What a terribly sad story. Rosacea can be an all consuming disease and there is definitely a danger in becoming obsessed with your skin. The struggle to look normal can be too much for some, sadly. Please everyone realize that other people really aren’t as interested or worried about your skin as you are. If you feel you aren’t coping with your anxiety or feelings about yourself then please be brave enough to see a doctor and ask for some help.
Your mental health is just as important as your overall health. Also, please be encouraged that there are some wonderful treatments for rosacea out there, you just need to reach out to find them.
From: This is London, from the Evening Standard: Train suicide of woman depressed by her wrinkles
A woman who became depressed that she was losing her youthful looks committed suicide by lying down in front of a 90mph train, an inquest has heard.
Amanda Barr, 44, had become obsessively preoccupied with the condition of her skin.
….
She would not even let her partner of 13 years kiss her on the cheek for fear it would inflame her rosacea, a skin condition causing redness, the Norwich jury hearing was told.
…
Mr Thirsk said Miss Barr’s obsession with imperceptible skin blemishes had snowballed since their relationship started in 1994 and it became apparent in the months before her death that the problem was a psychological one.
But she refused medication for her problems in case it made her skin worse.
Her rosacea was actually nothing more serious than a “slight red mark” on her face, he said, but she was unable to keep it in perspective.
“She felt it was huge and that everyone was staring at it and saying: ‘Look at her!’ She became very, very obsessed with it, really, and the way she looked.
Mr Thirsk said his partner would not even walk ten yards to the bins from their front door for fear of the wind inflaming her skin.”
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9 comments ↓
Wow! What can I say? Poor lady, the worst about skin problems is whe you realize you have no control over them. That happened to me many years ago, I am 28 know with possible rosacea on my face, great! When I was a teenager like 14-15 I may get one or 2 big pimples that bugged me 4 a while but I don’t remember being that depressed about my face like I am now. I always had oily skin and people used to tell me: you are cute but have oily skin, is that a compliment? What me made really mad was people telling me why don’t you do something for that oil as if I wasn’t doing enough. I remember feeling OK having acne free oily skin because I really was all that bothered by the oil while the skin was clear. Then when I was 20 I started to see a couple of cystic acne on the sides of my forehead that were not responding to BP meds I used since high school so I went to a derm which injected me the FABULOUS CORTISONE yeah right. It was the 1st year but then it leaves redness and marks because I would get the same pimple in the same place. To make the long story short I even used ACCUTANE which made feel ridiculous afterwards cuz I was thinking OH MY GOD what am I going to do when I’m acne free?!! Duh, I only made my skin not oily for a while and I got less breakout later.
After that I used Murad in 2002, which even out the skin tone but was to harsh sometimes (to expensive 4 the not amazing results) Then in 2004 I used Proactiv which failed in 2001 probably bc I didn’t follow instructions, and after a couple of bleached tshirts and pillowcases I was 90% clear 4 more than a year and enjoyed life. It was great not worrying about yopur face but the honeymoon was over in 2005 cuz I felt a little burning on my nose area (beginnign rosacea?????? probably) I switched to their sensitive salicilyc acid line and used it 4 a year or so but its not as good as the original. Now since 2006 I am getting flushing of the face, pimples pustules in the nose cheeks and chin that Im sure are rosacea. My derm was no good and kept prescribing Differing 4 the acne that I was getting back and never really diagnosed Rosacea. I hope that tomorrow I can go 2 a cousins office, he is a derm but was sick today. He was the first that treated me back in 2001. I am so depressed, pushing 30 and not being able to clear my skin 4 good. I feel I only accomplish things when I am clear but when Im not I feel like nothing matters but my skin. Its terrible, and I ask God for help. Sometimes relatives are no good cuz they tell u that great ??? Why dont u go to a derm???? Why dont u treat ur face?? Like u r doing nothing already. I wish I could control my skin like I control my allergic rhinitis with a pill and a spray once a day. Please some advice and prayer will help. God bless you!
