Sunday, September 30, 2007

I Hate My Skin


I have weird skin and I've always hated it. Of course, I also went to the county fair and saw the alligator skinned person and felt better, and to be fair I never really had acne. Oh, sure, I had the one bump somewhere between my cheeks and chin that would signal that I was about to have my period, but I never really had acne. And my skin is so dry that the one period bump would dry up and go away in less than a week. But my skin is ridiculously sensitive.
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The first time I got Poison Ivy was maybe 1986, so I was 25. I got it really bad on my face. I had seen The Elephant Man and that's what I felt like I looked like. I called the doctor and told them I would not be able to come into the waiting room and sit. I told them they had to let me walk right in and go in the back. I wore a scarf over my face (and this was BEFORE all that Michael Jackson stuff) and pretty much ran throught he waiting room and into the hallway.
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What I get is called contact dermatitis. I can pretty much get it from anything because my stupid skin is VERY sensitive. And believe me, I get it from totally random things. I will NEVER wear new clothes without washing them first, because there is nothing as cute as having a shirt-shaped rash. I double rinse my bedsheets and always either wash my hands or use Purell after touching the cats. And yes, I have 4 cats and I'm allergic to cats. I usually pet them with my feet. They like that and I can't get that in my eye. There's nothing worse than having cat in my eye. And the bottom of my feet? Not as sensitive as the rest of me, thank goodness.
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So Friday night I noticed my chin felt funky, like there was a foreign layer of something on it. I figured I had gotten some sort of oil or bacon grease on it while I was making dinner (Yeah, I use bacon grease in my green beans. I'M FROM NORTH CAROLINA.) So I reached over and grabbed my Purell and rubbed it on my chin. Then this morning I woke myself up scratching away at the left side of my neck. I could not stop. Finally I asked My Sweetie to bring my 2% cortisone cream (he was already up, I'm not a diva) and then I put some on my neck. That gave me some relief and I went back to sleep. After I got up I decided to sit in the sun. I've always felt the sun (as well as the ocean) has natural curative powers.
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I took a shower and was getting ready to go out to do some stuff whan I decided to look in the mirror. Oh my! I had a SERIOUS rash all OVER my face and neck. It wasn't The Elephant Man bad, but it was BAD. The funny thing was I wasn't freaked out about running errands and eating out, I was freaked out about meeting Jazz this week!! All I could think was, "Oh no! Why did this happen when I am about to meet someone?" I have no idea what caused it but I did change my pillow case. I'm hoping that maybe it was the shrimp I had for lunch on Wednesday. In any event, I hope I do not look like a strange circus freak when I meet Jazz this week. Meanwhile I will be applying my 2% cortisone and trying not to let anything touch my face.

4 comments:

Jo said...

Geewits, omigosh! Could it be nerves? I get a big rosy spot on my left cheek when I am nervous. It looks as if I painted blush on one side of my face, and it feels warm, and it goes bright red.

There is a really good moisturizer called Cetaphil that I have all my friends converted to using, and their complexions are fabulous since they have been using it. Check out the website. It's really inexpensive, you don't need much, and dermatologists recommend it.

(I sound like an advertisement).

geewits said...

Josie,
~~Wednesday night Barney and Rufus wound up playing on my bed (they are not allowed up there) and there was fur everywhere. I rolled my pillow and sheets with masking tape, but didn't change my pillowcase. I'm pretty sure that's what it was. I am so allergic to some cats I will get a rash where they brush against me - I was like that with Reebus. I don't know why I had forgotten about that. So I spent several nights rubbing my face on cat protein. Not good. The 2% cortisone cream is helping

Scarlet said...

Mary Kay's skin care products are the only ones that have settled my skin. I feel your pain because for years everything irritated my skin, especially my face. Now I get compliments. It's a great feeling. I hope you find something that works for you!

geewits said...

Scarlet,
~~I'm just going with the "this too shall pass" approach. Along with the cortisone. At least it's not poison ivy.