My early-stage Rhinophyma please help, please

[YankeesRtheBest]

I'm 20 years old and have noticed from past pictures the clearly noticable difference in the size and shape of my nose. I have a ridiculous amount of oil that pours out of my nose like a river. (and the t-zone is extremely oily too. I have bad cystic acne and I swear to you...I literally have hundreds of blackheads in my nose and when I get them removed they are inches long. (Not sure if that is related to rhino) but I also have bad redness and broken capillaries & veins under my nose and two broken blood vessels on the nose. Pores are large, might be from extracting the blackheads though?

**I WANT TO SEND THIS INTO REMISSION IF I CAN BECAUSE IT'S EARLY. (accutane did not work for me) If NLITE is the best laser for rhinophyma, how do I exactly tell the doctor to treat the nose area as he or she will most likely be inexperienced. (settings, how to point it)
I THOUGHT TREATING THIS EARLY ON IS THE BEST. CAN ANYONE PLEASE TELL ME HOW TO DO IT WITH A LASER AS I BELIEVE IT'S THE NEXT BEST AFTER ACCUTANE.
-Accutane did not work for me, but that doesn't mean it can't work for others, it has helped many remember.

Thankyou so so much. -Chris Long Island, NY

[irishgenes]

I sympathize with you, as my nose tip dropped lower on one side last August. I posted "Dr. Naser--How Long Before Nose Swelling Becomes Permanent?" as a topic on this page, and although Dr, Nase didn't answer, someone did post a couple of links he had written previously on rhinophyma. You might want to read those. For some reason, people tend not to answer these posts about rhinophyma, maybe because it is more rare. (Aren't we the lucky ones?)

I haven't had IPL yet, but it can shrink pores and stop the progression of rhinophyma. I don't know if it can undo the excess growth that has already occured. I am as worried about that as you are.

(Spilled tea on keyboard--it's typing crazy with extra lerttersr!)

[irishgenes]

OK, this morning my keyboard seems to be typing OK, so I will finish my post. I am interested in what dose and for how long you took Accutane. It usually works for most everybody, at least in the short term. I took it 3 times and it worked, but the acne always came back in 12-18 months.

I have written this before, but I don't think anybody has tried it yet. I'd really like to see somebody try this and report success. If it works, you will know it by the second day. To reduce oil significantly, take 320 mg. standardized extract saw palmetto (sold over-the-counter and online by lef.org--I can't speak for other brands) twice daily, morning and night. There is a scientific reason that this might work, and that is because it decreases the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone, which is the bad type which causes oily skin & acne (in conjunction with genetic factors), prostate problems, hair loss, etc. Although I am female, women do have testosterone, so I used it for a year for my very oily face. It worked for me very well right away, and for my sister, too. You could up or lower the dose as needed. It is quite safe. It is actually used in place of the drug Proscar over in Europe. (Note--should not be used by women who might become pregnant.)

Now, about your desire to tell your IPL doctor what settings to use---is he/she really open to that? I have not met any derms who are willing to take a patient's suggestions on something like that, though I am sure there are some. It will be so great when Dr. Nase finally gets his Quarterly Update published. On his website, he says he is going to
"Supply rosacea sufferers with medical references to help their physicians treat rosacea with the same cutting-edge approaches as 'rosacea experts'." So hopefully that means he will give the settings. I have signed up on his website to be notified when it is available. Was supposed to be Spring 2005, but his illness interfered with that date.

Finally, from your ID, I guess you are a sports fan. Is there any possibility that you are a body builder and maybe taking steroids or some type of "muscle building" product that might be aggravating your acne?

[teresa]

Chris,

Regarding the early-stage rhinophyma and n-lite: I just had my first laser treatments with Dr. Darm and one of his assistants yesterday. Today I am just a little red and swollen - very similar to a sunburn. I am going to have another treantment in 2 weeks. I am going to print out all I can about using n-lite for rhinophyma, as I believe I am also in the early stages. My nose is very often swollen and always shiny with grease. I have no blackheads though. I have never tried accutane, but would prefer to treat it with laser if possible. I used to have a very oily t-zone, but due to my age (43), I believe my skin is dryer now. If Dr. Darm decides to try the n-lite for my nose, then I will post the results. I am sure it will take a few weeks for the final outcome to become apparent.


Irishgenes,

Your post about saw palmetto really got my attention. Your statement about testosterone and its conversion is quite interesting. I had hormone testing a month or so ago and found that I have a rather high level of testosterone for a woman. Maybe a good question would be "Is that part of the reason why men tend to suffer more often with rhinophyma than women?" Probably an oversimplification, but something to start with?

Anyway, I am going to try the saw palmetto from that website and see how it helps. Maybe coupled with the IPL, there will be a huge improvement! I'll let you know. Thank you for the info.

Teresa

[irishgenes]

Well, I don't know where Chris went, but I am glad you are going to try saw palmetto, Teresa. Let me know how it works. I have written about this herb on the thread "Does Accutane Permanently Destroy Sebaceous Glands?", too, and a few other threads as well. I just can't speak highly enough about this herb's instant results. I started taking it again yesterday because the oil started up on my face again. No more oil! The pimples that were starting just dried up right away. (Not to be confused with the p&p of rosacea--these were "grease pimples".) I am starting with 160 mg. twice a day. Formerly I took 320 mg. twice a day. It is important to take it twice a day, not just once.

