me and my skin

MINNA GILLIGAN, ARTIST

I never thought much of my freckles as a child, but in year 7 some bullies said the concentrated line of pigmentation flecks on my forehead looked like a visor (surf-brand visors were cool back then, so I’m not sure why that was an insult). My freckles were the only thing I mildly disliked about my skin as a teen, and the older I grew, the less I cared about them.

In my early 20s I started developing mottled, red sores on my left cheek. I was diagnosed with rosacea, a skin condition that causes redness, heat and painful bumps on the face. After a child on public transport asked, “What’s on your face?” I went on