THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 4, 1996 TAG: 9607040685
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Charlise Lyles
LENGTH: 60 lines
The cures came in as soon as the column hit the streets.
From drinking more water to the Home Shopping Network and cucumbers.
They were among remedies from readers who telephoned in response to my monologue last week bemoaning the heartbreak of adult acne, mainly my own.
``As a fellow sufferer I know how you feel,'' said a caller who asked to remain nameless as well as faceless.
``I think Gov. Allen has it too,'' she said. ``He always has a sort of red, rashy look. And, you know, I think W.C. Fields had it, too, and that's what caused his nose to look like that.''
It's nice to think the guv and I might have something in common.
Each caller was a volume of war stories and research. Each was full of affirmation, refusing to resign to the ravages of pimples.
And each claimed to have found the cure and was eager to share it.
Rogernette Beale's battle spans more than a decade.
``When my oldest son was 15 I took him to the dermatologist and said, `What about me,' '' Beale said.
``I've been through three dermatologists in the last seven, eight years, on antibiotics, orals and topicals, Retin-A. I've even participated in a dermatology experiment.''
Nothing worked.
Then she tried a product advertised on Home Shopping Network. Beale's acne took a walk in March and got lost.
Tune in to the Network July 17th, she urged.
The anonymous caller offered a counter-diagnosis to perioral dermatitis, my doctor's conclusion.
``It's rosacea,'' she speculated. ``Does it tend to flare up when you eat spicy foods or drink wine?''
Now, sister-girl, you know I haven't been drinking no wine!
We share a common history. Acne-free adolescence and pockmarked premenopause.
She recommended a prescription for T-stat, the topical solution that helped clear her face.
Another reader suggested MetroGel (for urban acne?), also by prescription.
``Sliced cucumbers soaked in vinegar,'' another prescribed confidently.
If it doesn't work, I suppose I could serve it as a side salad.
Thank you, all. Your empathy has soothed more than any skin potion could. I feel close to every one of you. We've bonded.
Nothing breeds community like acne.
Maybe it's not so bad to have this stuff after all.
While we're in the beauty department . . .
Sister-girls, you're not going to believe this. I wrote last week about Essence magazine's ``What A Man!'' contest and just how incredible it is that two men from Hampton Roads ranked among the 10 finalists.
Well, fair sister-girls, there are, in actuality, THREEE. Don't bother with your bifocals. You read right. THREEE. How could that be in this land of male drought?
Essence magazine indicated that Chief Petty Officer Douglas L. Bryant Sr. lives in Jacksonville, Fla. In fact, Bryant, his wife, Gwendolyn, and their three children live in Virginia Beach. Bryant was a 1992 Sailor of the Year, and a recipient of the Navy Achievement Medal.
Well, odds are that the ``What A Man!'' winner walks in our midst. by CNB