Comfort Zone

It all started with Crixivan. My skin became so raw and dry I looked like a lizard, and I had painful patches on my back, arms and chest. I had trouble sleeping just from touching the pillow. To say my skin was devastated is an understatement. I tried everything—everything—for severely dry skin, but nothing worked. My skin was a constant reminder that I had the virus, and I started hating my drugs so much that I almost went off them.

But when I was in New York City, a friend sent me to the legendary Kiehl’s body-products shop on Third Avenue. After I explained to the salesperson that I was HIV positive and described what had happened to my skin, he tried me out on Creme d’Elegance Repairateur—very smooth, super creamy, with a soft, maizelike color and a pleasant, clean smell. It felt awesome, and within a few weeks my skin was healed! I worship this cream. I’ve given it a special spot in my bathroom, right near my sink, next to my meds. I take my meds, I wash my face, I put on my cream—my little regimen is right there, all together.