Rosacea. Please help me!! Anyone??

[Sarahlouiseis33]

Hi all,

This is my first post and I'm after advice. I was diagnosed with rosacea in June, symptoms are a fine rash of spots and mild redness over my forehead, nose and inside cheeks. It sounds silly, but it is really upsetting me to the point where I now think of nothing else. (Not good with a 2 year old :-( )
Just wondered if anyone can give me some hope for the future? All I see when I search the Internet are terrible pictures and warnings that it only gets worse.
Please anyone with any experience of this? I feel so alone :-(((

Not much improvement but gradually got better until about 10 weeks in then it very noticeably cleared up. Had the gp not said that I might need two courses I probably would have given up after the first couple of weeks.

No side effects that I remember.

my skin was dreadful about 6-7 years back. I was prescribed rosex cream and started using avene products and things really really improved. Now I just use avene (you can get samples from a boots). It really got me down when it was bad so I know how you feel. For some reason Central heating or a fire or heating/air con in a car can be a massive trigger so my skin tends to get worse about this time of year. Hope yours improves. I find bare minerals make up doesn't irritate my skin if that helps.

My (red) nose can get a bit oily whereas the rest of my skin tends to be dry.

Don't know about it cycling with hormones (I've got a coil so don't get periods so it is hard to tell!) But it definitely gets worse when the seasons change, like when the weather gets colder & you put the heating on.

I would just love to be able to go makeup free without feeling self-conscious sometimes. Never leave the house without it these days.

Mine only got noticeably better once I was prescribed doxycycline by GP. For a month or so I took it every day and now I take it twice a week. Sometimes I forget for a while and it comes back, then I do a run of five days of it and it fades.

Sunshine brings mine out badly so I use SPF25 moisturiser every day (currently Estee Lauder). La Roche Posay Rosaliac gel cleanser is great. I was told once only to use oil-free cosmetics. La Roche Posay also do Anthelios XL tinted SPF50 lotion which I use on holiday.

It got me down for a couple of years before I went to the GP. Completely sympathise!

I have had rosacea for three years. I've always gone red with temperature changes and burn easily in the sun so didn't notice the reddening much. Then I got pimples on my chin - at least three every day - and on my cheeks and side of my nose. I tried facials - hadn't heard of rosacea at that point. They worked a little then the spots came back with a vengeance. Because my skin didn't have time to heal between outbreaks my chin was so sore I could only wear V neck jumpers that winter, trying to get a tighter neck over my face was agony and I was really down. GP prescribed metrosa ointment which worked but made my face very dry and you could only use it for a limited time. I persisted for six months - three weeks on and a week or so off the ointment - then went back to my GP who put me on an antibiotic for four months. Within a week the spots had stopped appearing. Last December the GP took me off the antibiotics for a rest period of a month and I was petrified the spots would return. The redness I can cope with. If it's bad I use foundation applied with a brush which I then wash - I try to keep things I use on my skin very clean.

BUT while I was on the antibiotics I went away for a long weekend and, because I was travelling light I bought Asda skin system day and night cream. It's in a jar which is divided down the middle. I thought as I didn't have to be ultra careful I could take a chance and buy it even though it's not expensive (we're brainwashed into thinking expensive must be best) as it saved bag space. I stayed on it because I liked the way it soothed my skin and I used the facial wash in the same range when I came off the antibiotics. Nine months later I haven't had to use any medication. I got my first spot in nine months last week and it went within a couple of days. I use the facial wash each night but wash it off very gently with a wet flannel - I have a stack in the bathroom just for my face and chuck it in the wash after each use. I find it exfolliates my skin gently. I've bulk bought the wash and the skin cream as I can't stand the thought of running out. Not sure if the antibiotics have altered the rosacea or if the cream has kept it at bay but something has changed. I make sure I stay out of the sun and use P20 lotion and a wide brimmed hat if I have to stand around in it - normal sun creams make my face itch now and the shine they give makes the redness stand out. I also try really hard not to get stressed too easily as that seemed to trigger my attacks in the past.

Rosacea is horrible. For me, it's tiny hard spots on my nose, for some reason, plus painful spots and rashes on my cheeks - areas I never ever used to get spots. And flushing. Much flushing.

Tetracycline tablets worked, but only one pharmaceutical variety - the chemist dispensed a different brand, third time out, and I reacted very badly to something in them. If the tablets aren't working, maybe try a different brand? Similarly, Rosex gel worked, but no other version of the metronizodole gel did. If I get an attack now, the tablets can see it off in under 48 hours, but I try not to be on them all the time.

I switched to Avene/La Roche Posay/Emma Hardie skin care for sensitive skin, and stopped anything harsh like microdermabrasion. I use a sunscreen every day, drink lots of water, and avoid red wine. Although now, obvs, I'm going to ask my opticians to have a look for dermodex mites...

Cream For Rosacea - www.rosaceareliefserum.com/ct/99781 Having tried quite a few rosacea creams before this i wasnt expecting it to work like the others but i am pleasantly surprised. their price was very good and the cream worked wonders on my face.