I've heard that we all improve with age. My skin doesn't abide by that rule.

I'm not talking about wrinkles. I have a problem with pimples, something no nearly-30-year-old woman should have to deal with.

When I was 20, an outspoken boyfriend saw an anti-beauty mark on my forehad and said, "Aren't you too old for that?" What he would think if he saw me those few times a month recently when a forehead blemish is no longer a distant memory?

It's embarrassing to show up at work or a party with pimples. Blackheads, whiteheads -- they're all hideous.

Acne is upsetting at any age, but more than a decade since puberty seems like time enough for my face to get bump-free. I had perfect skin in high school, and only occasional breakouts in college.

I'm not alone. About 25 percent of men and 50 percent of women suffer from acne at some point, according to Acne.org.

Those numbers don't make me feel any better, though. I don't want to be one of the 50 percent with acne; I'd feel more comfortable in the other group.

I have tried everything I can think of to get back to the perfect skin that used to earn me compliments or, even better, went unnoticed. From creams and potions to natural remedies and oral antibiotics, nothing worked.

I've tried to use nothing at all on my face. I've tried not touching my face too much, not over-cleaning it or under-moisturizing.

I asked my friends -- most of whom are more preoccupied with staving off wrinkles than pimples -- but everyone told me something I've heard before.

But I don't eat chocolate, I have a healthy diet and I already drink tons of water.

When I talk to the professionals, they always point to the same thing: stress. I've done my best to reduce it and yet the pimples remain.

Besides, acne is one of my stressors. Seeing an unsightly blemish while I get ready for work is enough to make me scream.

So what's a woman to do when Noxzema just doesn't cut it anymore?

Perhaps another trip to the dermatologist is in order, this time to someone other than the guy who swore a combination of Dial soap and heavy drugs was the key.

Even better, maybe it's time to stop trying. Trying makes me anxious, and that's what's causing the problem in the first place.

So I'll just sit back and ride out this acne-filled fun until my next birthday party. Maybe when my candles are blown out my perfect skin will return.

Or, with each year I'll realize that it's not about trying to look good, but about feeling good.

Too bad wisdom doesn't come with a cure for combination skin.

Laura Lewis is an adventurous newlywed who has loved, lost and doesn't mind sharing. Her column appears every other Thursday.