Maturity

I never really outgrew acne.  Oh how I longed for the day I would enter adulthood and suddenly my pimply skin would become smooth and unblemished.  It never happened and I was always disappointed in the appearance of my skin.  I was resigned to that and as the years advanced, other concerns drew my attention and I relegated skin-care to the back of my mind.  Then, one day, Miguel surprised me with a gift certificate for a facial.  If you've never had one, it's a startling experience. 

First, the technician massages oils and moisturizers and creams of all kinds into your face, soothing you into a deeply relaxed trance.  Then she shines a gestapo light in your face, pulls out her 10x magnifier and begins callously squeezing oil and dirt and acne goo from your pores, jolting you from pleasure to pain.  And finally, when the torture is over and your skin is as clean as a whistle, she begins the massaging all over again, coaxing you back into that relaxed oblivion. 

As I submitted to this process, the technician offered her sage advice, and I took it.  I'm probably the only person she'd ever seen who had never used moisturizer on any kind of a regular basis.  I'm also probably the only person she'd seen with no loyalty to brand of facial cleanser. Both, she informed me, were poor skin-care choices.  Skin, she said, takes up to 3 months to adjust to the formula of a skin-care product, so you can experience acne breakouts everytime you switch to a new brand.  And skin needs moisture.  If you're washing it, you're probably drying it out and it needs moisture. 

And so, as instructed, I have been using the same face soap and moisturizer for quite some time and I am happy to report that I've finally outgrown my skin problems. If I do feel a blemish coming on, (I can't abide the word pimple), I take Julia Roberts' advice and dab a bit of toothpaste on it and it dries right up and disappears.   I'm confident in my appearance now and it only took a tiny change in my habits to accomplish it!