Rosacea Support Blog

Time for some end of year statistics – for those who like that sort of thing.

Before we kick off just a note. The most important thing is that thousands of people have found useful information about rosacea. May this continue to be the case into 2009.

Unique Visitors to rosacea-support.org: 489,098

Page Views on rosacea-support.org: 1,682,675

Blog Posts and Pages: 375

Comments left on Blog: 1012

Top 5 Blog Pages:

1. Photos of Red Nose, Papules, Pustules, acne like rosacea
2. how to cure a red face (facial erythema or redness)
3. demodex mites treatment
4. Eucerin Redness Relief: product reviews
5. Clinique Redness Solutions: user reviews

Most Commented Posts:

1. lindasy.com is closing down  (62)
2. how to cure a red face (facial erythema or redness)    (52)
3. Periostat (doxycycline) goes generic, get ready for Oracea   (49)
4. focus on metronidazole (metrogel)    (47)
5. Australia (46)

Rosacea Support Resource Pages

Unique Visitors to Rosacea Support Resource Pages: 41,921

Page Views on Rosacea Support Resource Pages: 95,585

Rosacea Support Email Group

Emails posted to rosacea-support@yahoogroups.com: 3842

Rosacea Support Community Forum

Messages posted to Rosacea Support Community: 5,015

I wish everyone a great 2009. May this year be one that you look back on with fondness and with satisfaction at moving forward in your life.

warmest regards,

David Pascoe.

Artist has mentioned in the past that she has been associated with a patent to do with treating rosacea. Her involvement with SkinActives led her to investigate using Epidermal Growth Factor  (EGF) to treat rosacea. The success she experienced led SkinActives to subsequently file a patent. This patent has now reached the application status and can be viewed at the USPTO web site.

Method of skin treatment for rosacea using epidermal growth factor

United States Patent Application 20080317727, Sivak; Hannah Naomi ;   et al. December 25, 2008

Abstract: Compositions and methods for the prevention and treatment of skin and ocular rosacea using epidermal growth factor and an acceptable carrier are disclosed

Inventors: Sivak; Hannah Naomi; (Gilbert, AZ) ; Cloutier; Artist; (Portland, OR)

Claims

1. A method for the prevention and treatment of rosacea skin which consists of applying a composition containing epidermal growth factor in a dermatologically acceptable carrier to the affected skin area.
2. A method for the treatment of ocular rosacea which consists of applying a composition containing epidermal growth factor to the affected eye.
3. A method in accordance with claims 1 or 2, wherein said compositions further comprise one or more additional ingredients selected from the group consisting of tocotrienols, vitamin E, ascorbic acid, thioredoxin, superoxide dismutase, catalase, astaxanthin, lycopene, reduced glutathione.

Further interesting paragraphs include ;

[0009] Application of a gel containing distilled water, hyaluronic acid, and human epidermal growth factor (transgenic) in a 0.04% concentration abolished the usual symptoms in a woman suffering from chronic skin rosacea. After 6 weeks of application, the woman reported no reappearance of the symptoms and that her skin is still clear.

[0014] Many embodiments incorporate at least one other active ingredient with the epidermal growth factor. These include natural or synthetic antioxidant molecules such as reduced glutathione, tocotrienols, vitamin E, ascorbic acid, astaxanthin, and/or lycopene. Other desirable ingredients are proteins capable of alleviating oxidative stress such as catalase, thioredoxin and/or superoxide dismutase.

[0022] In terms of a possible explanation for the effectiveness of the active ingredients in the prevention or treatment of damage to the skin, it is noted that epidermal growth factor may be acting through its effect as vasoconstrictor. Just like in the living cell, where a number of antioxidants work in a concerted fashion, some embodiments of this invention also use the synergistic effect of antioxidants.

The SkinActives page on their Rosacea Control Serum with Epidermal Growth Factor lists the ingredients as ; Distilled water, Sea Kelp Bioferment, Pomegranate (Punica Granatum) Extract, Natural Active Peptides, Aloe polysaccharides, Green Tea (Camellia Sinensis) Extract, Hyaluronic Acid, Glutathione,  Epidermal Growth Factor BT, Phenoxyethanol (and) Methylparaben (and) Isopropylparaben (and) Isobutylparaben (and) Butylparaben.

