Absolutely lost here...

[GNR]

Ok here's my story and thank you for reading.
Last year I had a dental implant (titanium) fitted after some troubles with a tooth. There was an infection, unfortunately it never fully cleared up. Not long after I was told I had Perioral dermatitis because there was an outbreak near my nose. I'd had dry skin around my chin and top for a long time but used moisturizer to get rid of it and made sure my beard (I am a male by the way, not a hairy woman...no offence to the hairy women, we are all beautiful). I was given Nizoral 2% cream which did clear it up. Then it came back. Was given Doxy 50 for 4 weeks, again cleared up and came back.. This went on for a few months. Went to a dermatologist. Told the same and to continue doxy.
Noticed a slight red mark like finger had pressed my temple along the hair line. It burnt and itched. Asked what it was. Sun damage, stay out of the sun while on doxy. Had been wearing a hat, sunscreen and keeping out of the sun except for morning workouts.
Had a small blister under my right eye that itched bad. Thought it was a bite, saw the doctor told it was a bite.
Began to notice a swelling under my right eye and a red path beneath extending up the temple. It became hot and sensitive and flares when I workout with weights.
Told "hmm don't know what that is, it's not rosacea (my fear was that it was) but try rozex cream to see if it goes."
It didn't. Didn't change.
Had a second opinion. Same as the first. "Don't know, looks like it might be fungul. Leave it until you see a dermatologist."
Began to a sore eye, a few pains and watering. Went back to the second opinion to ge this checked was given a scrip for kenocomb ointment for fungus but didn't try it out of fear.
In the meantime I have been usin Nizoral around the lip and chin to keep the other problem at bay.
Yesterday out of desparation I went to another gp explained the whole story again. He checked the skin, told me it wasn't rosacea that it looked like a fungus infection try Nizoral 2%.
Hmmm.
Later that day I had an appointment with a new dermatologist who told me that I actually had seborrhec dermatitis...this sounded right as all the systems relate, rash on chest, dry skin in eyebrows, dandruff...funny I'd never connected these things and either had anyone else.
He then checked the rash thing on the right side of my face and temple and told me it was rosacea. I asked about the pain in the eye, watery, and he said not connected. Gave me a print of what to expect with rosacea and out the door I went.
In the car my girlfriend reads the print and to her astonishment reads (twice) that there is a connection.
Now I'm stuck.
Is it rosacea? Is it not? How can I tell when one says yes, one says no, two say hmmm?
Oh I should add, at the same time as this I found out that I had been sitting next to one of those new eco friendly mercury globes. This had been removed.
I should also add, that my ear has been burning and before any of this I had a slight rash, itchy and annoying one which was called contact dermatitis through using headphones while a ran. It is also behing my jaw. I applied the cream cortic-ds 1% for a little while but soon gave up as it felt like it went...
Looking at the photo I can see it hasn't.
I've changed the colours slightly to enhance the red and drawn a big black line around the area.
Thank you, thank you for reading this long message I thank you in advance for any help you can give.
I just want to add. The implant has been removed and it had failed. Word of warning seek knowlegdge before solutions....
J.

[Auburn]

Hi GNR,

Later that day I had an appointment with a new dermatologist who told me that I actually had seborrhec dermatitis...this sounded right as all the systems relate, rash on chest, dry skin in eyebrows, dandruff...funny I'd never connected these things and either had anyone else.
He then checked the rash thing on the right side of my face and temple and told me it was rosacea. I asked about the pain in the eye, watery, and he said not connected. Gave me a print of what to expect with rosacea and out the door I went.
In the car my girlfriend reads the print and to her astonishment reads (twice) that there is a connection.

This is a bit confusing. He says you have seb derm but that the rash on your temple is rosacea? One can't have just a bit of rosacea.

Is the skin red only on the right side of your face?

