Have you ever had a tenacious zit? Not the horribly bad stuff that is all over, but one giant cyst that takes up half your face? No matter what potion you use, it won’t die.
welcome zitzilla
So what if I am 46 and should be way past adolescent acne. Could it be (shudder) hormonal? A reminder that I am not menopausal yet? Either way, I want her gone!
say hello to my little friend. meet zitzilla
Right now, my chin is home to zitzilla. A pimple so huge, she comes with a name. Red and swollen, I swear I saw her sticking her tongue out at me. Neener neener.
this is war!
My first instinct is to squeeze the life out of zitzilla but I know that is not the answer. Pinching will only leave a nice battle scar. No thanks.
My next thought is to cover her completely in Clearasil, or some other ointment. Maybe if I dry her up, zitzilla will melt back into nonexistence. Two days later she hasn’t budged. Erffff.
I read somewhere that toothpaste works wonders on killer zits. Couldn’t hurt. I also read that Preparation H works on cysts as well. That was just not going to happen. Gotta draw the line somewhere.
I slathered my chin in minty toothpaste and went to bed. It felt kinda weird at first but a few minutes later it dried enough so I wouldn’t get goo all over the pillows.
battle won, war not over
After waking up smelling like a mint factory, I glanced into the bathroom mirror to inspect zitzilla’s demise. She was noticeably smaller in size but not completely gone.
Drat! Zitzilla wasn’t going to give up without a struggle. Washing off the white residue, I knew the war was far from over. So far, I resisted the urge to squash zitzilla with my fingertips. How much longer could I hold out?
camouflage
When a pimple takes up residency, it is difficult to conceal. You might think it easy to patch and camouflage zitzilla. I think covering her up only pisses her off.
My makeup looked completely caked on as though it might melt off if I got too close to a heater. Not my look at all. I was quickly running out of options. Would I be defeated?
never say uncle
I’m unshakable when faced with a challenge. Zitzilla laughed through all the layers of makeup. I refused to say uncle and admit defeat. I cleansed my face and recommenced.
Round two: More isn’t always better. By not trying so hard to cover zitzilla, she became less noticeable. She was smiling at the world, but I wasn’t going to hide and cover.
new approach
What if I took away from zitzilla’s spotlight by accenting a good feature? I mean who really cares about a chin? Red lipstick was out as it might draw attention to the nearby redness.
My eyes are a prominent feature. Why not put the focus on my amber peepers? If someone looked closely, I might hypnotize him with my stare like a Jedi. “These are not the droids you are looking for…”
look into my eyes…
Maybe by taking focus off zitzilla, I could let her rest and eventually go away on her own accord. The reality is, no one cares if I have a monster zit hanging around on my chin.
lesson learned; it’s all about perspective
I felt better having focus on my eyes. I felt less self conscious. I am the only one who worried about zitzilla growing teeth and learning to speak. Most people probably didn’t even notice.
It shows when I feel confident with my appearance. My demeanor changes when I feel less than. Why let a stupid zit dictate my behavior. She is only a pimple and I am the host.
I can’t control zitzilla’s arrival or departure from my face. What I can control is how I react. It pisses me off dealing with blemishes in my mid 40′s. In order to overcome, I must first accept that zitzilla is there. Only then, can I move on.
tag! you’re it
What is your zitzilla? What if anything is holding you back from being the confident beautiful person (or mermaid) you really are? Do you try to hide it from the light? Share your stories.
