That's when I realized my "friend" wasn't a friend at all...

When I was younger, I had a lot of self-esteem issues. I was nervous and shy at school, and frequently did or said things that sounded strange. I was never certain if I was doing what was normal, and that only added to my nervousness. And even when I thought I had things right, I was a whole year younger than my classmates (something most of them never knew) and was consistently a year behind in my social skills.

To make matters worse, I was born with eczema. When I was little my mom would always lovingly tell me that I was her alligator-baby, and I didn't think that there was anything wrong with the rough patches of skin on my hands, feet, knees or elbows. Mom would always tell me, "Oh, some people are just born that way." And they are. Just not in droves like I was innocently believing.

In sixth grade, all of the elementary schools merged into one huge middle school, and I thought that this would bring new opportunities for me. I figured I could either become a somebody, or blend in as a nobody. It didn't take me long to make new friends, and it really didn't take me long to find out what caliber they were. I'm sure they are all lovely people now, but some of those "friends" quickly abandoned me over one ignorant comment.

As I was hanging out with a group of these new kids, a girl I had never met before popped by and was introduced to me. She was someone that my "new friends" had gone to elementary school with, and she was already good friends with all of them. As she was leaving, I heard her half-whisper to one of the other girls, "Wow did you see her hands? She needs lotion or something." They giggled and I pretended not to hear, certain that my cheeks were red as a flame.

The next day one of the girls from my "new" group came up and asked me if what I had was contagious. I didn't understand what she was talking about at first, and by the time she got through to me, it was clear that hanging out with her wasn't going to happen anymore. Apparently having rough skin and needing a lot of lotion can disqualify you for "friend" status in middle school. My mom gave me the usual "With friends like that, who needs enemies?" routine when I got home and tearfully told her what happened, but it didn't help. (Has that ever helped?) I was a trooper though and went back to school pretending that nothing had happened.

I eventually made new friends, but I was so afraid about my skin now that I began to introduce myself to the other kids saying, "Hi, I'm Alicia, and I have really dry skin, but don't worry, it's not contagious, I just need a lot of lotion. It's no big deal though." Luckily, my new group of friends were real friends, and not so easily scared off. One of them finally even took me aside (love you Jessica!) and told me, "Stop telling people about your dry skin. It's weird to say that and no one cares." I thought she was just telling me that because she was being nice, but as I've gotten older I've realized it was because she was beyond the "coolness" of middle school and could see the bigger picture.

She was right. It is no big deal. And the problem that I used to over-exaggerate to myself seems like hardly anything now. I look at my hands sometimes and wonder how I ever thought of them as scary, scaley-looking things that no one would want to touch. Either I've grown new hands or my child's-mind imagined them far worse because of the teasing.

However, the fact remains that my skin is on the dry side, and as a grown woman, I wanted to do something about it. I tried a lot of different lotions throughout my lifetime (and I mean a lot), but most of them have always seemed either too greasy to absorb into my skin, or so watery that they don't stay in my skin very long. I finally found Eucerin cream, and to my delight it worked wonderfully. I have been using it ever since and can't even begin to imagine what I would do without it.

Lately though, I have been slacking off on using it regularly. I just got over being pregnant (for what seemed like five years), and I couldn't really bend down very easily to take care of my feet.

Long story short? My feet are a dry, callousy mess and I hate it! Living in Florida like I do, the last thing I want is feet that look horrible in open shoes. I want smooth, pretty feet like every other woman does, and even without dry skin that can be hard to accomplish. I have tried and tried to get my feet to be smoother - I've tried files and buffs, creams, massages and even paraffin wax at the spa! Nothing has worked. I still have heels that scratch along the inside of my bed covers at night and it drives me crazy!

So I'm experimenting on myself for the next 14 days: I'll be using Eucerin's Intensive Repair Extra-Enriched Foot Creme along with Eucerin's Daily+Strength Skin Fortifying Body Creme to see if I can't get my feet smoother than they've ever been!

Day One, no treatment yet!

To show just how seriously awesome Eucerin is, I'm going to be taking pictures along the way so everyone can see the progress. Check out my horrible heel in the picture at the right. Pretty scary, huh? I think so too. Hopefully by the end of two weeks I'll be able to kiss that picture good-bye and reward myself with some brand new sandals.

The giveaway below has expired, but that doesn't mean that you can't still win something! Check out our Giveaways page for all current giveaways!

*****************************************

(Giveaway Expired) And as a reward to my readers, one of you will win a Eucerin prize pack worth over $50. When I wrote to the good people over at Eucerin and told them the story of my dry skin, they were kind enough to send me a wonderful assortment of their product for free, and I'm delighted to be able to put some up in this giveaway! (Giveaway Expired)