[GNR]

Yes the skin is red only on the right side of my face, with the swelling in that area as well. The temple is not swollen just that pocket beneath the eye that sits over the the cheek bone. It did also tend to have a little ache the other night.
The swelling isn't major, some don't notice it but to me it is and the long term prospects is what has caused this main fear. That and the fact that I am getting different stories from different professionals. I don't know if this helps but I also have dark hair, tan easily and have brown eyes and as far as I know I've never had a flush, my face doesn't flush easily.
I've ate chillies and spicy food a greater majority of my life and never had a flushing experience. I've worked out every morning for more years than I can remember and I've weight trained for the last 18 years.
I spent 4 weeks in Bali travelling on a motorbike, covered by a headband and helmet and never had a flushing experience, no reddness except for mild sunburn, and the temps were extreme.
Thank you so much for asking and for reading after the visits to the doctors (3 so far) and the dermatologist yesterday I was beginning to get a little crazy.
Thanks again.
J.

[GNR]

I know that a lot of you have severe rosacea and have great mental and emotional stress because of this. This disorder of the skin has such an impact on a persons daily life and my heart bleeds for you. It truly does.
To some the picture may just look a little hmmm, "geez I wish that was all I had" and trust me when I tell you I've felt the guilts over this for the last few months and if this is as bad as it gets well damn hey. But it's the not knowing, the misinformation, the could be this or that or the other, the try this, that and a little of the other all while nothing changes that is really hurting. I have my own set of troubles just as we all do, this one has added to them in a great way and I'm having troubles moving past it.
I've gone on too long I'm sure, forgive me for the ramble but know I've now come to understand something that I had never imagined I would and that's the impact of this disorder.
Thank you for reading.
Joseph.
By the way the photograph was taken in bright light so the redness isn't that great...sorry.
In the darker rooms it is more visible. I will work on a better image.

[Auburn]

Yes the skin is red only on the right side of my face, with the swelling in that area as well. The temple is not swollen just that pocket beneath the eye that sits over the the cheek bone.

Yes, I see the edema now.

It did also tend to have a little ache the other night.

It ached just that one time? It could be an allergic reaction (to an insect bite or something else) or an infection.

The swelling isn't major, some don't notice it but to me it is and the long term prospects is what has caused this main fear. That and the fact that I am getting different stories from different professionals.

Pathetic but rest assured you have a lot of company.

I don't know if this helps but I also have dark hair, tan easily and have brown eyes and as far as I know I've never had a flush, my face doesn't flush easily.

Yeah, it doesn't sound like rosacea at all but you may have seb derm, which is chronic but can be controlled. It's a good thing that you did not use the Kenacomb cream but Nizoral won't do much for your condition. If you'd like to treat it naturally, follow the link in my signature.

Incidentally, in your previous post you said "In the car my girlfriend reads the print and to her astonishment reads (twice) that there is a connection." What did you mean?

Thank you so much for asking and for reading after the visits to the doctors (3 so far) and the dermatologist yesterday I was beginning to get a little crazy.

You are very welcome, Joseph.

But it's the not knowing, the misinformation, the could be this or that or the other, the try this, that and a little of the other all while nothing changes that is really hurting.

Absolutely. And, please, don't worry about "rambling" at all, that's what this forum is for. The more details you provide about your condition, the better.

Try and relax, anxiety can make skin conditions worse.

[GNR]

Auburn, thank you.
After reading "You are very welcome, Joseph." I shed a few tears. I'm a little touchy today but there are moments where I feel really strong and reading your posts have been a multitude of those moments.
I've read through your regime and at first I was thinking where am I going to get raw coconut oil!!! Then...I looked in the fridge and there you go. My girlfriend bought organic coconut oil a few weeks back for some recipes (we are vegans) and I even tried a small spoonful thinking hmmm coconut and then ewww what it is this....
I'm going to try it a little later and damn, I was just wondering what I was going to use for a moisturiser...you are a blessing Auburn. It's people like you that make the internet worthwhile.
Is there another option besides raw honey as I don't eat or use honey though if I found a place where the bees where happy....I might just borrow some.
In regards to "In the car my girlfriend reads the print and to her astonishment reads (twice) that there is a connection." what I meant was (and I didn't make this very clear, in fact I've been a bit of a muddle today sorry) that when I asked the dermatologist if the pain in the eye, the teariness, just slight, and the general feeling of not right was related to the rosacea or to the problem around my eye he said no, there is no relation and I don't know what that is.
As simple as that.
Then reading the print out there were two sections that detailed (slightly, I've learnt more on this forum today than in the weeks of visiting doctors) eye problems that can occur. When my girlfriend read this she was very upset as this was a straight question that was answered wrong.
Again thank you so, so much for your help. I don't understand why medical professionals are so quick to get us out the door and not actually solve a problem. If it were me, I'd damnwell try. Seriously. Even my dentist tries harder than these people and we all know just how popular those people tend to be....
Joseph.

