Coming Clean.
I struggled with bad skin.
Sorry, no. Not bad. Horrible skin. Zits, pimples, spots, dots...you name it - I had it.
I tried everything to make it all go away. The over the counter creams like Clearsil or Clean and Clear (anything with an extreme amount of Salicylic Acid), Proactive, Brevoxyl, Triaz, Stridex, Isotretinoin (better known as Accutane which supposedly makes pimples disappear. Nope it didn't.), Aczone, Atralin... the list goes on and on.
Oh and let's not forget the pills. I was put on all different types of oral medications that I would take to try and eradicate the spots. With each new prescription I would be filled with hope that finally this is the one. This pill will make it all go away! I always had to take the harsh meds with food or my stomach would feel like it was tearing itself apart. Unfortunately the medications themselves made me nauseous all the time. Needless to say none of them really helped.
NOTHING helped. Not even 6 months of Accutane. I was hopeless. Yes, I had my hormone levels checked and everything apparently was fine. I just had skin that looked like chronic chicken pox during the most difficult years in a girl's life.
I had a saint for a dermatologist though. Unfortunately, leaving his office was like leaving the hair salon after a bad haircut; having to deal with the consequences and try and hide it until it grew out. My doctor would pop and squeeze and release all the puss from my face (too graphic?) and I would get all excited thinking ‘Woohoo! Finally the monster that is my face will be gone!'. But as soon as I looked in the mirror all I could see was red bloody splotches that made my chicken pox look like the plague.
I would often skip school, walk around NYC and feel eyes burning deeper holes into my face. One time I decided to try and lift my spirits by treating myself to a manicure. The ignorant manicurist had the nerve to ask me what happened to my face. I ran out crying.
Let’s just say acne in high school, acne in college, acne in adulthood, acne in anything anywhere in life is painful. Physically, mentally, but most of all emotionally. It's hard to socialize with friends when your smile brings shooting pains due to the cysts on your cheek. It's emotionally draining to go to sleep at night and pray that when you wake up and look in the mirror you see just your skin; free of flaking bits of scabs and spots coating the surface. But those prayers are hardly at the top of G-ds listen to and fix-it list. I didn't really expect them to be.
So...I learned to deal with it. I bought all the best makeup I could afford at the time, learned how to apply it well to cover but not cake up my face (I could have been queen of YouTube tutorials if they had existed back then), and enhanced my blue eyes so people would look at me instead of the camouflaged landscape of hills trailing my face. Eventually I got good at it, and what was once a morning routine became a therapeutic lifestyle habit.
Wake Up. Wash Up. Make Up.
Fast forward many years and people compliment me on my skin. They actually compliment my complexion! How is this possible?
I still get the occasional breakouts. I will most likely never have totally clear skin, but it's a whole lot better looking in the mirror and telling myself I am beautiful and bright on the inside. And a brighter attitude is the one I want to confidently share with the world.
This is what I want to share with you. For everyone out there with troubled skin and broken self confidence because of the fear of being spotted in the group (pun intended). This is for you.
For anyone who is left out because, let's face it, bad skin gets a bad rep, this is for you.
Here, you will learn better skincare habits, get to know the products and ingredients you are using on your skin, and join me on my journey to a clear complexion.
Browse my blog and learn all about what you should and should NOT be doing with your problematic skin. Im no doctor, but I am an experienced acne sufferer, and that should count for something.