This is my angry face
For the first time in my entire life, I have made an appointment to see a dermatologist. I am seeking treatment as an adult for acne.
I’m furious.
I made it through puberty, high school, and two pregnancies without the need for a skin doctor, and yet here I am, almost 32 years old, turning to a professional to get rid of the bumps on my face.
WHAT THE HELL??
I have had something resembling acne on my cheeks for more than 6 months. I’ve bought exfoliants and ant-aging treatments. I’ve paid for expensive facials and had the distinct pleasure of confusing an aesthetician with my skin problems. “I don’t know what is going on here, but you need help. More help than I can give you.”
Again I say to you, WHAT THE HELL?
Is this punishment for not having acne when I was a kid? Because if so, I’d like to point out to the person in charge of equaling the scales that I GREW UP WITH A LAZY EYE. I think that’s a fair trade for beautiful skin. If not, let me add to the pot birthing hips. In other words, adult zits-or-something-like-it is absolute cosmic bullshit.
Of course, my appointment with the dermatologist isn’t for another month, partly because I live in an RV and partly because dermatologists only work like three days a week. That means I have an entire month to stare, squeeze, and pick at my face, a positively lovely habit I’ve developed in the last six months. It also gives me time to experiment with home treatments, like dunking my face in a bowl of lemon juice or exfoliating with a steel wool sponge. Sure, it sounds ridiculous, but no more so than suddenly developing acne in my 30s.
Please, tell me I’m not the only one — and that there is a cure in my future.
About Britt Reints
Oh, baby, you are so not alone. BUT PUT DOWN THE STEEL WOOL. I still deal with the stuff — not as a teen, mind you, but as an adult. Back in 1999, I did a course of Accutane, and that worked WONDERS. For years. PM me if you have any questions. Hang in!
Darlin’, I had acne in my teens, 20s, 30s, and now my 40s. When you have acne AND wrinkles, I’ll feel sorry for you. :-) No, really, that does suck, but never fear, the doc will help.
You may have roseacea – try cutting out the physical exfoliation – it can make it worse. The good news is a prescription will handle it just fine.
Hang in there!
Twitter Name: msmegan
Girlfriend, I’ve been dealing with acne since I was 14 and I am now 25 (give or take 7 years) which means I’ve been dealing with it for 17-ish years. I’ve been on Accutane TWICE. I’ve had doctors shoot cortisone into my face. I had $5,000 worth of fancy laser treatments. I’ve tried every prescription and non-prescription pill, gel, and cream. I’ve tried facials and home remedies, vitamins and black magic. Nothing worked for more than a few months. I’ll maybe get two or three months of relief and then BAM. Back to where I started. Now I just ignore it. I do my best to take good care of my skin, use mild cleansers, non-commodogenic (sp?) moisturizers, wear only a little make-up, etc. Sometimes you just have to accept your flaws and pray no one else notices them. And usually no one does.
Twitter Name: ASeriousGirl
Britt, Have you ever heard of a tool called a Clarissonic Mia? Check it out. I have a hunch this will help you. I’m getting one for Christmas from my cousin who is a wellness guru and cosmetologist/medical massage practitioner. She swears by it. She’s your age and experiencing similar issues. Her skin looks amazing and you can get a quality Mia on eBay for a great bargain. Best of luck. Xoxo
Twitter Name: lovenursing
I my lovely friend have a form of rosacea. Redness bumpiness…….can you say UGH! And, for the records, I had HORRIBLE skin in middle school. This is NOT cool and I feel for you. I was tanning and it was taking care of it. But, no more tanning for a bit. I understand your frustration, I too have been on the verge of picking up the phone to contact a derm. Good Luck
Great post.