Our Skin

A place for us to discuss the realities of skin and our bodies. To share our stories, ask for support, and increase visibility. You are worthy and deserving

Our Skin is a queer/fat/sex/body hair POSITIVE environment. all gender and sex identities welcome and encouraged.
i have moderate stress-induced psoriasis on my elbows and around my ears. i keep my hair down and usually wear long sleeves, but it gets tough in the summer. people either point it out automatically, and ask why i can’t make it go away, or claim to never notice (which i find highly farfetched.) it’s not contagious, or gross. it’s just an excess of skin, that turns a lot of people off it seems. i’ve struggled with it my whole life, and have always been so embarrassed by it. i hold my elbows in public, which i assume makes me look pissed with my arms folded over my chest, and i don’t let people touch my ears. i don’t think of it as anything gross, but the more people comment on it and ask me about it, the more conscious i get about it. seeing people with similar problems on this page has helped me profoundly, because i’d never met anyone with skin problems that they can’t help but have before, so it’s a sigh of relief to realize that i’m not alone…thank you.

i have moderate stress-induced psoriasis on my elbows and around my ears. i keep my hair down and usually wear long sleeves, but it gets tough in the summer. people either point it out automatically, and ask why i can’t make it go away, or claim to never notice (which i find highly farfetched.) it’s not contagious, or gross. it’s just an excess of skin, that turns a lot of people off it seems. i’ve struggled with it my whole life, and have always been so embarrassed by it. i hold my elbows in public, which i assume makes me look pissed with my arms folded over my chest, and i don’t let people touch my ears. i don’t think of it as anything gross, but the more people comment on it and ask me about it, the more conscious i get about it. seeing people with similar problems on this page has helped me profoundly, because i’d never met anyone with skin problems that they can’t help but have before, so it’s a sigh of relief to realize that i’m not alone…thank you.

This site..

This place is such an inspiration, I have had seborrheic dermatitis since jr. high. It started on my scalp, which at the time I thought it was just dandruff, but later moved to my face. It got to the point where I wouldn’t look people in the face because it surrounded my eyes ( brow and nose and under eyes). Now I am almost 21 and it is worse then it ever was back then but I don’t care as much. I take it day to day, some good and some bad, but this blog has definitely made for a lot more good days. SIDE NOTE: I am a girl and I have never worn make up to cover my seborrhea up, no matter how bad it gets. This is how I am  and I refuse to cover up to impress someone who won’t like/ love me for who I am!!

Anonymous asked: i genuinely cried looking at this blog. aside from the size of my stomach and my body hair, my skin imperfectons (stretch marks, discolouring, eczema, terrible pores, etc) are my biggest insecurity, and i've always been able to find places which are positive towards the other two, leaving me with my insecurities about my skin to deal with alone. this blog is amazing, and i'll definitely be turning to it to help me with my self-love. thank you so much xxx

Hello beautiful babies!  I have a question I’m hoping someone can help me with.  I have eczema, trich, tinea versicolor and tinea pedis, but last summer I started developing something new and I’ve been unable to figure out what it is despite a ton of research online and attempts at treating it with both my eczema creams and my tinea treatments. Last summer it started as a small flat red spot on one shin, which in turn sprouted a few more small flat red spots around it. They spread to my other shin about a month later, and have just continued slowly spreading ever since, though never off of their original starting position of the front of my shins.  They appear bright red initially and over time fade to more of a peach, but never go away.  when they turn peach they get a bit dry on top, but exfoliating just seems to aggravate them all over again.  They never raise up, the only time there’s any texture at all is when they get dry. Does anyone know what this might be? I love my skin and want it to be happy, but I don’t know what to do :( xoxo, Shannon

Hello beautiful babies!  I have a question I’m hoping someone can help me with.  I have eczema, trich, tinea versicolor and tinea pedis, but last summer I started developing something new and I’ve been unable to figure out what it is despite a ton of research online and attempts at treating it with both my eczema creams and my tinea treatments.

