because you can't look like a teenager forever...

Recently I inexplicably received a magazine from the lady who gave me a massage last winter. It's one of those yuppie incense-burning, expensive-yoga-mat, which-mountain-retreat-should-you-pamper-yourself-at-this-January kind of magazines, but I looked through it anyway.

Surprisingly, it told me something that intrigued me: you can use lemon juice as an effective facial cleanser. Like, really, really effective. I was a little skeptical (it says the acid is akin to giving yourself a mini facial peel), but I gave it a try since my skin has been incredibly willful since returning to San Diego. It works! My skin is pretty, not angry and pimply! I am joyous!

My one concession to the beauty myth is my skin trouble. It just ain't attractive to have zits, you know? And I've had tenacious acne for a long time, despite numerous dermatological treatments (even the infamous Acutaine, which no one should ever, ever, ever take unless they want six months of bloody noses, cracked lips, and people prying mercilessly into your sex life) with varying amounts of success. Since I currently don't have any form of health coverage, I am without access to a dermatologist and prescription treatments. My experience with the prescription acne drugs out there is that, much like echinacea and the missionary position, they are less effective with time. Also, many of them are smelly and cause your skin to fry in the sun like an egg on the sidewalk. On a hot day. In July. In Arizona.

Thus, this lemon juice treatment is music to my ears; it's cheap, accessible, natural, and it works. It's also smoothing out my skin tone and lightening some of my imperfections. I am also a sucker for the smell of lemon, or citrus of any kind; I love me my Burt's Bees Lemon Cuticle Cream, grapefruit Hall's Vitamin C drops, and the Lorn version of coffee, orange juice. What could be better than applying it lovingly to my face? A bath? Yes please. Actually, the magazine also suggests a lemon peel/juice bath...hmm...