Not a Christmas Blog! Noo, far too early, the Christmas tree erection in town is still a few weeks away although I have heard that decorations are available at Home bargain already.
What this blog title is referencing is a greeting my friend Tanya has started giving me cos of my red nose. I try and stay pretty relaxed about it, the greeting as well as my actual blinking belisha beacon in the centre of my face, my cross to bear and all that. Its a condition called rosacia and refers to the skin reddening, hence the name. Treatment such as creams and tablets are available as is lazer treatment. I’ve tried all of them in the seven or so years i have had the condition but as you can guess from my latest nick name, they ain’t worked. What I have also discovered though is just how common the condition is, more prevalent in women who have a pale complexion, some twenty percent of such group have the condition.
When it arrived in my life for the first couple of years it was not as persistent as now but in a way I was more impacted by it due to the poor state of my mental health. I can still recall vividly one afternoon in a local park when some teenage girls(sloping of school no doubt) doing a double take when walking past me-most uncomfortable. I think I adopted a strategy that I had used many times when faced with problems, ignore it-hope it will go away. Fortunately I have matured some in recent years and reviewed this strategy and the blog is about some of the changes i have made to make this condition more palatable.
So what are these new strategies? They are born of the collective memories of some five decades so its worth saying that unpicking any sense out of those jumbles-mad times is not easy to explain. The teenage ‘Quinerderm’ years of exploding skin, the corny seventies with Brut for men mantra, the New Romantic and Punk of the 80’s, the Metrosexuality of the 90’s-these all take air time on mainstream TV now with comedians and pundits making comment of these times with a mix of shock and fondness. What this does reveal to me is how important it is to talk and reflect back on times gone by, in trying to make some sense of you can, its just forever a work in progress.
Talking about my skin condition when appropriate is the approach I have found most helpful, finding out information myself has allowed me to answer questions when they come up in conversation in a sensible and adult way. It’s through this that I realise I am not alone, it’s a good feeling and in addition by doing this I also believe I have at times helped fellow sufferers. It’s the same approach that I have taken with mental health over recent years-another subject all too often covered over with slap to no good affect.
I have found a few good role models in this time that I would like to name check; my barber of ten years, Si; he has a lovely nurturing set up for fellas of all sizes to stay well groomed and my new mate Steve’s facebook group called the Big Shave, it’s referencing a short film from Martin Scorsese, both are worth a look-to see what men do in their bathrooms, all good-have a nice day!
What this blog title is referencing is a greeting my friend Tanya has started giving me cos of my red nose. I try and stay pretty relaxed about it, the greeting as well as my actual blinking belisha beacon in the centre of my face, my cross to bear and all that. Its a condition called rosacia and refers to the skin reddening, hence the name. Treatment such as creams and tablets are available as is lazer treatment. I’ve tried all of them in the seven or so years i have had the condition but as you can guess from my latest nick name, they ain’t worked. What I have also discovered though is just how common the condition is, more prevalent in women who have a pale complexion, some twenty percent of such group have the condition.
When it arrived in my life for the first couple of years it was not as persistent as now but in a way I was more impacted by it due to the poor state of my mental health. I can still recall vividly one afternoon in a local park when some teenage girls(sloping of school no doubt) doing a double take when walking past me-most uncomfortable. I think I adopted a strategy that I had used many times when faced with problems, ignore it-hope it will go away. Fortunately I have matured some in recent years and reviewed this strategy and the blog is about some of the changes i have made to make this condition more palatable.
So what are these new strategies? They are born of the collective memories of some five decades so its worth saying that unpicking any sense out of those jumbles-mad times is not easy to explain. The teenage ‘Quinerderm’ years of exploding skin, the corny seventies with Brut for men mantra, the New Romantic and Punk of the 80’s, the Metrosexuality of the 90’s-these all take air time on mainstream TV now with comedians and pundits making comment of these times with a mix of shock and fondness. What this does reveal to me is how important it is to talk and reflect back on times gone by, in trying to make some sense of you can, its just forever a work in progress.
Talking about my skin condition when appropriate is the approach I have found most helpful, finding out information myself has allowed me to answer questions when they come up in conversation in a sensible and adult way. It’s through this that I realise I am not alone, it’s a good feeling and in addition by doing this I also believe I have at times helped fellow sufferers. It’s the same approach that I have taken with mental health over recent years-another subject all too often covered over with slap to no good affect.
I have found a few good role models in this time that I would like to name check; my barber of ten years, Si; he has a lovely nurturing set up for fellas of all sizes to stay well groomed and my new mate Steve’s facebook group called the Big Shave, it’s referencing a short film from Martin Scorsese, both are worth a look-to see what men do in their bathrooms, all good-have a nice day!