redface

[Sandra]

Hi everyone,, I am new to this form,, I've been to 3 derms so far and the last one I went to told me I had rosacea, I never had a problem with my face,,no pimples,,nothing!! I do though have very senitive skin to everything and was using cortisone cream since I was 26 and I am now 42.NO it's not steroid induced rosacea, I asked the derm and he said no.. It all started when I ran out of cortisone cream, my skin would react in wind and swell up..When I got into a car or a hot place I would flush.. Then all of a sudden It got red and didn't go away. Depressed I was,, eventually it went down to a pinkish color and knew I could live with it..The Derm told me that only laser treatments would get rid of the red and gave me metrocream to use and told me not to use any more cortisones. He also gave me elidel cream to use on the sides of my nose cuz I do get scaly there at times..I applied the metrocream and the pinkish color I was happy with,, turned bright red again!!. I didn't apply anymore metrocream and called the derm. He said that I should try it for a week and if the redness and burning didn't go away to stop it.. I didn't do as he said.. I was to upset to continue with the cream and I am now trying to heal the redness in my face.. I do hope it goes down like it did before..My nose to swells up and goes up and down all the time.. I am female, so I am hoping it doesn't grow. The derm said that, that is very rare in women. I am so depressed I stay in bed a lot and I am always looking in a mirrow. My kids and husband are suffering and that makes me more depressed.. I know I am not as bad as some people are and I feel for them, but that doesn't take away the feeling I have inside when I look at my self. Also the Derm rushed me and never asked me once if I had any questions.. Just,"you have rosacea, there is nothing that can be done, and use these meds",
My questions are to anyone who can answer them..

Should I keep using Metrocream like the derm said?

Is there anything out there other then medication that is good for taking the redness down, but by not covering it up?

I have heard of clonidine, but was wondering if that helped the already redness that won't go away?

And the last question is,, do you think the elidel cream could help the redness in my face if I used it or will it be to harsh to use..I am sure I have more questions, but as of now can't think of any as my mind is in a whirl.. Thanks to all who reads my eamil and responds..

[arcticlobo]

Hi Sandra,

Well, if you have rosacea nd have been using steroids on your face for 16 years, I would guess that you have steroid induced rosacea, especially considering the fact that without the steroids you skin reacts.

I don't think metrogel works for the redness, some people have has succes with clonodine for flushing. IPL treatments are supposed to be the best option for redness/flushing, insurance usually won;t cover them, you'll have to haggle with them to try to get coverage. If you are going to get IPL, make sure it is from somebody who has a lot of experience with rosacea. If it is steroid induced, you have to be very careful, since from what I have read your skin is very thin due to all the steroid use, and it first needs to be build up before aggressive IPL can take place.

Some people has also had some success with elidel, I don't think anybody has complained about it irritating their skin. I use it for seb derm (flaky skin on the folds of the nose, ears, and around the eyebrows. If you have dandruff, you may also have seb derm. It and rosacea seem to go together)

Don't get to depressed, many doctors don't know how to effectivly treat rosacea, or they often trivialized it. You should find a good derm in your area who you feel comfortable. Based on what your derm said, I think you should go to a new one. There are things that can be done, and I;m sure you will find that from the members here.

What part of the world are you in?

[Max]

Some people has also had some success with elidel, I don't think anybody has complained about it irritating their skin.

there are a lot of rosaceans that couldn't use it, it's rather harsh (not designed for rosacea, rather seb derm).

but i think it's a real good choice to try for one that faces a cold turkey after stopping cortisone...


I do though have very senitive skin to everything and was using cortisone cream since I was 26 and I am now 42.


really makes me mad that there are docs that are willing to describe cortisone for that long - guess it's not otc anywhere?

if you're getting bad reactions to metro, stop using it. try elidel on a small part of your face and see if you can use it. if you don't get a bad reaction for some days start using it on full face.

i'd really suggest you discuss taking oral antibiotics with your doc for some weeks. at least when you can't use neiter elidel nor metro.

i'm no doc, but using cortisone for that long will for sure cause some rebound effect, maybe it's better to see another derm.

since cortisone causes thinning of skin (after long use) lasers/ipl is something i'd suggest to have only done with a real experienced doc.

one last thought: you've been able to use cortisone for that long - maybe that's a clear evidence that you've some sort of really strong skin. i guess if one's skin is rosacea prone you wouldn't have been able to use it for so many years.

don't loose hope, give your skin some time to heal...