Plain and Simple

I just spent the last six months on a wild goose chase. And the sad part about it is, the person who was suppose to be the expert “wild goose chaser” was really no help at all. In the end, I ended up wasting my money and my time. My problem--albeit a bit vain--taught me quite a lesson.

American women want to grow old gracefully, and since I’ve turned 40 I’m no exception to this rule. While melanin may be an African-American woman’s best friend, gravity is not. As the old adage goes, “Black don’t crack,” but it does droop and sag. So in an effort to prevent gravity from taking total control, I began my hunt for products that would make my skin have that firm youthful glow (ironic, when you’re younger you want makeup to make you look older and when you’re older you want make up to make you look younger). My search didn’t last long. I ended up finding the perfect foundation, it was about six or seven bucks more than what I was use to paying, but it was MAC the makeup of the stars, and beauty doesn’t come cheap.

My mission of growing old gracefully was definitely in full throttle. I got compliments from my colleagues and of course when I was told that I didn’t look old enough to have a daughter in college, you know I was definitely feeling myself. Everything was going a-okay, until a speed bump reared its ugly head in the form of acne. Age definitely has its benefits, there’s knowledge, there’s wisdom, there’s confidence, and there definitely shouldn’t be any acne or so I thought. Of course no one likes acne and its down right aggravating. But what’s more aggravating are the people who tell you, you have acne. “Do you know that you have a pimple right there?” ...Ummm, I mean I look in the mirror to do my hair and wash my face how would I not know. Then you have those who proceed to tell you their skin regime, when you haven’t even asked them. Hellooooo people, news flash, not all skin is created equal (What may have worked for you in a situation, may not necessarily work the same for someone else).

After a couple of months of over the counter acne treatments, a facial, and unsolicited skin care advice, I did the only thing left to do. I made an appointment with a dermatologist. My first visit was filled with a series of questions, which basically left them with all my medical history. I left with a prescription for peroxide wash and an expensive topical antibiotic ointment (thank goodness for good insurance) and a follow up appointment. Still the blackheads and cysts kept coming. The expensive antibiotic was replaced with an even more expensive antibiotic (When I say expensive, let’s just say its enough to buy three pair of shoes from Lord & Taylor, and I’m not talking from the sales rack either). Another month passed and still no change, more blackheads and cysts. My visit to the doctor consisted of blood work to check my thyroid and hormone levels, painful acne surgery, a new topical antibiotic prescription, and this time an oral antibiotic as well. I began to ask myself questions. What was my body trying to tell me? Was I stressed? Were my hormones out of whack? Did I need to drink more water? What was I doing different? Was it my pillow? Well it wasn’t my hormones or my thyroid, the results were normal. I threw away my pillow. I wasn’t stressed. What was going on and why couldn’t my doctor figure it out? My questions to myself, became an invitation to my daughter for my pity party. “Maybe its your foundation, mom.” I don’t see how it could be, I mean I used it for a year and a half and I had no problems with it before” I said questioning myself. The answer was all over my face, literally. It was the foundation. The foundation I put all my trust in, because of the price and the names that use it. Immediately, I stopped using MAC, and my skin cleared up within three weeks.

I began to think of all the unnecessary visits, the wasted medication, and of course the money I tossed away all because I thought something was good for me when it actually wasn’t. How many times does God show us something that we shouldn’t have in our lives and we keep it, because we think we know best or it gives us instant gratification. It may be something little we deem harmless, but ends up wreaking havoc in the long run. Galatians 5:9 says A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. I had a lot of questions and instead of asking God for the answers, I was looking unto man. Growing up and well into my adult years I’ve always heard that God works in mysterious ways, but sometimes the answer is written all over your face.