Acne and anxiety: Hania Aamir opens about her not-so-perfect life

'Being a celebrity does not mean perfection,' says actor

With a career spanning a little over three years, Hania Aamir has fast become a household name. Enviable dimples, voluminous hair and a bubbly personality are just some of the things that make her the star that she is. But, she's more than just a pretty face. From stellar acting stints to walking the ramp almost every season now, the Janaan starlet is undoubtedly a powerhouse of talent. And while her life seems to be picture perfect, Hania begs to differ.

"Being a celebrity does not mean perfection," she recently wrote in a long post on Instagram, opening up about her lifelong struggle with acne. "I always had these bumps on my forehead that would just not budge! I had gotten used to them. But, the journey I have been on for a couple of months now has been quite a painful one," she confessed.

PHOTO: HANIA AAMIR/INSTAGRAM

Hania recalled her experience with acne during a trip to Chitral. "I had just come back to Chitral from Kalash and after I washed my face, it started to burn," she said, adding it instantly turned red. "I didn't take it seriously but the next day I had tiny red bumps all over my face. I freaked out but didn't let it get the best of me because I was at work."

Reality struck Hania when everyone around her started noticing the acne. "Everybody began asking me. I started with the totkas (quick fixes), and then came the anxiety. When I returned from the trip, I calmed down a little as my skin looked clearer than before. But, some three months back, it started to act up again and it was even worse this time!" she added. "I kept it clean, used toner and creams, went to the dermatologists, everything! Nothing seemed to fix my skin and I had my days and nights of crying."

This led to low self-esteem in Hania, who began to feel insecure and anxious. "Makeup wouldn’t help. I was a mess but I went through it and got out of it too," shared Hania, stating she only came out stronger. "I went to a different doctor and he prescribed me some medicines. My skin has become better than before."

The Parwaaz Hai Junoon star then shared the lessons she learnt from this ordeal. "It made me wonder why my skin is defining me. Who has made these beauty standards that we always feel the need to match? The society? Clear skin is beauty? I know that the idea of being 'perfect' is appealing to majority but you don’t need to be an airbrushed flawless image to feel beautiful," she said.

PHOTO: HANIA AAMIR/INSTAGRAM

According to Hania, nobody should feel the pressure of matching up to our society's "ridiculous" beauty standards. "Have your own. Beauty is within and anybody who makes you feel small because of what you look like shouldn’t be around you!"

Shouting out to her fans, she concluded, "To all the brothers and sisters out there, being a celebrity does not mean perfection. It only means we have chosen a profession that makes us and our lives public but certainly not that we do not go through issues in life. Every individual has their own. Perfection is not what we should be seeking, but being comfortable in our own skin is the key."

Hania uploaded a bunch of pictures along with the caption, "This is my skin at the moment. Better than before but still not quite okay. But till I tackle it am I gonna hide myself from the world? Shy away from people? No. Yes I am struggling but my skin DOES NOT define me."

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