I had not thought about the possibility of rhinophyma being affected by dihydrotestosterone. Great observation, Teresa!!! I am sure that is why rhinophyma is so much more common in men. I did not get the rhinophyma until some months after I had quit taking the saw palmetto that I had been taking for over a year. I don't know if the saw palmetto can undo the damage that has occured to my nose or not, but I am sure going to keep taking it in the hopes that it will prevent further growth. Also hoping it can improve my receding hairline. I don't know what my testosterone level is now. Back in my 40's, I had my testosterone tested because of my acne/greasy skin, and it was normal. However, I think it was still converting itself into the bad dihydrotestosterone.

You are lucky to live near Dr. Darm. Will be interested in hearing how your treatment with the N-light goes, if he decides to use it on you. I used to live in southern Oregon, but now I am on the east coast. I wish I didn't have this flying phobia!

[YankeesRtheBest]

Teresa,

Thankyou so much, that would be greatly appreciated if you could post about the NLITE and rhinophyma. It really means a lot, thanks so much.


Irishgenes,

I will absolutely try the saw palmetto. What is the best brand to get? That is very interesting to hear though. Do you really think it can help stop my cystic acne and prevent any rhinophyma from progressing? Just curious..how long do i take 320 mg twice daily for and do you know if it's safe to use long term? Also, is it ok to take while on doxycycline? I also just started a supplement called Triple Omega with omega 3-6-9 (flax, fish, and borage oils) for my ocular rosacea.
PS-No I don't take steroids, but I am a die-hard Yankee fan even though they're not doing so great right now.
Thanks again for the info :) -Chris

[irishgenes]

It is certainly worth a try, Chris, as you sound pretty desperate! The United States Pharmacopeia stated that this herb "has no significant side effects and only rarely causes mild stomach upset or diarrhea." You would have to take it twice a day for as long as you have acne. I noticed that if I skipped a dose, the oil immediately returned. I started to try it on my own just out of deductive reasoning before I ever had a computer and could research these things; there is not much on the internet about this use. The product I used was Super Saw Palmetto from Life Extension: http://www.lef.org/newshop/items/ite...ce=ProductList

However, I have recently gone back to taking it and am using Spring Valley brand from Wal-Mart. It seems to be doing just as well, but I've only used it for a couple of days now. I know that not all brands of herbs actually contain what they state on the label, though, so you should stick to one of these brands first.

The fact that you failed to clear with Accutane worries me, because Accutane is strong stuff! Doctors have mostly ignored the important hormonal component of acne.

What are you using to extract your blackheads with? I would imagine vacuum devices can be pretty harsh on rosacea skin. I read an anecdotal report about a drug called "guaifenesin" helping rosacea. I bought some OTC "Mucinex" in the 600 mg. extended release dose hoping it might help my flushing. It didn't, but it unexpectedly seemed to flush the greasy gunk out of my pores. (This is before I started using saw palmetto again.) I hesitate to say this because I would need to repeat this several times to see if it wasn't just a figment of my imagination. Mucinex is in some cough syrups (at a lower dose) and thins mucous. I am not sure how or why this would work. There's a discussion of guaifenesin on the ESFB Channel, another online rosacea group. Have you ever visited that website?
http://www.esfbchannel.com/cgi-bin/y...num=1115061362

Another great website is the Rosacea Blog: http://www.rosacea.co.uk/blog/

Oh, I forgot to say that I am also taking the doxycycline with the saw palmetto. I don't think there are any interactions.

[YankeesRtheBest]

Irishgenes,

hey, no the accutane appeared to be working beautifully on my acne, but even at as low of a dose as 10 mg twice a week, it dried out my already terrible dry eye from my ocular rosacea. I'm been on every dry eye treatment in the book, restasis, plugs, natural tears, fish oils, eye scrubs, compresses, etc., but accutane is just too drying, even my lips were so chapped, I put tons of vaseline on every night.
Anyways, I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much, but the saw palmetto thing is pretty exciting. And if it can prevent me from going bald ..o man! I couldn't put into words how cool that would be since it runs in my family. No, I'll try not to get too excited. It's just hey... not bragging, but I can be a good looking guy, this whole acne/rosacea thing has turned my world upside down to where I've been depressed for the past few years. I have to look foward to a future with a huge rhinophyma nose, pimples, rosacea, and no hair. What attractive features, huh? I'm sure all the girls in my college will be looking for these. Well thanks again, I appreciate it. -Chris

[fut]

Yankees,

You should take a visit to acne.org community boards - there are some very intelligent posts in regards to sebum production and what has worked for them.

Regards,
George

[irishgenes]

Be sure you get the standardized extract and not just ground-up berry powder. I believe the Spring Valley brand only comes as high as 160 mg. so you'd need 2 caps twice a day at first and then adjust as needed. I am going to feel so bad if this doesn't work for you after getting your hopes up! I take a lot of dietary supplements in the hopes of preventing aging, cancer, ....death! However, with all the rest, I don't really see or feel any difference. The saw palmetto is the only herb I have ever used that I saw immediate results with, and I know it is the herb because the oil comes and goes depending on whether I am taking it. But nothing works for everybody.