This could be Rosacea?

[jomu]

Hello,
I just found out about this forum, and i think i might have rosacea. I have read alot around and many symtomps fit perfectly with me, so I decided to upload some pics so you can se for yourself. First som background:
I'm 20 years old and i just recently finished a course of Accutane(Roaccutane in norway). I've always been a blusher, i blush very easily in social situations if i just lack a bit of confidence. Through the accutane course this was ofcourse the case. Now i've been off accutane 2 weeks, and feeling my face just gets more and more red. Lately i've been flushing, feeling warm in my face, and my face then is 3x as red as usual, for about half an hour or an hour, before it calms. This is seriously annoying. It's especcialy two places in my cheeks i get really red, more than other places, its two places where i have some broken blood vessels. I also tend to get more red if i drink alcohol(recently discovered), never had this problem before. It is not very easy to see in the pics, but it is taken in daylight with no flash. My redness goes under my eyes and cheeks and a straight line on both side of the nose to the top of my nose. Ok, advice would be thankful.

http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/3764/dsc01503rc4.jpg

http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/6638/dsc01594iu8.jpg

http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/719/dsc01595mc3.jpg

http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/1632/dsc01596nv0.jpg

http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/868/dsc01597hv2.jpg

http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/8098/dsc01599eu5.jpg

anyone? the redness seems to be persistant.

[phlika29]

Sorry didn't see this message before and it appears no one else did either :roll:

Roaccutnae made my rosacea worse as well (I already had it before).

I can definelty see some surface redness. Is this your resting colour or is this when you are flushing?

Your skin looks very dry? Do you use anything on it to moisturise?

How long were you on the roaccutane and at what strength? How long have you been off it?

It sounds like your skin has been very upset by taking the tablets. It may be that it will continue to calm down of it maybe that this is what the end result is. As to whether its rosacea it does sound similar to many of the symptoms that otheres describe but saying that you will need to go to the doctor for a diagnosis.

If I were you I would begin to treat your skin as if it is. This way you can put in place some protective measures that will stop its progress and give you some relieve.

I would have alook at the various threads on the forum and try some things out. If I were you I would defintely begin taking grape seed extract tablets from the health food shop to help strengthen those capilaaries and help stop the damage caused by flushing. Besides this you need to find a moisturiser that suits your skin.

Sarah

[jomu]

I didn't have rosacea before i think. These pictures show my resting colour. Recently i have not been flushing like I did last week, my skin is just a bit red all the time. I don't my skin is very dry, I use a pretty good moisturizer. I finished roaccutane nearly 2 weeks ago, so maybe its just to early to tell, i dont know. Its bothering my anyhow !
I will look into that grape seed thing, don't really know what it is, but will try to find it here in Norway, thanks!
Thanks for replying!

[jomu]

I was on roaccutan for 5,5 months, taking 400*20mg capsules, about 8000mg, only 100mg/kg bodyweight. (80 kg).
PLEASE let this not be rosacea. I feel like my skin is thin, red and sensitive as heck. There are to areas in both cheeks where I actually can see broken blood vessels, but if this is a coincidence caused by thin skin or if its rosacea, i cannot tell. Will visit my derm in two weeks.

[phlika29]

Well two weeks is very early to tell. My skin was genreally very red whilst I was on it but it did calm down abot once I stopped. Hopefully your will begin to recover and go back to normal soon.

In the meantime just treat it very carefully and try not to do anything to make you flush (this way your skin canrecover better). The dilated capillaires might have been due to the redness/flushing that the accutane caused or as a reslut of the skin being abit thiner.

Did you get any grape seed extract or pycnogenol tablets. You might also like to take some antihistamine tablets to reduce the redness??

[jomu]

My skin is still persistant red. I will try to find this grape seed extract, is this in tablet form or what? I don't really know what to look for:)
I don't really flush, if this is long term warm burning feeling and that you become redder. I blush very easily like I've always done, but this redness goes quick over, like a normal blush(?).
Will try to find some anti histamine tablets at the drug store, this could actually help? I would so like for this to go over! I want to be out in the sun and get a tan, but i know i would burn easily now, due to my skin condition. Two weeks today since I stopped taking the medicine, hopefully it will return to normal. This redness is all i think about, and I find myself constantly looking in mirrors in school, at home and so on. I hate the difference between the redness in my cheeks and the white skin just under my eyes. My redness also goes straight over my nose, and its easy to see where my skin gets red, like a straight line. Thanks for posting back to me, it helps a lot.

