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Original poster

Roasacea and acne - am getting so depressed

19 replies

Theclosetpagan · 31/08/2007 17:38

My skin is utterly appalling at the moment. It is red, flaky and spotty all in one go. About 4 weeks ago I developed three really painful, large but very deep spots. I was really good and didn't pick them but today they are still there - not painful now - just largish cyst type lumpy spots. One is on the side of my jaw and the skin is redder there. Am getting soo depressed about it all - beginning to wonder if it's all a sign of something more serious. Logically I know it isn't but am so irrational about it because I am feeling so embarrassed by my skin.

I went on a complete health kick 3 weeks ago - my diet has never been so healthy but my skin is as crap as ever. Am seeing my GP on Monday evening as I am getting desperate. Make up covers it all for a while but no longer than a few hours and even then my skin looks bumpy due to all the spots.

Sooo fed up...

OP posts:

aloha · 31/08/2007 17:49

I honestly think your diet has very little to do with it. See your gp for antibiotics or Dianette for the cystic acne, and if you can afford it, IPL treatments (intense pulsed light) can work wonders for rosacea.

Idreamofdaleks · 31/08/2007 17:56

IPL no good if you have freckles though

aloha · 31/08/2007 19:29

Yes it is, it's fine. It will probably remove or fade them.

ladybug007 · 31/08/2007 19:32

The GP might give you Metrogel, an antibiotic gel, which has worked well for me. Good luck.

Original poster

Theclosetpagan · 31/08/2007 21:46

Thanks everyone - have just been for a long swim (stress busting) and feel a bit more positive now. I didn't know there was such a thing as cystic acne but I think it's definitely what I have. Am 41 so the old hormones might be a bit tempermental I guess.

Can't afford IPL at present but it might be something I could save for.

OP posts:

Idreamofdaleks · 01/09/2007 08:30

Re freckles - I was told that it removes your freckles, but since it cannot be done around the eye area, you would be left with freckles there and nowhere else which would look weird...have I been wrongly advised?

RubySlippers · 01/09/2007 08:34

oh dear
i can sympathise - i had terrible acne for years and the only thing which cleared it up once and for all was a course of roaccutane
I found dianette did help and a course of anitibiotics short term
you need to give this a good few weeks and then go back to your GP if it is not clearing up
it does sound like cystic acne TBH
i tried everything but changing diet made no difference at all - acne is not linked to diet really
this is a good organisation

mankyscotslass · 01/09/2007 08:38

I use metro cream for my rosacea, but I also have to watch my diet,avoid red wine and limit alcohol and caffeine, and only take moderate excercise and avoid extremes of hot or cold. I use a mineral based foundation and makeup. I also get sebhorric dermatitis on my face when I get a really bad outbreak of papopustular rosacea. Touch wood, I have been loads better since my last baby.
It's worth going to the doctor, I was prescribed oral antibiotics in the past when it was really bad....with varying results I admit, but I also got referred to a dermatologist!

Original poster

Theclosetpagan · 01/09/2007 09:19

Thank you all once again. msl (great name btw) thank you for posting the term papulopustular rosacea - have just looked it up and the photo shown and the description could have been my skin. At least when I see my GP on Monday I'll be able to impress him with the term and say I've looked it up.

So am looking at Metrocream or Metrogel then? In the past I've had six month courses of Erythromycin which have worked and am thinking of asking my GP for a double pronged approach of the gel or cream plus the long term antibiotic option. Will see what he says - am at the end of a chest infection as well so can just justify the oral antibiotics.

OP posts:

sylvev · 01/09/2007 09:55

It might be worth thinking about the products you use daily. My friend's dd had really bad eczema and acne on her face and she started using Liz Earle products. They are all natural etc. Her condition cleared up in a week. We use "Cleanse and polish" by Liz Earle and my ds's acne is much better too.
Obviously see your gp first, but might be worth a try. I get ours from QVC, but she has her own website www.lizearle.com
(Sorry can't do the link thing). Hope things improve soon.

ib · 01/09/2007 10:18

I had this really badly a few years ago, and it completely went following:

zinc and flax seed supplements
Treatment with these products

saw a visible improvement in 3 months and pretty much sorted in 6 months.

