When I was younger, I was teased in school and at home for something that is a normal, natural part of growing up. I had severe acne. As a result of which, my peers at school gave me the unforgettable and highly disgusting name of ‘Acne king’. When I look back at those days, to be honest, if only to myself, I did have severe acne. And I also remember how desperately I tried to concoct acne remedies to get rid of the acne and the demeaning name!

The first of these acne remedies grew from a popular misconception. Like millions of others all around the world, I believed firmly that acne was a result of poor hygiene and did everything I could to wash the bad skin off. What this meant in acne remedy terms was that I washed my face upwards of ten times a day! While I now know that poor hygiene is a myth and that washing my face constantly, rather than being useful as any sort of acne remedy probably contributed to increased acne, I continued to do so under a delusional belief in its efficacy.

Another acne remedy came from my grandmother. She firmly believed that acne was a result of poor eating habits (It isn’t!). And she suggested her very own acne remedy which included the generous use of basil, turmeric and yogurt to rid my skin of its oily qualities. While the combination did a great deal to cool me off from the blistering heat, it did very little else. And this acne remedy too found disfavor with me after having tried it out for quite some time. Another thing that this particular acne remedy did was to give my skin a yellow pallor, thanks to the generous use of turmeric. It only made me that much more of a laughing stock with my peers. I became the acne king with a turmeric acne remedy!

Yet another acne remedy had its genesis in my sister’s lotions and potions. Being bestowed with far less acne than me, she did not need to use too many acne remedies. That however did nothing to stop her from constantly experimenting with me! Her acne remedy consisted of applying a thick paste of a popular acne remedy lotion available at the local pharmacy and then sealing it onto my face by using a bag of ice cubes. Maybe it was an inferior acne remedy or maybe it was just the numbing coldness of the ice, but the moisture and the embarrassment combined together to make my acne worse than it had ever been. My sister soon beat a hasty retreat from suggesting any more acne remedies.

But the best acne remedy by far was time. No sooner had I completed my teenage years than the acne miraculously disappeared. No scars. No telltale signs that I had been the acne king! And although his particular acne remedy had worked out for the best, I was mighty disgruntled. If I had known that this was to happen, I would not have wasted time, money and effort on all those painful acne remedies! As my sister insisted, it were their remedies that made my acne went away after my teens. Which is what I can’t prove her wrong, afterall, I did used all those acne remedies.