Mask On Face Off

On occasion I like to use face masks. No, not those kind. I like the peel off variety.

I had a packet of some sitting around and decided to use it. It had been sitting around, but the package was still sealed and I didn't see an expiration date on it. Face masks don't go bad or do they?

Upon opening the packet I noticed that the mask had dried out and thickened. I thought So? It doesn't matter as long as it cleans my pores.


It took probably five to ten minutes to put it on since it was thicker than usual. During the wait time I could feel it working. My skin felt tighter already. I watched TV while it did its magic, then I realized it had been more than twenty minutes. It had to be dry by now.

It was time to remove it. I gently pried the edges away from my face but they seemed as if they had been super-glued on. The first few tugs at my forehead was a bit painful. I had to tug at it then yank it quickly. It left pieces of mask dangling. I still had the rest of my face to go and wondered how the heck I'd manage. I can do this. I thought to myself.

My son heard me scream and showed up to see what was happening and tried to assist me. Part of the time I had to tell him to stop and that I needed a break from it.

Further on it got worse. My anxiety level increased every time I tried to remove a portion, and my blood pressure began to rise with every second that ticked by.

The silver gel now had the consistency of shredded duct tape and was hanging here and there all over my face resembling dead skin. I stared into the mirror at the zombie I resembled. All I had to do was grunt and growl to complete that scenario, yet I really ended up screaming each time I tried to remove it..

It was so bad I seriously thought I would have to go to the ER. It might have been frowned upon since I was still breathing and not bleeding yet. Surely they wouldn't discreetly laugh at my stupidity.

I decided to suffer and very quickly rip it off one piece at a time, no matter how long it took or how much it hurt. So I braced myself and took a deep breath.

It took at least an hour to take it off and each time it was followed by groans and such. My face had red splotches and it stung like a thousand bee stings.

When I called and told my sister what happened she at first couldn't speak. Then she burst out laughing uncontrollably. Finally she asked me if I videotaped it. I thanked her for laughing at my misery. It wasn't my idea of fun when it happened, but hey stupid things happen.

Surely my face would feel and look better before long, given a few days or months.

Still i worried about the after effects. I had heard that when you pluck or shave, that your hair would grow in thicker. I visualised, yet hoped not, that my face wouldn't be covered with a matt of fur like a werewolf anytime soon.

So far so good and I've not even looked at gel face masks since.



*A big hank you Dogpack for the suggestions.