PART III

My previous post caused a veritable riot on Twitter. I got venom spat in my now wonderfully calm face, just because I said I was happy with Efracea, a pill that calms your skin down. Things like: “Pity you’re promoting antibiotics.” The anti-antibiotic mob were ready to rumble.

Jetske Ultee, my skin doctor eventually managed to calm things down on Twitter and win the battle in the process. There were even a few antibiotic fascists who apologised.

Efracea contains a minimal dose of doxycycline, yes the substance that you can build a resistance too. But it is such a minimal amount that it doesn’t even kill the bacteria and only calms the skin down. And if bacteria are not killed, you cannot build up a resistance to it. Should you wish to know more on the subject, take a look at the following medical publications (mediascape.com/viewarticle/45). Or visit Jetske’s office. She knows all about it.

I closed off the Twitter-quarrel with a notification that I was heading off to pour myself a glass of wine (and advised all my opponents to do the same), to which Jetske answered that wine too is good for the skin. So once again we see how a small media conflict can turn out for the positive.

That said, a person should not take too many of these pills. So I’m weaning myself off Efracea. My skin is nice and calm now and there are enough other ways to keep it like this. Jetske is very strict on cleansing. I must admit that I did overlook this, sometimes up to four times a week. A quick research round here at the editors office showed that three of the six persons present, did not wash their faces before bed (that’s never). Because they didn’t feel like it. And because they woke up looking good. We’re talking about people in the business who are busy with fashion and make-up on a daily basis. I was one of them. However, I have been cleaning my face regularly since Jetske came into my life. Her exfoliant helped purify my skin.

Last Friday I popped by for my ‘consult’. My skin was photographed. Jetkse and laser-expert Annelijn took a long, hard critical look at The Skin, arms seriously folded. I felt a little nervous, you know because of hanging out in the sun during summer. The white smoke signal left the Velthuis-clinic and I got a thumbs up. I saw the proof for myself. Not only was my skin calmer, it now had a wonderful glow.

To round things off, Annelijn gave me a peeling treatment whereby the top layer of the skin is removed, which stimulates cel rejuvenation. Then she lasered a few red thread veins away (still more work to be done), and I had a cooling silicone protheses on my nose to reduce the swelling.

Next task. To carefully, extremely carefully rub on a thin layer of Vitamin A-acid. And to use a mix of jojoba- and tea tree oil every now and then. That eradicates all the bad stuff on the skin.

I’ll be seeing Jetske again in two months at her Rotterdam headquarters for a skin check-up. I’m looking forward to it. And as of now I’m gently scrubbing every evening.