A few years back, I had a job interview on a Monday morning. I shaved that day, feeling all clean and confident, and by the time I reached the office my neck looked like I’d lost a fight with a cactus. Red, itchy, angry little bumps all along my jawline. I spent the whole interview … Read more
I still remember standing in the drugstore aisle, holding a bottle of “usual tint” sunscreen against my wrist, watching it flip my skin an ashy gray shade that looked nothing like regular whatever. That became in all likelihood my tenth try at finding a tinted SPF that surely worked with my deep brown skin tone … Read more
You look in mirror and your eyes go straight to that dark patch on your cheek. Maybe it’s from an old pimple. Maybe it’s from a summer with no sunscreen. You’re not sure anymore. It doesn’t want to leave. Dark spots on the face don’t hurt. They don’t itch. But they still bother people more … Read more
There’s a unique kind of frustration that comes with cystic acne. You actually feel it before you can even see it — a hard, tender lump building up under your skin. Usually a day or two before it fully forms. Unlike a normal pimple that rises to the surface, forms a head and clears up … Read more
Maybe you notice small bump on wrist. They show up out of nowhere. Or maybe your dentist pointed out white lacy patches inside your cheek during a checkup. Either way you probably went home and searched for answers and end up more confuse than before. That’s usually how people first learn about lichen planus. It’s … Read more
I still remember that one summer — I was rushing before a pool party and just did a “quick shave,” thinking it’d be fine. Ten minutes later my legs looked like mosquitoes had attacked them. Tiny red bumps everywhere. Itchy as heck. Definitely not the smooth summer legs I was hoping for. If you’ve ever … Read more
I still remember that one July morning like it was yesterday — the day I finally quit plain sunscreen for good. It was blazing hot out, I put on my usual SPF before running out for coffee, and by the time my drink was ready, my face had turned ghost white. Like, full white-cast situation. … Read more
I still remember standing in front of my bathroom mirror at 2 am. pressing an ice cube against painful lump on my jaw that hadn’t fully surfaced yet. It wasn’t a normal pimple — it was deep, angry and throbbing under the skin almost like it had its own heartbeat. If you’ve dealt with cystic … Read more
Okay, real talk — I remember exactly when I quit regular sunscreen for good. Sticky July morning, I’d put my usual SPF on under makeup like always, and by 10am I looked like a ghost caught in the rain. White cast, patchy, somehow greasy and dry at the same time. A coworker literally asked if … Read more
Okay so this one summer right before heading out on a beach trip. I decided to switch razors. Big mistake. Next morning I wake up, and my legs look like I picked a fight with a cactus — and lost. Tiny bumps and some itching so bad I wanted to scream. I spent the entire … Read more