Last summer it started as a small flat red spot on one shin, which in turn sprouted a few more small flat red spots around it. They spread to my other shin about a month later, and have just continued slowly spreading ever since, though never off of their original starting position of the front of my shins.  They appear bright red initially and over time fade to more of a peach, but never go away.  when they turn peach they get a bit dry on top, but exfoliating just seems to aggravate them all over again.  They never raise up, the only time there’s any texture at all is when they get dry.

Does anyone know what this might be? I love my skin and want it to be happy, but I don’t know what to do :(

xoxo, Shannon

This is my keloid scar. I have had it since I was very young, and have tried treatments ranging from topical creams to injections to lasers, but nothing seems to work. Sometimes it itches terribly and other times it sends sharp, shooting pains throughout my entire chest. Until I was 18, I rarely wore anything with a neckline lower than a t-shirt because people often asked me if I had cancer or a skin disease. It’s taken me a long time to learn to be okay with it. This is part of that effort.

This is my keloid scar. I have had it since I was very young, and have tried treatments ranging from topical creams to injections to lasers, but nothing seems to work. Sometimes it itches terribly and other times it sends sharp, shooting pains throughout my entire chest. Until I was 18, I rarely wore anything with a neckline lower than a t-shirt because people often asked me if I had cancer or a skin disease. It’s taken me a long time to learn to be okay with it. This is part of that effort.

lanawhatever asked: hi, this blog is really great and i'm getting kind of teary reading the posts. i've struggled with trichotillomania and dermatillomania since late elementary school (and have only recently started to talk to people other than my parents and doctor about them), and just listening to people talk about how much they like their body hair and stretch marks is inspiring me to try and get more confident about my own.

This is so heartwarming for me!!! I too developed trich and dermatillomania in elementary school and created this blog because I kept meeting folks who thought they were the only ones pulling and picking. It’s that silence and isolation that breeds shame and fear, but we don’t have to live like that!

You’re not alone and we’re stronger than we think <3 

to the person with seborrheic dermatitis—oiling my hair and scalp with neem oil regularly has really really really helped me

I&#8217;ve had dermatillomania for ten years, now. My scars and scabs, which encompass both breasts, my upper arms, and inner thighs, have always been a source of embarrassment for me, but I&#8217;m learning to accept and love myself just the way I am. Finding you amazing people has definitely helped me realize that beauty is more than skin deep.

I’ve had dermatillomania for ten years, now. My scars and scabs, which encompass both breasts, my upper arms, and inner thighs, have always been a source of embarrassment for me, but I’m learning to accept and love myself just the way I am. Finding you amazing people has definitely helped me realize that beauty is more than skin deep.

Anonymous asked: I've had what I guess you could call derma and trich for pretty much my life. In elementary school, I would pull out my hair instead of paying attention, which gradually turned into me clawing at my skin. It's gotten better after my recent ADD diagnosis, with meds I've been noticeably less compulsive.I've also found a very satisfying alternative to skin picking for me is to pop bubble wrap. I'm really happy I found this blog, it's reassuring to see others dealing with skin insecurities as well

These are my breasts. No one has seen them since before I started picking. The scars you see are from over 10 years of dermatillomania, in which I picked at pimples, bumps, whatever. Things would get infected, and then I&#8217;d have to squeeze out all the bad stuff. The negative thoughts fueled the picking, which made my self-esteem plummet even further. I have been &#8220;clean&#8221; for over two months now, though I am not above popping the occasional pimple, which explains the red marks. They used to be so, so much worse. I fantasize about having totally clear skin, and being &#8220;normal.&#8221; Whoever can look past my skin will have my undying love and loyalty, but for now, I&#8217;m covering up.

These are my breasts. No one has seen them since before I started picking. The scars you see are from over 10 years of dermatillomania, in which I picked at pimples, bumps, whatever. Things would get infected, and then I’d have to squeeze out all the bad stuff. The negative thoughts fueled the picking, which made my self-esteem plummet even further. I have been “clean” for over two months now, though I am not above popping the occasional pimple, which explains the red marks. They used to be so, so much worse. I fantasize about having totally clear skin, and being “normal.” Whoever can look past my skin will have my undying love and loyalty, but for now, I’m covering up.