Skinned alive
I'm paying the price for being slack with suncream. Crusty vesuvius-like kraters have formed on my forehead. Pustules on my nose and cheeks bubble up and beg to be picked. It's beyond painful, tight and unbelievably itchy. Translucent shards of peeling skin quiver in a breeze and heighten the level of discomfort. The carefree days of this cap-wearing kid are over. If my head was a bar of chocolate I would be a violent crumble. There's nothing delicious about the thought, for my skin has been turned inside out by Efudix – a cream used to fight skin cancers. Call me ugly, liken my expression to that of a dropped pie or tag my face as one that only a mother can love but spare me the suffering that this topical terror inflicts. I call it "Efu" and broadcast the name in the direction of any onlooker transfixed by my appearance. The Elephant Man frequently broke down in public. He was 'not an animal' but by crikey his disfigurement made people wonder. Rece...