Parents of every generation have frowned upon the look and style of the boyfriends and girlfriends that have crossed the paths of their children.

The important thing is to let them see that you are being mature about the whole process. If they state that they have a dislike for the way he looks, tell them rather calmly that you appreciate their viewpoint, however, your feelings for him go a bit beyond the mere shell of what a person looks like. Thank them for caring enough to voice their opinion, but ask that they meet him on a level that stems from personality and behavior and not style of dress. After all, back in their day, I am sure they faced the same thing with their own parents.

Again, you might want to find out what it is with the way he “acts” that they find so distasteful. Would they say the same thing if he showed up wearing a Brooks Brothers suit instead?

Above all, don’t look at this as a stumbling block with your relationship with your boyfriend or your parents. Instead, embrace this point in time as a means of opening up dialogue with them so that they see that you are maturing and thinking correctly by at least listening to what they have to say. This does not mean you have to agree with what they say, just that you are willing to discuss it calmly and rationally without the typical dysfunctional fighting that so many get wrapped up in.

David, my heart goes out to you as this is one of the unspoken devastations that will hit most of us at one time or another. Unfortunately, the pain is something we have to endure; without the grieving, there is no growth. If you find that the pain is to the point of mild depression though, you might want to look into St. John’s Wort as a natural antidepressant for the time being. If this feeling gets out of hand where you find that the depression is taking a major part of your life over, do seek out therapy at once.

Above all, remember that this too shall pass and once you are done grieving, chances are someone even better will come along. Take it from me, I speak from experience on that note!

Do write back and let us know how you are doing!

Well, Hilda, you have come to the right place. Antioxidants are wonderful for helping the body heal. You can get these in the form of dark green leafy veggies as well as citrus fruit and juice. Considering the type of operation you are going to have, it may not be possible to eat too many fruits and vegetables, so be sure to at least take a multivitamin, drink your orange juice at least three times a day, and fill up on water daily. If advised by the physician/surgeon to rinse with salt water, do so on a regular basis.

The most important aspect of healing will come from the nutrients that go into the body while you are trying to repair yourself. Avoid all junk food for the time being as garbage in equals garbage out and it will only make healing that much harder. All those wonderful chemicals take their toll on the body, especially when you are trying to heal from something physically traumatizing.

There are many natural hypoallergenic soaps on the market without the extra fragrances that you might want to look into. There is also a natural soap that I swear by called Kiss My Face from the company of the same name at www.kissmyface.com

After washing, you might want to use witch hazel as an astringent on your face. It is inexpensive and readily available in most pharmacies. Simply wet a cotton ball with the witch hazel and gently brush it across the face, being sure to avoid the eye area.

If your acne is that bad and these suggestions do not help, it may require a visit to a dermatologist.

Thank you for supporting this column. Feel free to write to me at witchhazel@morbidoutlook.com with your questions, remedies, and feedback. Due to the large volume of mail I receive, I can not give personal e-mail responses nor answer every question right away, but I will try my best. Take care.