New and very worried :-(

[Daisy]

Hello, two days ago I was told I have acne Rosacea and I have to admit I feel really down about it. It doesn't make sense because I never flush or blush and I have read everywhere that this is one of the main signs and causes. I've also read that it affects mainly pale skinned celtic skin types. I am Irish but i don't have pale skin at all.
I have never had a tendancy to blush and my cheeks aren't rosy or pink. All that happened was that about 6 months ago I noticed that my skin was excessively dry. Then I got a small infection on my eye lid. over the past 6 months my skin has gotten drier and flakier and very very bumpy. There is a red rash on my cheeks, forehead and along the jaw line and sometimes it stings and feels uncomfortable. The dermatologist has put me on a 2 month course of antibiotics.
I just wish I knew how I got this? I'm so worried that it's going to get worse and worse. I keep reading reports that say this eventually leads to facial deformity! Is this true? I feel completely helpless at the moment. Can you let me know if this can be controlled or not? When you speak of treatment what does this mean? does it mean taking medicine for the rest of my life or trying different creams for ever to try and cope with it?
Sorry if I sound a bit despairing but I was just told I have this and there is no cure and I can't just sit here and let it take over my life..

[rwilliamson320]

Hello,

I'm kind of in the same spot as you.

The information is sketchy at best. I’ve been reading all over the Internet and many people can control their Rosacea with medicine and many people don’t have to do anything for their Rosacea it just comes and goes, and then there are the people that have little or no control over their Rosacea with or without medicine or lotions.

So basically everyone is different and some peoples Rosacea disease will come and go into remission. Some people will have very few outbreaks over their life time and others will have outbreaks everyday, while others will have permanent outbreaks. Some lucky people will even go into permanent remission.

I kind of wonder if something is going around because after a doctor said he though I had a very mild case of Rosacea, I look at everyone’s face.

I noticed many people that I see and work with have redness on the cheeks and nose and many even with small bloods vessels that you can see on the skin. My wife’s cheeks have been getting redder over the last month and she is getting a little worried that she maybe getting Rosacea.

We looked at our old photos and our cheeks are not red like they are now. Also my wifes brother is staying with us and before my wife or I got red cheeks I noticed that he had red cheeks that stood out, but I didn’t think anything of it because at the time I didn’t even know what rosacea was.

I my advice is stick around read all the information you can and try not to worry to much. I know that can be hard because I was there worrying about it, but now life is so much better that I’m over worrying about it.

[adyus]

Hello Daisy.

Rosacea is a medical condition and, as with all medical conditions, it has certain degrees of severity. Since you've just developed it and you are under treatment, you're rosacea will probably not get worse, in fact it's very likely that it will get better.

Unfortunately, it may be possible that you will have to take medication on a daily basis. Also, you can't take rosacea, you have a genetic predisposition for it.

There are a lot of thing that you can learn here and we will do our best to help.

Kind regards,

Adrian

[Daisy]

Thanks Adrian,

I feel a bit more positive today...even though I have a bit of a nasty flare up. I don't understand it because I have been really good...staying off spicy food, coffee, wine, junk food etc. I did go for a long walk though so maybe that didn't help. I am normally a very active person and i know exercise can cause a flare up. I don't think I want to give up my hobbies in the outdoors because of this though...that would really depress me.
I've been using a moisturizer by la Roche-Posay called Rosaliac. This was advised by my dermatologist. It's good for soothing the skin and pretty good for dryness. I also find Allergenics non-steroidal ointment very good. Neither gets rid of the rash but they do sooth my skin. I'm not sure if others of you have any experience with these.
I am thinking of having some Reiki sessions as well. Have any of you tried any of these alternative therapies? EFT and/or Knesiology or bioenergy? I want to try everything because my biggest problem is stress.
Thanks again for your help..

[redhotoz]

I am thinking of having some Reiki sessions as well. Have any of you tried any of these alternative therapies? EFT and/or Knesiology or bioenergy? I want to try everything because my biggest problem is stress.

Hi Daisy

Welcome to the Forum and hope you find the information you are looking for. There's plenty of it!

I used to be a big stress queen too! I hated taking medications and am now on the natural band wagon - change of diet and red light therapy. So far, so good. If this interests you, just run a search from the "Forum search" link at the top of the page.

Would be interesting to see if you have any results with Reiki. I remember when my dog was hit by a car, a lady from the shop next to where I worked gave my dog a short session of Reiki. My dog litterally slumped, like the pain disappeared, as she touched him. Was amazing to watch! Many are non-believers, but to witness this was truly amazing. Please do let us know if you try this yourself.

Good luck!

Jen

[peabomosel]

Hi, all
I just got home from the dermatologist. I've been experiencing symptoms off and on for so long now ... probably a couple years. I too have read the scary info all over the internet and got very very stressed about the possibilities. I'm getting married in 8 weeks and I know I should focus on the possibilities of looking better for my wedding. But the diagnosis and the medications make it all so much more real now. And I'm stressing about the possibility of side effects. But my doctor seems really optimistic that I will improve within 6 to 8 weeks. So I guess I need to breathe deeply, and move forward.

I do wonder about one thing ... I read that I should avoid any facial products with alcohol. I told my doctor I'd been using Eucerin Redness Relief and he recommended Oil of Olay Total Effects 7x which lists 3 different types of alcohols in its ingredients.

PS: Does anyone know what "prolonged sun exposure" really means?

[redhotoz]

Hi Peabomosel

Congrats on your up-coming wedding.

There are alcohols and then there are alcohols. Not all alcohols in products are harmful to the Rosacean skin. For instance, Cetearyl alcohol is used as a thickening agent in some creams. I have no problems with that. There are others but I can't think of a full list to give you and what each does.

Just a stab in the dark but I would assume that "prolonged sun exposure" means over a long period of time being out in the sun for long periods at a time. Did that makes sense? LOL Ummm...like being out in the sun for hours every day for years. Too much sun can be harmful to the skin. I believe short stints is a good thing.

Good luck with everything and hope you are looking fine for your wedding.

Jen

[Ajay]

When I was diagnosed with Rosacea I went into a real downer and like you thought god what am I going to end up looking like,I'v had laser and for me it worked really well,I use Calmin cream and the met. cream. I have very little signs of my early Rosacea BUT when I stress it gets so much worse especially when I stress about the Rosacea so I try hard not too, not easy but really worth trying, don't let it beat you , you are stronger than it.