I am a rosacea sufferer and I would like point out to those who are not aware, that just because the skin is only pinkish, does not mean it isn’t painful. What you see on the surface is often only an indication of what is happening underneath. At times, this pain can be debilitating.
It is often helpful to read inbetween the lines and regarding the above article about the UK woman who took her own life, I have the feeling she was suffering real, physical pain.
Rosacea is one of the most under appreciated medical conditions there is.
Personally, I experience several types of discomfort. Heat, tingling, burning, pain and severe neuropathic pain. This might, or might not be accompanied by terrible flushing of long duration.This can lead to further damage, including facial swelling. If the initial discomfort/symptoms are not brought under control promptly, they can quickly escalate out of control and once this happens it can be extremely difficult to put into remission again.
I take antibiotics and I undergo IPL treatments at regular intervals, which until recently were working very effectively. Rosacea did not rule my life, but I was careful to avoid triggers. For some time now I have been going through the battle again, to get the disease under control. At times I feel great despair at the constant pain. It just goes on and on…..and can intensify at the least trigger.
The comment about the UK woman not walking to the bins in the wind, for fear of her face becoming inflamed, sounds reasonable.
Someone who lacks knowledge and has no desire to understand, could deem this type of behaviour as ridiculous. Shame on them. There is no excuse for such ignorance in this day and age.
Many people on the rosacea forum speak about the negative impact a burning face has on their intimate relationships, as standing next to another person can be like sticking your head up close to an oven.
Other suffers might only experience persitant basal redness with no accompanying pain.
It is hard to say how much the UK woman focused on the visual aspect, but I bet she didn’t like it. None of us do.
However, to say it was obvious her problem was a psychological one is completely ludicrous and unprofessional.
A point of interest, some of the worse offenders are doctors, including dermatologists.
This is commonly known by most rosaceans and it proves a source of frustration and suffering as they seek out and gravitate towards the few medical professionals who really understand the disease thoroughly and who bring relief to hundreds of people.
Hey Kayla and Erik…just want you to know that I’m with you on this stuff…i’ve suffered through both acne and rosacea and whats worse to me is that I only got it later on in my early 20′s after it seemed like everyone was already over it. Its not as bad for me now 8 years later but it still bothers me and when people say not to worry or who cares about it…i just think that if it was their own problem they wouldnt be just saying that. It is a real problem and it affects people in so many ways that you can only try to understand if you’ve been there yourself. Anyway just wanted to say keep the faith to both of you and if you ever want to discuss this topic we can always email. take care!
I am 41 and my univited buddy rosacea has been keeping me company since I was around 11 years old. I was obsessed with it, especially the blushing thing, when in high school. I would ask teachers to plese not ask me questions in class because I was so embarrassd about my pink glow. I would run past girls when I saw them appoaching on the footpath. I even hibernated in my bedroom for an entire Summer holiday because of it. I was only slagged about it twice in my 5 years of high school so I guess others didn’t really care or notice it as much as I thought they did. It can be exagerated in the mind of the rosacean as it was with me.
I still have it but have learned to let happiness and the search for happiness be my master, not my pinko/red mask. Black and Asian people have even commented to me that they have met white people before but never a red one! Maybe I could get a job as an emergency runway beacon at an airport for those foggy nights (:
I have had laser/IPL treatment, I forget which one and it really helped a lot. I also watch my diet (no sugar, spice and a lot of things which I find so nice). Sleeping with a fan pointed at my face really helps as well.
Reading others experiences has helped reduce my self pity and feelings of isolation. I hope that my experience helps others too. Any advise or tips are greatly welcomed. My e-mail address is kilross@hotmail.com
Hi, I have suffered with Rosacea since I was very young.
