Beauty vlogger Ingrid Nilsen posted a candid pic of her cystic acne to remind us that “pimples happen”

As much as we try to embrace our bodies, dealing with cystic acne isn’t easy (and is often, quite literally, painful). Which is why we love that YouTuber Ingrid Nilsen got real about her own struggle with the condition. Ingrid, who started her channel back in 2009 as a way to spread confidence and improve her public speaking skills, posted the photo on Instagram, admitting it was the first time she’s ever truly embraced herself makeup-free amid a cystic acne breakout.

“Personally, I have grown to dislike the terms ‘good’ and ‘bad’ skin because they come with dangerous consequences,” she wrote. “If you have ‘good’ skin you feel the pressure to maintain this perceived level of perfection and any blemish, wrinkle or scar is felt as a personal failure.”

She continued,

"If you have 'bad' skin you feel like you are less than and the pursuit of 'good' skin can be absolutely exhausting. Ultimately, what these two things have in common is the feeling that we're not good enough."

She also posted a photo of herself during a breakout, which she shared with her over one million followers.

We think Ingrid looks absolutely beautiful.

Ingrid also noted that when we hyper-focus on out skin, we can forget how amazing and complicated our bodies are as a whole.

"Our bodies are so complex. They work hard for us every day, whether we notice it or not, so try to be generous with yourself. Meet yourself where you are right now and sink into the gratitude of the breath you just took," she wrote. "That's your body telling you you're good enough... because you're alive."

Her words are powerful and a solid reminder to be less hard on ourselves. Thanks for inspiring us once again, Ingrid!

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