[phlika29]

Grape seed extract should be in tablet form from the health food shop (or online).

Flushing does last longer than a typical blush. If it is only temporary then thats a good sign.

I remember feeling the same as you when my skin went haywire. I became obsessed with looking in the mirror and thinking about it all the time. To be honest your skin looks okay in the pictures, just a natural bit of red that the majority of the population have. Just try to remember that most people are too worried about how they look to be worried about how you do.

The antihistmine tablet may do some good (and it certainly won't do any harm), worth giving it ago whilst your skin is irritated.

What moisturiser are you using?

[Rauno]

Sorry for barging in like that, but is there any difference between grape seed extract in tablet form and the same thing as a liquid?

I have used the latter for about a week.

[phlika29]

Rauno

Not sure, is it definelty grape seed extract (as opposed to grape fruit extract) then I guess it works the same way.

What strenght is the active ingredient??

[jomu]

I think it is this one:

http://www.garden.co.uk/acatalog/THE_GARDEN_PHARMACY__A_Derma_Products_464.html

The one one the top, or the one right under is the moisturizer I use. I read it was good help preventing dry skin when on accutane, and have been using it for the past three-four months.

[Rauno]

Phlika,
the grape seed extract I'm using is 33%.

[phlika29]

Rauno

I take pycnogenol as opposed to Grape Seed Extract but I understand that you need to be taking up to 100 mg per day (that contains 95% proanthocyanidins). With pycnogenol I take 60 mg a day-30mg in the morning and 30 mg at night.

Jomu

I dont know that moisturiser, but it seems for sensitvie skin so hopefully its okay for you. if you can tolerate oils then alot of people like Jojoba oil or rose hip oil.

[jomu]

The redness seems to be there whatever i do :(. Constant red cheeks, and there are two spots in both my cheeks where which is a little more red with some broken blood vessels. I'm starting to get worried :(

Didn't find that grape seed in the local health shop, can i get it online? where?

More advice would be appreciated! thanks

[phlika29]

Sorry I've been away for a day and just spotted your message. Where do you live? America?? Uk??

Hows your face now, any different?

[jomu]

hello.
I live in Norway, maybe its therefore I did'nt find any grape seed extract in the healthshop.
Ok, some experiences lately. My face is quite the same, and don't seem to be more red when i drink alcohol. I was just on a skitrip in the mountain, and went hiking(with ski) to a high mountain top. We went for about four or five hours intensive, and the wind was extreme at the top. I though my face would be very very red when i got back to my cabin, but It was not. I only got a little bit more red because beeing out all day, that has to be normal. This redness calmed down after awhile.

My face is just persistant red in the cheeks and across the top of my nose. My mom says it looks normal, but its still annoying me. Will go see my derm in wednesday.

anyhow, I would like to buy those grape seed extract tablets, if they are to find online.

Some new pics.
http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/9140/dsc02242fz3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/8429/dsc02243yt3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/7624/dsc02244tz2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img361.imageshack.us/img361/8724/dsc02247kv8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[phlika29]

I think your mom is right the redness looks natural, especially if you live in a cold area.

Glad to hear that your face coped okay with such cold weather, mine would have been a big red mess.

I will have to have a look online to see where you can get it from in Norway. In the meantime perhaps have a look in the european section as no doubt there will be a thread from poeple in Norway and you could always ask about GSE there.

By the way your pictures are quite a big size and some people's computers can't load them at such a large size. If you post anymore you may want to take the size down abit :wink:

Hi, just a quick post - my first here actually.

I am in an extremely similar situation to you! Im 23 and went on a 4 month course of Accutane for my acne. I have permanent redness (to varying degrees) and was pretty devastated to hear it might be permanent. Ive been off the drug almost 7 months now so hopefully i can share my experiences a little in the hope that they help.

