Raw Foods and Clear Skin: Irritating Little Red Dots

What has raw food done for me? Sure I've lost weight, started running marathons, lowered my resting heart rate, had more energy, etc., but the most important thing as far as I'm concerned (and call me vain if you wish), was the significant reduction of the appearance of a genetic case of keratosis pilaris, also known as 'annoying little red dots on the upper arms.'

Don't laugh--first it's necessary to realize the scope of the problem that having such stupid little dots can create. Imagine you're suffering through a hot, muggy summer, and you're outside because there's no air conditioning. There's your old neighbor lady out watering whatever she's growing, kids running around spraying each other with the garden hose, and people generally having a good time, despite the heat and humidity. But you're not! You get to sit there with a long-sleeved shirt on, hiding your hideous arms, sweltering and generally not having a good time at all.

Let's go back to my high school prom. In one photo, there's my best friend, and my boyfriend at the time...and me. Now, I had everyone beat back then on skinniness, because I was a stick in those days. I could wear all the dresses that my friends couldn't get into, and they envied me for it, but I showed up wearing...guess what...a jacket. Yes, I went and bought a little black jacket to go over my otherwise spaghetti strap little dress, and I didn't dare take it off all night.

After a while you get used to the notion that it's going to be long sleeves all the time...it's kind of like wearing a tube top, a normal bra with really tacky-looking straps, and a jacket over it...but you wouldn't dare take off the jacket during the day, for obvious reasons. Neither would I...except my obvious reasons were slightly more permanent than tacky white bra straps: They were small and red and happily dwelling on my upper arms.

Finally, my parents decided I should probably see a dermatologist about the problem. For about two years, I regularly took three hours out of my schedule to go see a so-called "specialist"; one hour driving there, a one hour appointment, and one hour driving back. He gave me loads of prescriptions for some really expensive creams, pills, you name it.

Long story short, these red dots are almost gone! I'm thinking it won't be too long before they clear completely. I look back on that now, five years later, and wish I could have used that time to write my dissertation, and that money to pay off my student loan debt.

Five years later, and two years at eighty percent raw. That really was all it took.