[Auburn]

After reading "You are very welcome, Joseph." I shed a few tears. I'm a little touchy today but there are moments where I feel really strong and reading your posts have been a multitude of those moments.

Glad to hear that.

My girlfriend bought organic coconut oil a few weeks back for some recipes (we are vegans) and I even tried a small spoonful thinking hmmm coconut and then ewww what it is this....

It doesn't taste like macaroons, does it?

I'm going to try it a little later and damn, I was just wondering what I was going to use for a moisturiser...

Before you start using the raw honey or the oil, please, do read the FAQ I wrote, it's right below the primer you just read.

Is there another option besides raw honey as I don't eat or use honey though if I found a place where the bees where happy....I might just borrow some.

Well, if you happen to be a very strict vegan then I'm afraid you won't be able to take advantage of this treatment. But if you could make an exception...

when I asked the dermatologist if the pain in the eye, the teariness, just slight, and the general feeling of not right was related to the rosacea or to the problem around my eye he said no, there is no relation and I don't know what that is.
As simple as that.

Wow. And this is the doc that diagnosed seb derm and a patch of rosacea... Read up on ocular rosacea and see if the symptoms match yours. What you are experiencing now could be mild stages of all three (seb derm, rosacea and ocular rosacea) but it could also be just seb derm, an allergic reaction and "dry eye."

If I were you, I'd start treating what looks like seb derm first and keep a close eye on the edema above the cheekbone. If things clear up, then fire the dermatologist and throw a party. If things stay the same or worsen, see if you can find a more competent/compassionate dermatologist.

BTW, are you experiencing any GI tract problems?

Oh, and you didn't say if your eye ached more than just that one time.

[GNR]

Auburn, I do not know what a GI tract is, so I couldn't tell if there's a problem. I made an appointment yesterday to have my eyes checked this morning. Funny thing, I actually had a test a few weeks back because I got a small particle in that right eye (this problem was already present) and the eye test was fine.
Today eye man told me that the eyes were fine but for a little bit of trouble with the oil release. slight coalescence of right meibomian discharge. Must look that one up. He coudn't tell me if it was ocular rosacea or not, or simply being in front of the computer monitor for too long. I'm a photographer and I do spend a fair bit of time in front of these damn screens editing but not any longer. Making an appointment with an opthalmologist in a few days (long weekend in these parts).
Here's for another appointment. I tell you, in the last two years I've seen doctors more than I have in the last 30 odd!
Oh, what are macaroons and what do they taste like? The oil just taste like oil but not olive or flax... it's not a bad taste but I was expecting a brilliant hit of coconut...instead got an oily hit of coconut.
The pain was below the eye and a little on the swelling but only faint. More like a small bruise. It was only for a little while and wasn't present until a few days ago oh and sometimes when I wake up from sleeping on that side I feel a bit of pressure.
Auburn I can't believe that you are taking the time to reply like this. Truly it's incredible.
Thank you. I know I keep writing that but I do mean it.
Joseph.

[Auburn]

GI tract = gastrointestinal tract. Are you experiencing any digestion problems?

Today eye man told me that the eyes were fine but for a little bit of trouble with the oil release. slight coalescence of right meibomian discharge.

Seb derm causes blepharitis... Warm compresses help release the oil.

Oh, what are macaroons and what do they taste like?

They taste like you hoped the oil might.

I know I keep writing that but I do mean it.

I know you do.

Keep us posted, OK?

Later...

[GNR]

You beat me to it Auburn...
You'd think I didn't know what google was. No there are no problems with my GI tract. No cramps or bloating even. Only problem I run into is when I eat cashews...bad, idea but so yummy.
I've been trying giving my eyes rest, a slight massage and some warmth and wow a lot better today.
Oh and, hmmm they look yum!
Oh and again. Thank you.