acne as well; b, sunlight darkens skin and makes acne less noticeable. My friend has about the same amount of acne that I do, but I didn't notice until today because he's swarthy and the acne blends in really well.

Let me know if it helps. :)

sPEAKIng (sorry caps lock) of acne, have you guys ever noticed that after a few nights of using prescription acne gel (once at night) that your face starts to like, burn sometimes?
I too have acne. IDK, its really not bad. Not a bunch of red ones that stick out. IDK, it doesnt seem that bad, hopefully its not that big of a deal.

I didnt have terrible acne, but it was pretty bad. Definently noticable. Especially since I got it before everyone else. Now more people have it so not as many people care but I was one of the only ones in my grade to have acne in the beginning of 7th grade. I'm a freshman now and its a lot better. I take a prescription pill once a night before bed, not sure what its called, and I also use some wierd facewash my mom gave me. I still have some acne, but a LOT less. Also, i've noticed that if you play sports, especially ones with helmets, your probably going to get acne around your chin/cheeks/wherever it contacts your skin. I notice my skin is better when i'm injured during lax or hockey season and during the offseason. I try not to let it bother me, but in reality, I get pretty self-concious (sp?) about it when its bad. I think the only thing you can do is try and be confident and try to make it seem like it doesnt bother you and be outgoing. Just remember, in a few years, you most likely wont have any.

it really doesnt matter i dont think. one of my friends has pretty bad acne and his girlfriend is super fucking hot. i think chicks mostly go for a nice personality, as opposed to looks. i may be totaly wrong but thats what i have noticed.

pfft yeah, cause I have acne, not bad, and so does my girlfriend... (not bad.)
still visible and all but you know how it is.
But this guy I know has it too, and worse than us, but he has these MASSIVE pus-y zits, like, never pops them all over his face and around his mouth.
but somehow he still gets girls.

@gadzooks: Maybe I should consider myself lucky..

If I have any pictures of this guy on my computer (which I doubt, since I dislike him for completely irrelevant reasons), I will send you some. His acne (if that's even what it is) is so bad, that it is a common conversational piece amongst other friends in our circle.

At least... that's how it was back when we all hung out. Years ago I used to live with him even. And like I said before, I hate feeding him compliments (despite the fact that he will most likely never read these), because he has become somewhat of an asshole as of late. But he must have the worse case of acne I have EVER seen in my ENTIRE life... and that includes infomercials and commercials and TV and all that.

And right now, he's got a pretty decent looking girlfriend.

I truly believe that acne isn't something to get so worked up over. I actually went through a very intense acne phase when I was younger. I even checked this acne forum regularly for cheap, easy ideas. I tried everything from egg yolk masks to toothpaste, etc. And my acne wasn't even really all that bad. Or maybe it was... That's the thing... I eventually realized that it wasn't as important as I made it out to be.

I essentially made a mountain out of a molehill. (Or multiple mountains out of multiple little 'molehills'... :p Sorry, I'm drunk and also kinda fucked on ketamine right now, so please excuse my attempt at a pun).

Also, conversely, when I first look at a girl (and I am almost as shallow as they come, to be honest), if she has acne, but is otherwise very attractive, all she has to do is have a decent personality to complete the package, and I will pretty much forget the fact that she has any acne.

And since women are more naturally attracted to personality traits than guys are, that is a good thing. It just makes it that much easier.

Either way, don't think into it too much, because that's what I did, and it put a damper on a large portion of my teenage years.

When I was in my teens I had bouts of bad acne.

When I was around fifteen, i was your typical depressed greasy teenager, listening to Korn in a dark room, muttering about how the world sucks.

My acne got me even further down than my already warped mindset had me, and i would complain about it as much as anything. I remember one day my mum's husband mentioned a nephew of his, while I was doin' my usual complaining bit. Seemingly out of the blue, he started talking about this guy who I knew pretty well. He told me that he's had a severe acne problem for a long time.

Sure enough, next time I met him I took a closer look and his face was either spotty or scarred from it, over the majority of the surface... I had never really noticed before it had been pointed out to me.

After that, I realised that people don't look at you and immediately see your acne.

sPEAKIng (sorry caps lock) of acne, have you guys ever noticed that after a few nights of using prescription acne gel (once at night) that your face starts to like, burn sometimes?

oh yesss, my friend is on the last course of ointments & pills before they stick her on accutane(it's a mega last resort here in the uk. she's been trying different things and gone to countless doctors and dermatologists and they're only just considering accutane) and she walks around with a permanent look of pain on her face :[
i once used my friends very weak over the counter acne cream on a pimple when i was at hr house. and fuckkk, i had too much cream on my finger, so just dabbed a bit on a random pinky patch of skin. the next morning those two places were dry as fuck and stingy and took countless dousing with cocoa butter to clear up the horrid painful dryness!

Go to the doctor and get some medication for it.
I did, lulz.

Listen to me I have had acne since 8th grade now I am in 11th. I've tried tons of things to clear it, but it's slowly calming down. I have tons of friends, and girlfriends. Girls check me out all the time, and no says shit about it. I have sulfur on my face now as I write this. "It's all about your attitude." If you already have a reputation as being a fag and shit goodluck. No one cares about acne. Ya other guys may say shit about it, but if you care what other fags say then your one to. I just have some acne on my jaw area, and a little on the cheeks. I am going to the prom in a week with a wicked hot girl. Keep clean, wear kool clothes, maybe a necklace, and be as "chill" as possible. If you see a wicked hot girl with some acne you would still hook up with her for other reason. It's the same with girls if they see something they're attracted they'll like you for who you are.

just so long as her face isn't covered in white-heads and/or pops them frequently in public, i'm generally ok with it.

mine hasn't really been bad enough to cause any problems with the opposite sex.