This morning I was minding my own business, washing my face, when suddenly I noticed…(cue in scary horror movie music) a zit, right smack in the middle of my face! A zit? At my age? On the tip of my nose??? I screamed, (continuing with the horror movie theme here), “Noooooooooo!!!”
Zits? Acne? Pimples? Unwanted blobs on my face? Or whatever you want to call them. At my ripe ol’ age of 54, I had one big fat one atop my nose! Yep, I couldn’t believe it. My mind went into overdrive as I stared at it.
Prefer to listen? Click the play button below.
Why Today?
Why today? Today of all days when I am supposed to meet my family for dinner. I can just picture them all avoiding eye contact with me, trying not to look at my nose. Well, at least I wear a mask at work, so my co-workers won’t be the wiser that it is there. Oh bother!
Hadn’t I outgrown acne? Wasn’t I immune to this teenage problem? Hadn’t I already done my time in my teenage years? Back in the days when I was trying to impress the cute boy sitting next to me while dealing with the dots covering my face? Apparently not.
What is the deal?!? I did the rundown of what might have caused this zit. Was I stressed? Let’s see…work has been pretty calm lately, my home life was normal this week. Nope, not it.
Had I eaten a lot of sweets or dessert? After the Christmas holidays and bingeing on what felt like tons of desserts and special treats, I finally had it under control again and hadn’t had a lot recently. So, I don’t think it was that.
Did I have poor hygiene? I wash my face every morning and evening, so I’m clean as a whistle. And I make it a point to not touch my face with dirty hands. Next idea…
After my brief analysis of myself, I figured I should just research the topic “Aging and acne” and see what popped up (get it? Popped up? Zit…popped up….nevermind). I was surprised at the result I found.
Well, are you ready for this?
The Dreaded Maskne
I discovered I had the dreaded “Maskne“. What the heck is that, you ask? Well, friends, it is acne caused by wearing a mask.
Yep, at this time I wear a mask all day at work and according to Kirsten Nunez on Healthline.com, “In most cases, maskne is the result of clogged pores. You already have oil, bacteria, and dead skin cells on your skin. But when you wear a mask, these substances can build up more and block your pores. A mask also traps humidity due to your breathing and sweating, which may increase the risk of acne.” Aha! That is definitely the problem!
So, since I’m in a bit of a pickle, having to wear a mask at work or having clear skin, I will have to live with this “maskne” issue and treat this problem since the mask is required (at this time).
Old Fashioned Home Remedies
As I kept looking at that zit, I considered using old fashioned home remedies’ that I had used in the past (long, long ago). For instance, putting baking soda mixed with a drop of water to create a paste to place on my nose which dries into a fine white powder. But then figured this wouldn’t be a good idea. White powder. At the tip of my nose. Doesn’t look good! Besides, it can irritate the skin.
Toothpaste. That is a sticky, gooey mess! I’ll stick with using that for my teeth only.
How about popping that sucker? Hmmm, scarring issue. But at my age, do I really care? Yes, yes I do!
I finally decided that to treat my “lovely” zit (said facetiously), I would just leave it alone. Not do a damn thing to it. Ignore it. And eventually it will go away. I know…boring, right? No acne creams. No crazy concoctions. Just good old fashioned patience. My mind finally settled down. No more horror movie theme music. And no more screaming. All is well with the world. Whew!
Then, I looked down and saw a wart on my thumb….”Nooooooo!”
Cheers!