Alix Earle is a TikTok influencer who knows how to be relatable, including sharing her acne journey with her followers. In a TikTok video posted yesterday, Earle shares a collage of three pictures of her acne transformation. In the caption, she said, “Acne can take such a toll on your mental health. This is a reminder that no matter how bad youre going through it .. it can get better! Ive dealt with acne on & off 9 years now. It’s a journey of ups and downs but just know its normal 💗💗💗”
In the TikTok video, she had text over the photos reading, “That girl didn’t want to die. She just wanted clear skin.” The TikTok influencer received many positive comments, with one follower commenting, “this is why your my fav influencer.” Earle responded, “I just wish younger me was able to see real skin bc I felt so alone.”
Earle shares a playlist of her acne journey on TikTok. In one of the many videos, she shares her experience using Accutane. “I have been on Accutane three times now,” Earle said in the TikTok video. “I’ve tried every prescription, every skin care product, and the only thing I could get to clear skin was Accutane.” According to the American Osteopathic College Of Dermatology, Accutane, known as isotretinoin, can clear severe and painful acne. This is a medical treatment that shrinks the oil glands and reduce sebum production. She also explained that the side effects of Accutane are different for everyone, but for her, she dealt with super dry lips and thinning hair. However, she reassures her audience that these side effects are manageable with proper care.
“I had super dry lips—you’re going to have to put Aquaphor on all the time,” Earle said. “My hair also thinned out a bit while on the medication, and you get super sensitive to sun, but for me it was manageable as long as I put sunscreen on and didn’t stay out too long.”
In another video, the TikTok influencer shares her insecurities with acne. “I just wanna talk about the fact that it’s normal,” Earle said in the video, sharing that she would cry three times a day and did not leave the house because her acne was painful when she touched her face. She also had low self-esteem, she shares. “What you see on social media is all filters, it’s all edited out, it’s all fake.”
“Acne has always been a struggle of mine but opening up about this issue online allows me to realise that this is normal and nobody’s skin is ‘perfect’,” Earle tells ELLE UK. “I don’t beat myself up when my skin is breaking out anymore. I know that it isn’t permanent and that I’m not the only one dealing with breakouts.”