Please tell me something that will help my face :(

[sharkirasharkira]

I've been told by the GP I have rosecea but nothing they have given me is helping and I just can't afford to buy and try everything out there that supposedly makes a difference. It seems to be spreading and getting worse and is really getting me down

Some days I don't want to go out because my face is so awful unless I plaster it in make up which doesn't make it look normal, just less bad.

It's the redness, the rough texture, the 'bumpiness' and the little tiny whiteheads that I just can't seem to cover up no matter what I try. No primer/concealer:foundation combo covers it anyway.

Beginning to give up. Am I destined to have this stupid face forever? Please help!

Have you had antibiotics? See NHS choices. Can your GP refer you to a NHS skin clinic for better advice? Hope you can get help soon. Also diet changes might help.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/fashion/2015/aug/29/rosacea-treatments-that-work-sali-hughes

Hi OP, not sure if you're looking for treatments ideas or makeup help but you should try a green colour corrector as if counteracts the redness of the skin and neutralises it under the foundation so you don't need to plaster the foundation on to cover the skin!

A relative of mine had quite noticeable rosacea a few years back but honestly, it's faded into nothing now and hopefully the same thing will happen to you!

Have a google of Aloe Gelly, a forever living product. I don’t sell it personally but have tried it on my red flare up skin and it works a treat. It may seem a little pricey but have a look at the reviews. I hope this helps.

Hey OP, a friend has had a lot of success with sea buckthorn cream. Good luck :)

I'll try anything @Imhertwopennyprince, in the short term covering it is ok but really I'd love to be able to fix it or at least improve it a lot. I want to be able to swim without washing my mask off, or work (in a hot and sweaty environment) without having to layer on the slap.

I have tried green tinted primers, powders, moisturisers and those 'colour correcting' foundations. Nothing works. Sometimes it tones it down a bit but nothing takes the redness away. The bumpiness shows through everything and my skin never looks smooth and nice anymore

I have tried cutting out dairy as a start which doesn't seem to have much effect on my skin (but does on other stuff!) Neither does cutting out alcohol or caffeine, so far anyway. Not tried gluten yet.

Have a look at talontedex, a lady who has tried it all

Thank you for the link, some ideas I can try there but Jesus, the prices!! £42 for a serum?! Might have to save up or sell a kidney for those.

Not been prescribed any antibiotics yet but need to go back to the gp. Takes forever to get an appointment at the moment.

Antibiotics.

The last one I had was lymecycline.

It took a three month course to get everything to calm down.

Alpha-H Liquid Gold helps mine.

It’s the glycolic acid in it. Glycolic helps some people with rosacea but not others though, so start with something fairly gentle and go cautiously.

Have you tried Rozex (prescription metronidazole gel)?

I had horrendous rosacea about 3 months ago. I was really worried. This cleared it within a week and I haven't had a single hint of it since.

I had a phone consultation as I simply could not wait. People don't realise how awful it can be to have rosacea.

Lots of people have had success with Soolantra, you need a prescription for it. I tried Dermalex Rosacea which worked, then seemed to stop working and now I use Freederm which isn't for rosacea but has certainly helped clear up some of the problems I had with spots/rosacea on my nose. I'm not a fan of green makeup as I don't find it makes much difference but Estee Lauder double wear is a revelation! It's expensive but seems to last for ages.

Have you tried anything from the Ordinary? Usually around £5-7 for their stuff and they offer something for most skin issues.

I can second the Lymecycline antibiotic recommendation. It cleared up my partners rosacea within two months. The GP gave him it along with a gel called Finacea 15% gel. Don't go out buying lotions and potions that are overpriced, you need the prescription only stuff. Don't be afraid to ask the GP for exactly what you want, they will take you seriously. Dp's wasn't quite as widespread as yours seems to be and our GP was very sympathetic and couldn't have been nicer.
They gave him the Rosex cream first but it made no difference so we went back and toch wood his skin has had a massive improvement.

With the topical gels and creams; a word of warning.

They bleach everything.

Everything

Add a few white towels, pillowcases and flannels to your shopping list.

I would go back to the gp wearing no make up and tell them nothing they have suggested works & you would like to be referred to dermatology.

They will go on about waiting lists etc but you shouldn't be bought so low by your skin.

I have tried the Rosex, think it was the first one they gave me but it made no difference It has actually spread since then.

Have also tried Dermalex, and Dermablend (which was a bit rubbish), and a whole load of other things! Currently I'm using a combination of Dermacol (that supposedly amazing, waterproof, super coverage stuff) as a concealer, then L'Oreal true match foundation over the top and powder.

I would second antibiotics.

I'm currently on lymecycline for cystic acne (but it is used for rosácea too).

Three month course and I'm only two months in and can already see an improvement (though I'm not convinced it will be 100% clear in another month gp was keen to avoid accutane as it can have some quite nasty side effects).

It's still spotty and red but not anything like as painful, and it's individual spots now rather than one huge hot joined up mess (that meant I had to sleep a certain way because it was too sore to touch)

Friend who suffers badly as you do uses retinal from Pharmacy Jeff and anti biotics. This combo is the only thing which works. xxx

I have rosacea. I read many threads on here and there was something that seemed to be mentioned more and more, and that is a prescribed cream called Soolantra.

I went to my GP and asked for it, he prescribed it, abut 10 weeks ago now. Its been brilliant, it seemed to clear up almost immediately. It did flare slightly a few times, but this seems consistent with what I have read (that it kills demoted mites, a possible cause of rosacea, and they hatch on a 3 week cycle). Like you, I eliminated possible dietary causes and saw no improvements.

There is someone on u tube who documents her journey with Soolantra, makes interesting watching.

Soolantra is brilliant. I was so down over my skin, I tried all sorts - changing my skincare, rosex, three kinds of antibiotics.... then thanks to mumsnet I found out about soolantra. A week later all the spots and the majority of the redness had vanished! So easy to use too, just apply it once a day at night before bed. Honestly please try it, it really made me feel down about myself and now as long as I use the cream I can forget I suffer with it! AMAZING!!

Are they 100% sure it’s rosacea and not a lupus rash? Any other symptoms?

Hi OP.
I have rosacea too, unfortunately, so I understand your frustration :( my gp, (after months of my nagging them) put me on erythromycin antibiotic and it worked brilliantly, no acne and just some redness left which make up covers. If you're looking for make up, I use a green powder to soften the redness before concealer. Just a small tip but hope it helps :( I'd definitely keep going to see your go to find a solution that works. X

Hmm, that’s interesting Flower, I hadn’t considered anything else but I do have some of the other symptoms but not all of them. They could be down to a lot of things though.

I have had:

Weight gain
Dizziness
Headaches
Muscle/joint pain
Chest pain
Fatigue

Doesn’t necessarily mean anything though, I really need to go back to the GP!

Get an appointment ASAP and go without make up on.