Ready for a rarity? As a teenager, I had perfect skin. That’s right, not a blemish, not a mark, I was one of the lucky ones- or at least that’s what I thought. My twenties were about to prove to me no one gets away that easily.

If there is anything more embarrassing than having skin issues in high school, it’s having them as an adult.

All hell broke loose when I turned 22. I had gone away on vacation to the Poconos and brought back a lovely little souvenir called Impetigo. Do you want to talk about a nightmare? Open sores, blisters, and rashes that looked like I took a nap in poison ivy.  The infection itself lasted about two weeks, but what I had to deal with afterward would last for years.

The medicine given to treat the Impetigo destroyed most of the good bacteria in my body causing an array of other issues to begin. I had dry patches of skin on my arms, (which have still not gone away almost four years later), discoloring, and scars left over from the lesions. That wasn’t even the worst part. For some reason, whatever I developed had attacked my face. The horror was just beginning.

I wanted to wear a pillowcase over my head everywhere I went.

Ever see those commercials where people say, “I feel like they were looking at my acne, not me”? Yeah well, I fully understood what they are talking about. My face looked like I had developed Rosacea, adult ance, and the chicken pox simultaneously… and each day it was getting worse.

I was an emotional wreck.

I had just graduated college and now had to start interviewing for jobs, while I looked like I belonged in an infectious disease quarantine. If I hadn’t thought they’d call security on me as soon as I walked through the door, I probably would have gone to every interview in a ski mask. Trust me; it would have been a much better look.

Dating was entirely out of the question; there wasn’t a single makeup brand on the market that gave me enough coverage or confidence to brave that first date. Anything I tried would either irritate my skin more or get flakey.  No matter what I did nothing helped.

Mistake #1: Trying to self-medicate.

I’ve always treated myself as homeopathically as possible. I tried so many different remedies that my mother began calling me a wannabe Witch Doctor.

I started reading blogs about how to clear up skin organically. Essential oils eased the burning, but the redness got worse. Aloe didn’t do anything but make my skin dry out more. Regular lotions only triggered flare-ups. After trying almost everything there was online, I stumbled across an article about apple cider vinegar and how it had a million benefits for your health. The article explained how an Indian clay mask made with the vinegar had proven to work wonders for people with severe skin conditions in the past, so I gave it a shot.

If you ever want to take your lousy skin and LIGHT IT ON FIRE, then just add apple cider vinegar.

I completely, totally, 100% destroyed my skin with this mask. Every blister got about five times worse, and my entire face was bright red. After sobbing for about three hours, I caved and began looking up dermatologists.

The Mystery Disease

I’m sure by now you’re screaming, “BUT WHAT DID YOU HAVE?!” Well, see, to this day no one knows. I’m pretty sure the only person who could have figured it out was Dr. House.

I ended up seeing six different dermatologists. Yes, six! And not a single one of them could tell me what this disgusting, flesh-eating disease was on my face.

…Okay, it wasn’t eating my flesh, but it might as well had been.

Each doctor treated me like a guinea pig throwing prescription after prescription at me. Steriods, ointments, creams; nothing was working. When one gave up, they referred me to someone else. I was on a merry-go-round of medications and doctors.

The last dermatologist I sought out suggested I see an allergist. Considering that this was the only type of doctor I hadn’t seen yet, I made an appointment to get in as soon as possible.

During my first appointment, the allergist asked me to keep a running food log, so I could track my flare-ups. I noticed that after eating certain foods, my skin did seem to get worse.

I slowly started cutting out foods until I realized I was cutting out everything- even alcohol.

When I went back for my second appointment, the allergist reviewed my journal and gave me an allergy test.

The Results…

NOTHING. I didn’t have a single food allergy. There was no answer. For three years I had been suffering and seeking out a reason for this rapid change in my complexion, but I was left clueless. At this point, I just began praying that it would eventually go away over time.

My prayers were answered differently.

What saved me? You will never believe it.

One night, my mother had called me after watching QVC. She explained that a new product line had just come out and the women who created it had Rosacea – and a variety of other skin conditions that mirrored mine.

On live television, this woman put on her makeup and like magic, her skin was flawless. She had been working with scientists for years attempting to create a beauty line that not only covered up the issue but healed it as well.

My mother, the infamous drug-store only makeup user, was so impressed she ordered the starter kit for me to try. Two weeks later, I received the Holy Grail.

 IT Cosmetics saved my skin. 

Never in my life did I think makeup would be the solution to my skin problems. I begin wearing IT Cosmetics in February of 2017 and have never looked back. No medicine, no specialty ointments or million dollar treatments; only the products that Jamie Kern Lima has blessed us with.

Today, almost a year later, my skin is completely clear. The texture has returned to it pre-Impetigo days, and the redness has faded to a light-pink. When I apply my makeup, you would think my skin had never left its high school glory days. Flawless.

To be honest, I’m not sure what type of unicorn magic Jamie and her team added to her products, but IT cosmetics is a God-sent gift that I and so many others swear by. Even my mother left CVS in the dust and has wholly conformed to an IT Girl.

Call a spade a spade. I’m a woman in her mid-twenties working in the beauty industry in New York City; being self-conscious is already a given. Truthfully, I don’t know if I would have had the courage to dive into this industry without IT Cosmetics in my arsenal.

There are no words to describe how lucky I feel that I no longer wake up everyday stressed about how embarrassed I’m going to be when meeting new people. Success comes from confidence, no matter what. Being comfortable in my skin again is all I ever wanted and now, thanks to Jamie and her line of miracle-working beauty products, I finally am.

#ITGirl