This is Ellen Adarna. Friendster, Myspace and Multiply afficionados surely recognize her since her photos are scattered, not only in the sites mentioned but all over the internet, sadly used (and abused) by posers and fakers who wished they were her. (Edit: Oh and I recently learned how she was Uno Magazine’s cover for March 2008. Poor me. I am sooooo outdated. Hehe. Anyway, here’s a link to Jepoy’s blog about her Uno appearance) When I first encountered her pictures, I cannot help but be amazed by how good her skin is (assuming they weren’t enhanced by photoshop). I’ve seen girls like her - all blessed with good genes for a blemish-free skin and I would be a total hypocrite if I say that I am not envious of them.

I wasn’t born with great skin. When I reached puberty, I started getting zits of various sizes at the oddest areas of my face (think a huge one at the tip of the nose) but most were found on the chin and forehead areas. Thankfully, I started getting less of them when my hormones stabilized though I’d usually get one or two when I’m PMSing. Later on I realized that my greatest adversaries would be stress and lack of sleep. Add hormonal imbalance into the picture and my face could soon be a warzone.

My skin turned from pimple-free to problematic during the last months towards the end of the school year that by the end of March, I knew I couldn’t take it anymore so I bugged my mother to take me to her skin clinic. So, for the past month and a half I’ve been having glycolic acid peel treatments at Skin Nutriance in Makati. I only had to finish three sessions to see improvements in my skin. Soon, I got back to being pimple-free and my concealer had to take a backseat (although some scars needed a little coverage). Recently though, my insomnia has been kicking in and things doesn’t get better for me when it’s nearly that time of the month again. I knew that soon I will be in deep trouble. True enough. A zit recently appeared above my nose (near my right eyebrow) and there’s another zit developing at the side of my nose. Yes! Of all places! Heaven knows how painful and irritating it is to have a pimple anywhere on the nose. But, above the nuisance of a pimple on the nose, the real danger it brings is far more important. You see, in human anatomy we were taught that the triangle area bounded by the nose is called the Dangerous Area of the Face simply because the veins draining this area empties into a cavernous sinus (sinus cavernosus) which also receives venous blood coming from the base of the brain. That’s why as much as possible, leave a pimple as is especially if it’s anywhere near or within the dangerous area of the face. Chances of getting a more severe infection other than a bigger pimple may be really slim, but in this case, it’s better not to take chances at all. So, even if my pimple is really bugging me right now (I know, this problem is mundane as compared to the real problem Myanmar is facing right now or the oil price hike and the rice shortage across the country), there’s really not much of a choice for me, is there? I’d rather watch this grow and announce its presence for the whole world to see than end up looking like this:

I know you won’t like it either.