My face was EXTREMELY in the few weeks after my Accutane course. My cheeks are still red but they've died down a hell of a lot, so hold out - its still very early days!

Dont aggrivate your skin. Try using gentle products and washing your skin once every day to two days. Try applying a little Aloe Vera after you wash. I do this after washing my face (every second day) in the evening.

Accutane thins the skin. Your face (and mine) may be red because the skin is taking time to heal. Give it time.

If your very worried try booking an appointment to see a Dermatologist.

[jomu]

thank you thank you for giving me hope. My skin is still red in the cheeks, and i know my skin is very sensible right now. Went to see my derm, he couldn't say anything really, he said it was a tiny posibility that it was pre-rosacea but he said I just had to give it time. However he could see these enlarged blood vessels two places, when I told him to(he had to use a magnifier(?), but I see them all the time. I just wash my skin with water for now, and use a gentle moisturiser. I have been red in my skin almost my entire course, where you that to?

How is your redness now, can u upload some pics?

I REALLY REALLY hope this is not Rosacea.
I don't really flush or blush these days, coffee, alcohol doesn't seem to get me flush either. Was your redness like mine in the pictures?

Thank you again for posting.

[The_Dude]

Hi, I registered this time! I can understand how your feeling right now, im the same. I went to see a doctor who referred me to a Dermatologist but it's a hellish process here in the UK and i've been told i can expect a wait of around 3 -4 months before i can see anyone. Im in the dark as much as you im afraid.

I kind of developed really red cheeks before i went on Accutane because i was using really harsh acne products on my skin for a couple of years. I look back on that period as the biggest mistake of my life now, my acne wasnt even so bad. When i went on the Accutane i initially saw a bit of an improvement in my redness - because my oily skin had dried out i dint have to wash my face much. It was all going well till about the last month of the course when i started flushing bright red REALLY easily. I also developed a couple of broken blood vessels around my eyes. Now my cheeks are a permanent pinkish red, often changing to a brighter red in extreme temperatures (can be hot or cold) or sometimes when i eat spicy food or drink red wine.

The positive news is the flushing has become much less frequent, although i still flush much easier than i used to pre-accutane. I find it quite easy to control though these days.

The thing that bothers me far more than flushing is my pinky cheeks. Its hard to say whther they're similar to yours - your photos are slightly blurred and to be honest, the redness dosent look bad at all. Im sure someone would probably say the same thing to me but it always seems much worse when its your own skin. You can easliy become obsessed by these things.

Right now i think the only thing we can do is sweat it out and hope that the symptoms improve. So far, i think ive seen a small improvement with time. In the mean time im trying to keep my skin as healthy as possible. Here's some things that im trying which you might want to consider:

- Applying pure Aloe Vera to my skin every second evening.

- I take cod liver oil every day. This is supposed to be good for skin and i think it's an anti-inflamitory (good for redness).

- I take Starflower oil every day. This is supposed to promote healthy skin. Its also suppoed to be good to regulate hormone levels, which is good for keeping acne under control.

- Ive just started taking Grapeseed Extract when i saw it mentioned here. Too early days to say if its working.

- Ive trying to avoid anything that makes my skin flush bright red. For me this is spicy food, red wine, excessive alcohol and hot rooms.

Anyway, i'll keep you updated if you like. I can fill you in if i make any major break throughs. Good luck, give it time. Dont stress yourself out - skin problems are supposed to often be directly related to stress.

[jomu]

Ok, thank you for posting.
Can u upload some pics to?

The redness is there like you said, permanent in the cheeks, and top of my nose. The flushing is non-existant, but i do tend to blush easily(as i've always have), but that is always related to social settings. Although i'm a very outgoing person.

So here is the deal, I want to order online some of the stuff that you have posted here.
I am going to try this calendula(?) oil I saw someone posted in another section. In the same time i also want to order this grape seed extract and aloe vera. Maybe a cleanser for sensitive skin also.

So I need you to give advices and hopefully links to where i can order this online, thanks again.

[jomu]

any suggestions? ebay?

[The_Dude]

Hey, sorry for the delay in getting back to you. Havent checked this site in a while.

