Hi all i might have already asked this question in some of my replies but i wanted your thoughts on this subject. Why do we have to feel diffrent just because we have a skin condition??? Reply if you feel like it,

Dear Lissa,

Greetings from a fellow KPer. The reason beauty equals clear complexion is evolutionary, since clear skin is generally thought to be a good indicator of overall health and makes one a desirable reproductive partner. Same for height, symmetrical facial features, good teeth, etc. Fortunately, as humans have evolved, other qualities -- what we call inner beauty -- have become more important. Our obsession with thinness is just the body fashion of today. Once upon a time, heavier women were prized because their fuller figures indicated that they could afford to eat well. Nowadays, it costs money to eat healthy (if you've ever shopped at Whole Foods you know), so thin is associated with higher class status. Same with tanning, which used to mean you did manual labor. Now it means you're Paris Hilton. I'm sure you know all this already, and I'm pretty sure that your question was rhetorical: shouldn't we be just as valued and desired, regardless of some patches of rough skin on our arms (sometimes chest, and in my case, occasionally on my butt)? Of course the answer is yes. But I also think that a lot of times, we get back what we give out. Sometimes, because my KP makes me feel "less worthy," I let myself be treated badly at work and in relationships. This happens to such a degree, I know it has to be more than just a little rashiness. I believe I've let my KP become a badge of how badly I feel about myself on the inside (I'm a recovering addict too, so I know about self-hatred). They say that there's no physical ailment that doesn't somehow manifest itself on the skin; I think that goes for emotional dis-ease as well. It just breaks my heart to read these threads and see what people do to themselves out of embarrassment, shame and self-loathing. It hurts because I can relate. So I think it's a question worth asking -- could the problem be more than skin deep?