t is a woman’s duty to use all the means in her power to beautify and preserve her complexion,” wrote the Irish dancer Lola Montez in her delightful 1858 guidebook, How closely, but misguidedly, have I followed this advice! From the time I’ve been able to roam the pharmacy unsupervised, I have been engaged in a battle for beauty. In my youthful zeal for perfect skin, I leaned upon scrubs and heavy-duty toners, most of which chafed and stung - to my great satisfaction. When acne came for me
