Some stories stay with you long after the moment passes.
Some people do, too.
Today, on Veteran’s Day, we want to pause to honor America’s heroes with a story that reminds us why their courage—and their quiet resilience—deserves to be celebrated far beyond just one day a year.
This story begins on my dad’s farm, with a man named Bill.
The Veteran Who Never Complains
Bill was a contractor who spent almost a full year building a workshop on my dad’s property. Every morning, he’d pull up, hop out of his truck, and get straight to work. No fuss. No wasted time. Just grit and commitment.
That’s Bill.
He’s the kind of man who served in Vietnam…and still speaks about his service with humility rather than fanfare.
He’s the kind of man who has a heart attack, walks out of the hospital, and goes straight back to his life because “there’s work to do.”
And he’s the kind of man who never complains—not even about the pain that had quietly taken over his hands.
The Day I Really Saw His Hands
One afternoon during a lunch break, I caught sight of Bill eating his lunch. His hands rested on his knees, and that’s when I noticed them.
Deep, painful cracks.
Thickened skin.
A condition he picked up in Vietnam—elephantiasis. It had left him with palms that looked like white, swollen, cracked and calloused.
I had seen rough hands before… but never anything like this.
Later that day I mentioned it to my dad. Without missing a beat, he said:
“Why don’t you try the Body Edition System on him?”
Just days earlier, he had gone to an event where Give-A-Derm was doing demos. Now my dad is not what you’d call a beauty products kind of man. But, in true dad fashion, he wanted to support me. So he let Juliana do a demo on him—and was blown away.
You can actually watch his reaction here: (note for Palo, feel free to edit to shorten this video. His reaction at the end is best :)
https://youtu.be/T7xFGchzr0s?si=xXRKutQI_KO9G9Ay
He even said our scrub worked better than that famous orange hand cleaner mechanics use to remove grease.
So when I told him about Bill, he nudged me:
“Ask him if you can try it.”
The Day Bill Walked Into My Trailer
I’ll be honest—I was nervous.
When Bill stepped into my tiny 21-foot travel trailer and held out his hands, I felt a lump rise in my throat. His palms were so cracked that I was terrified I’d hurt him. Terrified the scrub would sting. Terrified the lotion might not be enough.
I believed in these products. I had seen the transformations…
But this was something different.
This was a man who had given his life to serve our country.
And I desperately didn’t want to fail him.
We snapped a photo.
Then we started.
I worked slowly, gently—first with the Bar Soap, then Scrub Your Ash Off, and finally The Lotion.
Within minutes, the change was visible.
Within days, it was undeniable.
Within weeks, it was life-changing.
Bill’s hands—once cracked, painful, and hardened by decades—were softening. The deep lines closed. The skin no longer split open. He told us it was the first time in years that his hands didn’t ache.
He used the full Body Edition System™ faithfully from that day forward.
The before-and-after photos still feel unreal.
But the man behind them is very real.
Why We’re Sharing This on Veteran’s Day
Because Bill’s story is more than a skincare transformation.
It’s a reminder that our veterans carry stories—seen and unseen.
Scars—visible and invisible.
Battles—past and present.
And sometimes, honoring them looks like saying thank you.
Sometimes it looks like listening to their stories.
And sometimes…it looks like helping them feel human again.
At Give-A-Derm, we believe that skincare is more than beauty.
It’s a small way to give back to those who’ve given so much.
Our Veteran’s Day Gift: A Special Thank-You Offer
Inspired by Bill—and all the men and women like him—we’re offering a special Veteran’s Day promotion so more people can experience the Body Edition System for themselves.
For a limited time:
Buy a Body Edition System and receive:
✅ A Stadium Bag
✅ An Extra Bar Soap
✅ A Soap Saver Bag
This is our way of saying:
Thank you. We see you. We honor you.
To All Who Served: We Honor You Today
Bill may never brag about his service.
He may never talk much about the disease he carried home from Vietnam.
And he’ll never call himself a hero.
But he is one.
And so are the thousands of veterans who sacrifice daily so the rest of us can live freely.
From all of us at Give-A-Derm:
Happy Veteran’s Day.
We are grateful for you—today and every day.
Michelle Rose
VP of Give-A-Derm