Is it rosacea?

[Mattd4427]

I have uploaded 3 images of myself, I am 17 and can be almost certain that i have rosacea, despite the persistent redness I do experience flushing episodes aswell where my skibn seems to get even redder believe it or not.

http://www.rosaceagroup.org/wiki/Special:Contributions/Mattd4427

[Mattd4427]

http://www.rosaceagroup.org/w/images/thumb/e/ed/Me5.JPG/799px-Me5.JPG

http://www.rosaceagroup.org/w/images/thumb/2/26/Untitled.JPG/635px-Untitled.JPG

http://www.rosaceagroup.org/w/images/thumb/0/05/Me_3.jpg/420px-Me_3.jpg

[phlika29]

Hi Mat. Although your skin looks a little red in the pictures it is hard to know if it is rosacea. The best piece of advice I could give would be to see your doctor and ask for a referrel to a dermatoligist.

I see that you are suffering from some spots and I wonder if the treatment you are using (if any) is making your skin red and sensitive. Unfortunately its a trade off between helping the spots and making skin angry. To me the redness is not in the typical rosacea butterfly pattern over your nose and cheeks.

When you say you flush is this after exercise? when you are embarressed? How long does it last?

Sarah

[Mattd4427]

Those are normal pics, not flushing

both embarrased and after exercise, the thing is that when I keep out of the sun (for days) my flushing after, embarrasement/exercise dramatically decreases, that's what leads me to think it's rosacea, yeah but can rosacea spread to every inch of the face like it seems to for me?
My facial redness seems to be a lot less late at night, whilest sleeping and early in the morning if that helps.

Yehr I take an oral antibiotic prescribed by my doctor called
doxycycline 50% for the pimples,
when we asked him why my face is red he simply laughed it off
Ive been this colour since a young age, around 5, although from pictures taken I can see it seems worse every year.
By the way the burning sensation doesn't last long, not sure about the flushing though

[phlika29]

Your face is about the same colour as my brother's and he definately doesn't has rosacea although I think he will be prone to it. Have you ever tried an anti-histamine, when I had acne I found that it helped reduce the inflammtion and redness (clarityn slow release) and I still take it now.

Some antibiotics can make you you flush more. Again once I stopped taking them for acne I found that my flushing did decrease. I can't remember the ones I was on that made it worse. I understand that clarithromycin is good for rosacea but not sure for acne. You need to research this a little, others on the board will be able to help/

I take it that you aren't using any moisturisers or washes? Are you taking any supplemetns?

[redhotoz]

Hi Matt

Welcome to the Rosacea Forum. You might want to register so that you can also chat via PM.

I see Acne in your pics, rather than Rosacea. Although, since you are having flushing episodes, it may be Rosacea. Also, the constant redness may indicate Rosacea. It's hard to know really.

I don't just get the 'butterfly' redness, it can be over most of my face. I get papules and pustules too, flushing (with burning and sometimes throbbing of the face). Where one cuts the line between Acne and Rosacea, I'm not sure.

Like Sarah has suggested, do see a Derm for a diagnosis. If you are not using anything on your face, you might want to consider something to help calm it down a notch. I truly hope you don't have Rosacea.

Jen

[Mattd4427]

Nah I am not using any moisturisers or anything, another thing is that my face doesn't only go red it even goes a purple colour, especially when cold, If you look at the school photo closely you might notice that my hands are a purple colour

[natalja]

Welcome Matt,

I agree that it is difficult telling from your pics if you might have rosacea or not. Redness and p&p's alone might indocate this, but the most definite sign is usually facial flushing. A little checklist, although nothing 'scientific' and based on common triggers for most rosaceans:

do you flush:

-when you go from a cold into a warm area?
-after drinking alcohol?
-after eating spicy food?
-after coming out of strong wind?
-when you get very emotional/ angry/ upset?

And once you flush, how quickly does the flush calm down again? fairly quickly after a little time and by itself? or do you have to go outside in the cold to calm the flush down, or drink cold water/ use ice or anything.

If so, the more of these things apply to you, the mnore likely I think it is that you have rosacea. Although I have to stress that this is merely based on the characteristics of the vascular subtype of rosacea. Some people flush not so much but have more p&p's, like you show on your picture. Still, to distinquise rosacea from acné or inflammatory skinconditions like eczema or psoriasis, I would repeat the importance of facial flushing. Weak blood vessels that can't handle big chances is temperature and dilate, giving you a hot red skin and often a burning sensation.
(I developped this from one day to the other after a stressful period and hormonal changes. That's how quickly it can happen).

I have the red hands as well, it might be Raynouds, a condition sometimes linked with rosacea and based on the same disfunction of blood vessels: we call it "winters hands" in Holland: especially in winter the hands become red and swollen when going from cold into a warm environment

best wishes, Natalja (Holland)