Note that Artist warns about the possible dangers of EGF.

In my opinion, when trying anything new for your rosacea, especially home formulations, it is very important to visit your dermatologist first. In addition, I would NOT apply EGF to rhinophyma or skin cancer. This is my opinion, and does not take the place of advice from your doctor.

Additionally Dan suggested that caution, research and consultation with experts was a sensible approach ;

I’m no expert, but just to remind everyone, since EGF has the potential for upregulating the growth rates of cancer cells, please be sure to discuss the use of any topical with EGF in it with your dermatologist before using. At the very least, they should be able to help you keep a lookout for any signs of potential skin cancer while you’re using it. http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=32387

Also, I have not read any studies which suggest that rosacea itself may lead to increases in skin cancer rates, but inflammation has been implicated in increased rates, and since rosacea involves a chronic inflammatory response, we should probably be extra careful:

Congratulations on the patent getting this far Artist, great to see you associated with the patent. We look forward to any possible future developments.

Related Articles

• SkinActives: Rosacea Control Serum with Epidermal Growth Factor

The UK newspaper The Times has a plug for veinwave, human placenta treatments and beta hydroxy acid for treating rosacea. This article is an update to a previous article also featuring rosacea sufferer Allie Todd. The January 26 article was optimistically titled How one woman fought stress to overcome rosacea.

Some excerpts from today’s article:

How one woman beat rosacea, Allie Todd has suffered from the red facial rash rosacea since her late twenties. From The Times, December 27, 2008. by Lisa Freeman.

Dr Newman treats rosacea in the UK and US with the same technique that is used to remove varicose veins. Six months on, Todd, a mental health nurse and trainee homoeopath, says that the rosacea is “80 per cent better”. “I still blush, but that’s personality and nothing’s going to stop that. But the difference is that the blush isn’t still there an hour later and the prickly itchy feeling doesn’t happen. My baseline of redness is so much reduced and my pores have shrunk because they’re not being pushed apart by veins any more.”

This update tells us that Dr. Bryan Newman offered to treat her with a technique that is also used to treat varicose veins. Apparently Dr. Bryan believes that “that rosacea is caused by chronic low-grade infection that blocks the pores”.

The first part of the treatment used `asylaic acid’. This looks like a mis-spelling to me. Perhaps they mean salicylic acid. Strange to see such poor editing in a publication like The Times.

Next was a “thermo-coagulation treatment with heated needles. A very fine heated needle, part of a Veinwave machine, was used to puncture alongside the veins, allowing the blood to be released”. Each session cost an impressive £350.

The final part of the treatment used “a day and night cream that contained 10-20 per cent human placenta, from Russia, which helps to regenerate skin cells.” Dr. Newman believes that another year’s use of the placenta based cream will further help her symptoms.

Has anyone been offered placenta cream as part of their rosacea treatments ? feel free to leave a comment below with your thoughts.

Related Articles

• Rosacea Forum thread: veinwave

The Sunday Times in Colombo has a recent article devoted to Dry Eye Syndrome titled Looking through a dry lens, an interview with Consultant Ophthalmologist Dr. Charith Fonseka from the Eye Hospital in Colombo.

"Dry eye syndrome is usually due to a problem with the quantity and/or quality of the tear film that lubricates the eyes," he says.

…

Bacteria due to an infection, blepharitis, along the eyelids or eyelashes could also breakdown the oil which in turn may result in an inadequate quantity of oil being present.

Aqueous tear deficiency could be caused by either poor production — due to age, hormonal changes or various autoimmune diseases such as primary Sjogren Syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis or lupus — or excessive evaporation - due to an insufficient overlying lipid layer.

…

What of treatment?

Everyone’s needs are a little different, says Dr. Fonseka, with many finding relief simply by using artificial tears regularly. Preservative-free tears are recommended as they are the most soothing and have fewer additives that could be potential irritants.

Artificial tears and lubricating eye-drops and gels, available over-the-counter provide more moisture and lubrication for the surface of the eye. What a person needs to use will depend on what provides the best relief to that person.

Lubricating eye ointments could also be used. As they are thicker than drops and gels, they may provide relief longer but could also blur the vision if used during the day. "That’s why they are recommended for use overnight while you sleep," he says.