OldMotherTaLcY · 01/09/2007 10:21

reading all this with interest.....never had a spot growing up......36 and keep breaking out in pimples and huge spots......which i do excavate......leaving scars......

i sympathise closetpagan.....

mankyscotslass · 01/09/2007 11:35

Closetpagan, your welcome! Mine has only been so severe as to be rated papopustular twice, thank god. But you can get the sebhorric dermatitis with it which can cause the flakiness and itchiness. I still get flares of that on my scalp. I use the metro cream as I found it abosrbed better on my skin, the gel flaked a bit under make up!
Mine started in my late 20's and peaked in 2004, since then its been more or less under control with a few outbreaks which are sorted by the metrocream. I had erithromicin to start with, then another antibiotic, and they had another lined up after that, but I fell pregnant with a surprise! Strangely, my skin cleared totally in that pregnancy.
I have hbeen left with small patches of threadveins on my cheeks though

mankyscotslass · 02/09/2007 18:09

And while I think about it, most versions if not all of the mini-pill are not recommended when you have rosacea either....

Original poster

Theclosetpagan · 02/09/2007 18:16

Thanks again msl. Sadly Dianette is out of the question as I have borderline high BP and I'm 41 (too old according to my GP - oh he's such a flattering man). Feel really positive though that I am going to be able to say the term papulopustular (or whatever the word is) rosacea to him.
I've got the sebhorric dermatitis as well at the moment and am putting on an antibacterial moisteriser called "PureA" by Garnier which has salycilic acid and zinc in it and is supposed to be really good for skin prone to infections. Only been using it a few days though.

Am going to take off all my make up before seeing GP so he can see just how bad things are. Got to the point where I feel I need some antidepressants as am so low but guess I'll feel better if I can sort my skin out.

OP posts:

BecauseImWorthIt · 02/09/2007 18:26

I have been having laser treatment for broken veins on each side of my nose, and also for a couple of patches of eczema (sp?) - one of which was caused by a huge acne spot.

Results are good so far (especially with the veins) and at £30 a go I don't think it's too expensive. You shouldn't need many treatments from what I understand.

I have also broken out on my chin with 2 huge acne spots - didn't realise they were called cystic acne - so I'm going to see if the laser treatment can help with these whilst they're still 'live' - will let you know!

mankyscotslass · 02/09/2007 18:58

Theclosetpagan, just watch using anything the salycillic acid in it...I need to use a lotion on my scalp and have to be careful to keep it away from my face, I seem to remember the doctor saying that it can irritate rosacea. I used loads of stuff like this thinking I just had "bad" skin in my late 20s, probably made it worse. But I may be getting my facts wrong on that one! Good luck at the GP...My gp down here was lovley about it.

Original poster

Theclosetpagan · 03/09/2007 22:00

Saw GP tonight - he freaked me out by talking about Lupus mainly as the skin is so bad and I have a wheezy and tickly cough. I did point out that it wasn't just any old wheezy and tickly cough but one which produced green gunk courtesy of a cold three weeks ago. He stopped talking about Lupus then and started talking about a chest infection.

Anyway - am on oral tetracycline and a facial gel which has a tetracycline in and Erythromycin. Hoping it will help.

Thanks for the warning about Salycilic acid msl - will watch and see what happens. Suspect that I may have to stop using it once I use the other gel anyway.

OP posts:

mankyscotslass · 04/09/2007 11:30

Yes, they talked about lupus for me too. Mum has it and there are other autoimmune conditions in the family. The bloodtests came back clear, but that isnt always an indication of no Lupus! So at the moment we are still settled with the roasacea and the treatment i am having. I am glad your doc was ok and you are on meds! Good luck.

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