Lipedema is a chronic fat disorder that can affect women regardless of BMI. Here's why lipedema can remain hidden for years, especially in skinny women.
June 10, 2026
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We often look back on our teenage years with nostalgia mixed with cringe, remembering questionable fashion choices and tumultuous relationships. However, the challenges from that time can linger into adulthood, highlighting the need for more organization in our lives.
Here are five common struggles you may face. While it's easy to dwell on past decisions, it's important to confront these challenges now.
Reflecting on regrets is pointless without taking action. The sooner we make changes, the less we’ll regret later!
We all remember our teenage years.
From bad hair and bad fashion to bad relationship choices, many of us look back on those years fondly, but mainly because they're not our reality anymore.
For some of us, though, the woes that plagued our teenage years didn't really leave us.
They can be very jarring, especially since the adult years are usually seen as the time when we finally get our act together.
Here are 5 that I'm sure you'll still say, "Same here!" to.
1. Not Saving Up
Before we got our full-time jobs, there were better times when our parents funded us not only for our meals but also for small expenses through our allowances.
Because we couldn't really feel the pinch of spending hard-earned money, we tend to live from allowance to allowance, buying things on a whim.
I'm not sure about the rest of you, but I've definitely gotten more kiam (aka stingy) since my allowance stopped coming in, and I've had to take on the role of a financially independent adult.
From phone to credit card bills, I find myself looking at the now-useless items I splurged on in my younger years with disdain.
Some ways we can alleviate this now are to, well, start saving up!
2. Not Taking Care Of Our Skin
Perhaps many blame their raging, unstable hormones for the outbreaks we all hated.
Back then, Oxy pimple cream was our last line of defence, and pimple patches were last-ditch attempts to cover up the red, embarrassing spots on our faces.
Many of us have since gotten out of the phase, mostly due to our hormones stabilising, but there are still some who suffer from adult acne, or commonly, scarring from previous outbreaks.
The truth is, the condition of your skin (especially on your face) helps you make a good or not-so-good first impression, so it might be a good idea to step up your skincare game beyond just a face wash and pimple cream.
Amaris B.'s tailored acne management therapy not only helps those with the usual pimples and blackheads but also those with cysts and scarring.
3. Not Taking Care Of Our Bodies
Somewhat tied into the point of not taking good care of our skin, many of us also don't see our weight as a problem unless we were members of the notorious TAF club in school.
Most of the time, this meant we ate whatever we liked, whenever we liked, and these habits also carried over into adulthood.
Unfortunately for us, our metabolism rates have also aged alongside us. With the mainly sedentary lifestyle our jobs entail, we find ourselves putting on weight even though we're eating moderately.
"We can just exercise and diet, right?"
That's half right, because the sad truth is that while fat cells can shrink, they never really disappear.
Losing weight and looking good with it isn't just dependent on liposuction or weight management.
Instead, it is the combination of both that'll ensure satisfactory changes.
4. Not Taking Care Of Our Health
Not just poor eating habits; this also includes those we tend to overlook.
For one, we've been told to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day, but while some have come out to say otherwise, and that only drinking when one's thirsty should be the guideline, we are sometimes even too caught up with our work to realise that our body needs water!
A simple way to get around this would be to keep a large water bottle next to you; its presence would probably be enough to remind you to drink up.
On the same note, ensuring that you get proper nutritious meals and eat at a reasonable pace even in the face of deadlines is a necessity, because chronic gastritis isn't something you'd want to experience!
5. Not Appreciating Our Parents' Advice
We always take the things closest to us for granted, and in this case, it's our parents and their advice.
Particularly in Singapore, most of the nagging we got was about studying.
While most of these tend to fall on deaf ears, I'm pretty sure we remember the times when we get back our mediocre grades and can't do anything but mumble, "Sigh, should have listened to mum/dad on this."
However, not all hope is lost, and while most of us are no longer students, nor do we have the luxury of taking a year off to further our studies, there are still many alternatives we can pursue.
For those who don't want such a big commitment like a part-time degree, the Government's SkillsFuture initiative serves as a portal for us to find modules or short courses to gain extra skills and certifications.
With the $500 credit in our SkillsFuture accounts, not using it would be wasteful.
Never Too Late
It's easy to mull over regrets, but taking a brave step to address and overcome them is something we should all take.
Think about it, if we don't do so right now, we'll have even more to regret in the future!