…

Urging that it is important to treat dry eyes not only for comfort but also to maintain a healthy cornea, he says, hot compresses and eyelid scrubs/massages with baby shampoo help provide a thicker, more stable lipid layer. Used against meibomian gland dysfunction, rosacea or blepharitis, the heat from the compresses would warm up the oil in the glands, making it flow easily. "Massaging helps get the oil out of the glands and the cleaning process decreases the number of bacteria that breakdown the oil."

Pointing out that simple lifestyle changes can significantly improve dry-eye irritation, Dr. Fonseka says drink eight to 10 glasses of water everyday to keep the body hydrated and flush out the impurities. Blink frequently, especially when reading or watching TV and avoid rubbing the eyes which would worsen the irritation.

If your eyes are dry mainly while watching TV or reading, take frequent breaks, suggests Dr. Fonseka, to allow your eyes to rest and become moist. And his advice: Close your eyes for 10 seconds every 5-10 minutes and also blink to improve eye comfort.

Related Articles

• Dry Eye: Awareness, Diagnosis, and Management
• claritin, zyrtec and dry eyes
• Rosacea and eyes
• dry eye and linoleic acid
• ocular rosacea questions answered (Part I)
• treating ocular rosacea (from the AAO)

A really interesting piece in the New York Times about how Michael J Fox is the front man for a revolutionary foundation fighting Parkinson’s Disease. The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research has funded an amazing $125m in research.

From Taking Science Personally;

What makes the story of the Michael J. Fox Foundation different — nay, what makes it important — is that it doesn’t just dole out money to scientists and hope for the best. It has used its money to take control of Parkinson’s research like few other foundations have ever done. In the process of trying to solve the mysteries of Parkinson’s, it has upended the way scientific research is done, and the way academics interact with pharmaceutical and biotech companies, at least in its little corner of the world. It demands accountability and information sharing that is almost unheard of in the broad scientific community. And it has managed to become, in its short seven-year life, the most credible voice on Parkinson’s research in the world.

…

They all use their money, unabashedly, as weaponry, to finance targeted research, hold conferences where scientists must share information and underwrite clinical trials conducted by drug companies. They are hard not to admire.

…

Meanwhile, the Fox Foundation wanted a change: in how it financed research, and what kind of research it financed. Instead of simply doling out money for a certain period of time — and hoping for the best — it began to keep closer track of researchers, using its money to accelerate research that was going well, or shift direction if it wasn’t. It expected its researchers to report problems and progress. It established markers and other goals that researchers were expected to meet. It insisted that the money it gave went very specifically to research that was directly related to Parkinson’s — and it was unafraid to finance risky ideas. “We throw 100 ideas up against the wall,” Ms. Brooks said. “One of the most important things we do is de-risk ideas” — and in so doing make them more palatable for industry and other researchers to pursue.

…

A few years later, Ms. Brooks and Mr. Fox made another important shift. Instead of relying on the scientific advisory board to make “yea” or “nay” decisions on grants, it decided to hire its own Ph.D.’s. It now has six in-house scientists. The Ph.D.’s allow the foundation to move faster still, since it no longer has to wait for the scientific advisory board to meet to make decisions. But it has other benefits as well: the Fox scientists are young, early enough in their careers that they are not set in their ways. There are perfectly happy to ask different kinds of questions and do things in a different way. In effect, they have allowed the Michael J. Fox Foundation to not just pursue important research already being done, but also to set the agenda for research it thinks ought to be pursued. And that is what has happened.

I find this really interesting. It obviously helps to have a rich contributor like ex Intel boss Andy Grove, but nonetheless a fresh approach to keenly develop treatments is working for Parkinson’s Disease.

I’m also reminded of the efforts of Lance Armstrong who is returning to professional racing next season with the primary idea of advancing his cancer foundation.

These sorts of approaches certainly differ from what we see in rosacea, where rosacea sufferers are for eg. left waiting for a bigpharma company to push through a product like sansrosa.

I’m also impressed with the idea to employ your own Ph.Ds. After reading what I can of the last few year’s worth of rosacea research I do sometimes wonder just who exactly is undertaking truly forward thinking research.

Over to you:

What are your thoughts ? Do you think rosacea research needs an overhaul from the current thinking and way of doing things ? Are we missing a motivated celebrity sufferer to head up our cause ?