I am now 45. I started off in the early days with the old copper vapour machine which was awful. Once a month I would undergo this and would need to take time off work because of the accompanying blistering. I have tried various treatments on and off over the years, nothing really consistently because I have found that I am indeed obsessed by my skin. I am now afraid of having things done. I am booked in try some treatments with both both IPL and V-beam in March, but I find the following days so difficult to cope with. Home, isolated and having a face that is so consumed by constant heat. I can’t sit, lie or do anything, just walk around waiting for it to subside a bit. I could write a whole book about my experiences. It is important to have people to understand what it is really like, because unfortunately, unless you have it, no-one does. Yes, the problem with intimacy is a HUGE one. So huge it has kept me alone because I just find it so difficult. It goes on and on and on…….
im 17, and suffer from rosacea since i was 13 and it has caused me intense depression and ridacul from class mates. but that is nothing compared to the pain sometimes i cant even smile because of it, my mother doesnt understand. today i was to go to coffee with a boy but im here in my room hiding because my face became inflamed again its like hell on earth
hi im 23 and suffered from acne and now have seborrhoeic eczama, i started breaking out at the age of 15 and since then have been up and down with my skin as well as my moods. i tryed loads of antibiotics as well as micro dermobration creams lotion e.c.t. so roaccutane was the opition i took. after that i prescribed it to myself for a few years on and off from the internet. and 8 years on im back to square one. I have developed a issue where when i have good skin im happy and bad skin im not. so my moods are up and down depending what mirror i look in if you get wat i mean lol. ive lost g.f jobs friends and family over it. and i started crying yesterday as i dontwant to go on feeling like this. i even went to the dermatologist but to be honest he just gives you new stuff to try.
ive got a good carrer a amazing g.f great family even a resible finaincial status. but i feel i dont want to live anymore! as i cant live a normal life!
I know what a pain in the ass rosacea can be. Mine actually became less noticable when I got into my mid twenties so it can fade out over the years. I am pretty sure it’s because I became more relaxed about it and life in general that made my skin calm down. I still have it but less than before. Food is a huge factor. Every rosacean MUST check out what foods and conditions trigger their skin. Alcohol, spicy food,chocolate and all SUNSHINE should be avoided. Although I do sometimes enjoy a drink, I cut down a lot. The sun is the worst though, even one minute, yes 60 seconds, in the sun makes my skin go bright pink for hours, horrid! I wear a hoodie in ther Summer (I get some rather odd looks (: I block out the sun with a newspaper or magazine sometimes. I don’t care if strangers stare as I would rather that then be bright pink. Different people are affected by different foods. Do a google search using the words rosacea and food. You will find lists of different foods that are common agitators. Try avoiding some of the common agitators for a while a see which ones affect your skin. Soda’s trigger my skin too, I love soda! It’s not fair!! (: Oh and drink loads of water every day. Chin up all! Life is still good
I am still trying to cope living with severe neuropathic
rosacea for the last 8 years now.
I have had rosacea since about age 24 and it has just
continued to progress over the last 20 years.
I also avoid the sun at all costs because of the heat and
and the uv rays that contribute to skin ageing and skin cancer in this harsh aussie climate.
I now use a sunbrella for heat reduction when i have to go outdoors, as well as it being UV protective. I dont
use suncreens for some time now either, as i dont trust
them and they also irritate my skin and other ones are
hard to apply to my very delicate facial skin.
I dont bother with broad rimmed hats much now as the
heat from the sun is still just too much when the sun is lower at certain times of the day.
It is often very difficult living with this horrid, relentless
condition and it is certainly very easy to become very
preoccupied with it, to the point where it becomes all consuming and dominating every aspect of one’s life.
For anyone to say that any psychological problems
that arise from this painful scourge are easily treatable is either an ignorant fool or simpy just plain uncaring.
My heart goes out to all my fellow Rosaceans, including
those that have posted in this thread before me.
I can identify with everything each one of you have
said in your posts above.
Patience, perserverance, persistence..hopefully one day just peace and no pain!
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