This is my personal essay on skin health.
As a youth, I had smooth, clear skin. Little did I know that I inherited several skin conditions that were passed along through the gene pool.
At some point during my early teen years, a dark mole appeared in front of my left ear. I had no concerns because these were common in my maternal family.
Once I started having children, my skin began to change. I developed moles, skin tags, and freckles all over my body. It wasn’t like I was covered, they simply kept popping up in different places.
I never really paid much attention to how significantly my skin had changed until I was embarrassed at a family barbecue. One of my relatives looked at me and blurted out, “When did you get all those moles on your face?”
That was the moment I began to question my looks and skin health.
Skin Tags
Feeling a little anxious, I went to a dermatologist and asked him if my skin was okay. He informed me that I had skin tags across my cheeks and assured me that they were harmless.
After that appointment, I only had a skin tag removed if it became bothersome.
Unfortunately, I had to endure another embarrassing skin moment, this time with a stranger.
I was in a deli with a friend and the clerk looked at my face and said, “You’re so pretty, you should have them removed.” I was shocked.
To add insult to injury I asked my friend if I really needed to do that. The response was, “Do whatever you need to do to look better.” I sunk deeper inside…
However, that encounter didn’t cause me to go off on a skin tag removal tangent.
One day while gazing in the mirror I realized that the skin tags formed across my cheeks just like my late grandfather’s did. That’s when I began to embrace the skin tags as part of my heritage.
Acne
When I was 17, I experienced a weird acne outbreak. It was resolved using home remedies.
Many years later the acne returned. This time with pain and burning.
So, I went to a dermatologist who made me wait 45 minutes just to say, “You have so much going on with your face…” Then she prescribed a cream that set my skin on fire with the first and only application.
Next, I went to my primary care doctor who diagnosed me with rosacea. He referred me to his personal dermatologist who prescribed a cream that works very well on my sensitive skin.
I had to learn how to care for my face while trying to keep flare-ups to a minimum. After trial and error, I was able to choose a soap and moisturizer that didn’t irritate my skin.
Quite often, I’d have to explain to others that I have rosacea during sudden flare-ups. That was something I had to adjust to over time.
Darker Skin Patch
I can’t forget to talk about my “ugly elbow.” I’m not sure when it happened, but my left elbow turned very dark.
I initially thought it was crust and tried unsuccessfully to scrape the skin off. When that didn’t work, I attempted to use bleaching cream on my elbow.
When all else failed, I went to a dermatologist who informed me that I have a skin condition called acanthosis nigricans.
The doctor prescribed a lotion and an ointment, which were ineffective on my dark skin patch.
Interestingly, my right elbow never changed.
And, don’t think I got away without an embarrassing elbow moment.
I was at work and someone in the program exclaimed, “What happened? Your elbow is all black and blue!” I simply looked at my elbow and shrugged my shoulders.
I also experienced a comical elbow moment.
I was sitting across the table from my brother. Both of us had one arm facing upward. All of a sudden he said, “Wow, you have one too!” I looked at his one dark elbow and we both burst into laughter.
That’s when I realized that the condition that caused my ugly elbow was hereditary.
Final Thoughts
What can I say? I guess I was just the lucky family member to get all the genes containing skin conditions.
Ultimately, I could either walk around feeling ugly or embrace my imperfections and be myself. I chose to do the latter.
The journey to this conclusion was not an easy one. Living in a society with its own beauty standards that flaunts those images everywhere you look always complicated things.
Only in more recent years have I seen skincare models with less-than-perfect skin. I’ve also seen some celebrities reveal their skin flaws before applying makeup. Definitely an “aha” moment.
In closing, I can proudly say my imperfect skin is still beautiful.
