YouTube star Ethan Dolan recently took to Instagram and got real about his ‘severe’ acne struggles. The 20-year-old opened up about his self confidence journey and how he learned to share his “vulnerable side” with all his social media followers.
“I had severe acne, now my face is filled with scars and I can’t seem to be upset about it anymore… At first, my acne completely destroyed my self confidence. I’ve always been an advocate of embracing your appearance no matter what. I found myself giving advice to friends when they struggled with their self image,” Ethan wrote alongside a photo of himself. “I was always so happy to hear that my words helped. If these were my own words, and they had proven to help others… why couldn’t they help me? I couldn’t seem to take my own advice. It’s so crazy how I honestly don’t care what people think, but I care so much at the same time. It makes about just as much sense to me, as that last sentence probably made to you.”
The influencer explained that he “slowed” his entire life down because of his acne.
“Didn’t wanna be on camera, didn’t wanna go in public, didn’t want people to see me. I got to a point where I’d see friends that I hadn’t seen in a while and apologize about the way my face looked. In hindsight that’s the most ridiculous thing ever. What was going on with my skin was natural and unavoidable, but I couldn’t accept it. I’m used to going through everything in my life with having someone to relate to who goes through everything I do; my twin. This time, I didn’t have that. Gray‘s skin decided to just glow while mine did the opposite. This was the first time I was going through something ALONE,” he said.
Ethan thanked his fans for sharing their stories with him, which ultimately helped him get over his insecurities.
“Brave people who were going through what I was came to share their stories and comfort me. I’ll forever be thankful for you all, you truly got me out of such a sh**ty place in my mind. As I felt less alone, I felt more confident. Instead of my insecurities feeding off one another, my confidence ignited more confidence. It truly is the little things that initiate the climb out of a low place. I can’t say that I’m FULLY confident 100% of the time with the way my skin looks, but I can definitely say that my self image and mental state has improved immensely and reached a level I never thought it could be at again,” he concluded.
Previously, back in February, Ethan’s brother Grayson Dolan slammed social media trolls who called his twin “ugly” because of his acne.
“E isn’t one to let things like this bother him but this s**t doesn’t sit right [with] ME. Making fun or putting someone down [because] of a physical appearance that is out of their control is ugly,” Grayson wrote on Twitter at the time.
Ethan himself also shared a lengthy letter to followers, which offered helpful advice to fans who, at the time, started to share their similar skin issues with him.
“If you’re struggling with your skin, no matter how severe your conditions may be…I encourage you to embrace it,” Ethan said at the time. “Talk yourself up, remind yourself of all your great qualities and remember that acne isn’t a bad quality. I know it’s easier said than done, honestly sometimes not even easily said, but just know you deserve to have confidence and you’re not alone in this!”
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