This is the “after” photo. Clear, smooth, happy skin – without any irritation in sight. Bliss.
But it wasn’t always this way – in fact, just four weeks ago, it was a completely different story.
It was the weirdest thing. I’d go to sleep with perfectly clear skin, but upon waking, I’d find these angry, itchy red welts across my cheeks. Sometimes they’d disappear within hours; often, it took a day or two to settle down, only to repeat the cycle again.
“It’s rosacea,” the first dermatologist said.
“It’s allergic dermatitis,” the second one concluded.
“I’m not really sure what that is,” the third one admitted.
And in the meantime, I tried creams, lotions, potions – you name it. Later, at my family doctor’s office, I complained about the lack of diagnosis.
“Could you just have ultra sensitive skin?” he asked. Huh. I suppose it was possible – I mean, the cycle of irritation had only appeared in the last 18 months, but our skin is constantly changing and evolving, right? So, it’s not inconceivable to think that maybe – just maybe – I had developed a dermatological sensitivity….