You can buy stuff like Aloe Vera Gel in pretty much any health food / product store (here in the UK anyway). If you cant find it where you live you should be able to find it no problem online, just try googling it or something. Try and get stuff that is labelled as 98% pure (or something similar to that figure) so it dosent have as much artificial crap in it. I dont think you can buy 100% pure because they need to put some stabilizers or preservatives in the gel.

Last tim i posted i mentioned Starflower oil. Since i posted that i've actually decided to drop using that as someone has told me it puts strain on your liver - not what you want if you've been on a course of Accutane!

Caledula is supposed to be great for skin, im trying to get hold of some of that in cream form myself. Basically my personal ethos is go for natural products. Its the harsh man-made crap that got me in this mes in the first place.

As far as sensitive skin washes go, any decent chemist should have something. Here in the UK they have a line called 'Simple' that make great products for sensitive skin - no colouring or fragrences or anything like that that can irritate. Im using Simple for Men fash wash. Really though, i dont think the brand is that important - just go for sensitive products. If you can find any near you, you could try googling again - maybe for Simple.

Hope this helps... The fact that you dont flush is a positive sign! Hang in there.

[The_Dude]

PS - dont really have any pics but i'll have a look. If i find any i'll post them for you.

[Peter B]

Hello. I had rosacea coming in before I started taking Accutane, the Accutane accelerated it though. I had been using harsh products on my face, like someone above mentioned. I thought 'i'll blitz the acne off my face'. Gradually it turned my cheeks red. Around this time the acne also got worse from using these products. So I had to use Accutane to get rid of the acne and it made the rosacea come in very strongly.

The redness isn't as bad as it was (4 years since I finished Accutane) but it still bugs me. The best thing so far has been using very heavy moisturisers twice a day.

[jomu]

hi there.
The redness is still there ofcourse. Maybe this is wishthinking, but i think my redness is a little less red, just a tiny tiny tiny bit, but it can be me who is just going nuts :)
Although i'm always less red in the morning, and my redness about the same all trough the day.
I've ordered some Grape Seed Extract and Calendula oil on ebay, and both should be coming over the weekend. Hope this stuff helps on strengthening my blood vessels and reduce some om the redness. Although I don't have to high hopes.

I take the fact that i don't flush as a good sign, but I'm still very anxious about this beeing Rosacea. Maybe I just have to give it time. On the other hand, I can see for a fact that my nose and cheeks are bit more pink then for example my forehead.
I'm going to see my derm again on the 15th of may, but i don't think there is much he can do or say.
Hopefully Roaccutane has just thinned and set up my skin so bad that it caused some broken(or enlarged) blood vessels and essentially this redness. I do remember that i became a little more red just two weeks in to my accutane course, but i think it gradually became a little worse along the course.

I'm also picking up some aloe vera in the health shop after work today. How am i supposed to use the calendula oil? as a moisturizer? And is it beneficial to combine both Aloe vera and the oil?
And is one tablet of GSE each day the proper amount daily?

thank you for posting and advice.

[The_Dude]

That's good news your noticing a slight improvement.

I would say the Aloe Vera / Calendula combination sounds like a great idea although im not sure what quantities of each to use. Just experiment i guess. Through my experiences with Aloe Vera you can pretty much slap on as much as you want of this although its probably not a good idea to completely clog your pores all the time. One thing you should know before you apply it is that when it dries your skin will feel quite tight - i think this is the gel contracting as it dries (as opposed to your skin a ctually drying up). Your skin will also look quite shiney from the thin layer of dried Aloe Vera. I tend to put it on at night to avoid shiney skin during the day!

I believe your taking the right route with the natural approach - far less side effects and much more gentle on your skin.

[jomu]

hello, posting some ny pictures. Still haven't got the oil and the GSE, hopefully it will come in my mail soon.

Noticing that my nose is a bit redder from times to times.
Comment if you want.

http://img58.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc05869pj6.jpg
http://img58.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc05925ot8.jpg
http://img231.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc05948st1.jpg

will post more pics later.

[phlika29]

Jomu

I would take the GSE tablets twice aday to begin with. Then after a week of so perhaps drop to once a day.

Sarah

[billyjoe]

well i have been off accutane about 15months and i still have the redness on my nose and just below my eyes/upper cheeks