Acne: Just Another Four-Letter Word by Aarti Patel, N.D

Stars: ***

D2 Books (2018)
Health/Skin
150 pages

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This post contains affiliate links.

Summary: Put acne in your rearview mirror, once and for all.

For those of us who have struggled with chronic acne, we know that these irritating bumps don’t just mess with our skin and appearance. They also curse at us every day, affecting our confidence and self-image. When you look in the mirror, you may hear the words acne uses: It throws out insults and belittling messages, and it tells us not to bother trying to make our skin better. It says just give up. At the same time, acne also demands that we drop everything we’re doing and give it constant attention. This four-letter word is a bully, not just a diagnosis and physical skin condition the way we’re taught to think by mainstream medicine and the skin care industry. To truly defeat acne once and for all, both the mind and body have to get involved.

We need a better approach to treating acne than simply face washes, creams, supplements, pharmaceuticals, and dietary changes. These methods don’t address the bullying tactics acne uses to try and control our lives, so they don’t tend to be long-term solutions. Acne often just bulldozes over these efforts, costing us the money and time we spend on trying to fix our skin, and leaving us frustrated.

Well, now there’s a way to talk and fight back. You don’t have to sit there silently while acne tries to take away what’s yours, including your skin and your life. You can start recognizing the false messages that this four-letter word is sending you and separate your identity from them, reclaiming your skin in the process. You can stand up for yourself in the face of acne and refuse to revolve your life around it. Acne: Just Another Four-Letter Word shows you how to do just that.

Acne: Just Another Four-Letter Word

This is not a book of special tricks to get rid of acne. There are enough books and commercials out there spouting the benefits of one idea or another that is guaranteed to work, but doesn’t actually work for many people. Even when they do, they don’t work as simply as they are said to and a lot of them cost lots of money.

So the point of this book is to talk about the mind-body connection with regards to acne and how taking control of your emotions and self image can help acne and even if it doesn’t, help you feel better about your acne.

Unfortunately I don’t think the book did this as well as it hoped to have done this. I think part of the problem is at the end of the book we are told something that should have been made clearer at the beginning.

“Most chronic health issues, while treated as purely physical by the medical system, have mental, emotional, and oscial roots to them just like acne does.” – pg 134

Assuming this is true, it would have been good to know at the beginning because without realizing this, a lot of the advice seemed ‘fluffy’ and like it would be no help at all.

Parts of the book talked about acne like it’s its own living breathing thing (aka the bully.) This wasn’t for me but if you have struggled with acne more than I have perhaps this seems real enough to you that you wouldn’t mind that talk. I had the usual troubles with acne as a teenager and I still get pimples as an adult but I didn’t have a face of acne like some people struggle with. It didn’t seem to take on its own life.

The advice was good for helping you feel better about your acne and yourself but I felt it was worded as an acne cure when it’s not. I think, especially for teens who might be reading the book, it should have been more clear.

“Though it may be tempting to stay home, fixate on one pimple, and fret about the best treatment, venturing out into your life will get you closer to clear skin than a “magic” zit sapper, supplement, miracle face wash, or gluten-free cookie ever could.” – pg 60

No, it won’t get you closer to clear skin, but it will allow you to live your life and enjoy your life instead of hiding your years away because of some zits.

As I said, the advice is good but it needs to be reworded to make it clear that the tips given will help you feel better about yourself, not make acne disappear.

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