Walking Around With Egg On My Face...

Age + Stress = Bad Skin.

I've mentioned in previous blogs that I'm under a "wee bit o' stress" of late. First, shingles - a sure sign that life is not exactly a "bed of roses" - and now - zits.

I was lucky as a kid. I had fair skin - freckled - but pretty much "pimple-free." Once I hit puberty, my skin stayed clear most of the time. I'd get one big zit, like most other kids, at the most important times in my life - school picture day, my first school dance, a big date, or prom. It was a given that during "that time of the month," I'd have a zit, or; too much overindulgence of my favorite candy, (Junior Mints), would guarantee me that a horrendous, life-altering pimple would emerge right in the middle of my chin - there for all the world to see. Of course, I was one of those people that HAD TO PICK AT IT and POP it, which would secure that pimple a "zit-life" of at least a week.  Ahhh, life as a teen. Truly, I was lucky. I never suffered like some other people I knew in school who had severe acne, and I am very grateful for that little genetic blessing. 

Now, at 44, I am suffering from pimples and clogged pores. 

When I went to the doctor and had my shingles diagnosed, I told the Medical Assistant (MA), that I was under severe stress. I joked with her that at 44, I am suffering from adult acne; a payback for good skin as a kid? This nice young lady, (roughly 24 years old), told me that she suffered from severe acne in her teens. She explained her suffering and embarrassment at having a problem with pimples during such a horrid time in her life - the high school years. I could see the acne scars, and felt bad complaining now.  

Fortunately, this lovely young lady told me that she finally found something that worked for her. It was a skin care regimen she discovered after she became a Medical Assistant. She once worked for a dermatologist, and the dermatologist had recommended a product that might help.  Lucky for that MA that the doctor didn't steer her wrong. She was happy and pretty much "zit-free" now.

What I did learn from MA was that zits on the upper part of your face are pretty much hormonal, while zits on your chin are usually stess-induced. This was not good news to me; I had zits all over my chin. Every week. Also, when I looked in the mirror UP CLOSE, I saw that my pores looked as if they were "snowing." I had white stuff sticking out of them. Dreaded "clogged pores" - I had never heard of such a thing! I only knew about zits and blackheads. This white stuff was new to my vocabulary.

My friend, Mrs. Svelte, (from previous blog),  told me that her mom, a lovely little Italian lady who I never did have the pleasure of meeting, used to whip up egg whites and put them on her face. "Egg whites?" I said, "Seriously?" "Yes," she said. Mrs. Svelte told me that if I got an egg, separated the white from the yolk, whipped it up and put it on my face, that it would act like a mask and clean my pores right out. It seemed strange to me, because I'd never heard of this before, but I kept it in the back of my mind.

Tonight, I took the challenge. 

I went to the kitchen, separated an egg, whipped it up, and brought it into the bathroom.  I filled up a hot tub with my favorite soak, "Tired Old Ass Soak" from the Vermont Country Store.  (Awesome stuff...try vermontcountrystore.com)

(Thanks, Ell) - 

And I loaded the egg white on to my face. 

At first it was runny, but I trusted Mrs. Svelte completely. She's never been wrong about things like this.

I slid into the tub. I started my soak.

The egg started to dry on my face. It was working! It does turn into a "mask!"

I lingered for a long time, (as a matter of fact), reading "Time" magazine.

My face tightened up as the egg dried.

I got out of the tub, like, 45 minutes later.

I washed the egg off.

Behold! My face looked cleaner, (of course), and I leaned into the mirror.

Pores clear?

NOPE. LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNINGS, STILL IN EFFECT.

Oh well. Maybe you have to use lots of eggs lots of times, I'm not sure. Mrs. Svelte, my dear, wise skin-consultant, lives on the East Coast, I live on the West. She's fast asleep, so I can't ask her. I'll have to wait until tomorrow to see how many eggs I need to use to rid myself of the "snowy" pores I've got.  

I know what she'll say, anyway. "Mo, just get rid of your stress, and your face will be fine." 

She's right, she's right, I know she's right. 

No amount of egg will help me until I help myself.

At least I took the egg risk; I'm not a big risk-taker. See, I'm growing!  I'm proud of myself for that.  

Eggs Benedict, anyone?