red bumps allergy

[rednessgoneforever]

hi mike,

okay is 6 weeks on elidel this is the latest result of my face.
the redness has suppressed but is still there. at times is good n bad.
the worst is at night after i wash my face. always take about an hour to
calm down the redness. now, i only wash my face once a day with la roche posay facial wash.
my diet has completely change from before. a lot of water intake, less salt n sugar.
this 2 days i also find i started to have 3 or 4 little red bump with white heads so the
doc prescribed me on metronidazole tablet n cindamycin to put on the bumps.
realizing that i am not suitable to take clonidine. he said metro can actually ease down the red.
will just have to wait and c. hope all is well on ur side.

best,
Kris

[Mike T]

Thats good news that things havn't got any worse.

If you can keep your symptoms from progressing than thats an achievment in itself.

I too have been using Elidel every other day for my face. It reduces redness fairly effectively, however there is always some residual pinkness left, which isn't too bad.

Actually last night i tried the Metronidazole 0.75% cream (Rozex) because a few small red bumps were emerging (i ate a full block of chocolate the day before). I cleansed my face with Cetaphil cleanser, which is great for me, then applied the Rozex. When i woke up in the morning i was suprised to see that residual pinkness which is usually there was almost gone, and the small number of bumps which were beggining to form yesterday were gone.

I believe reducing inflammation by Elidel use is one half of my treatment, the other is reducing redness from bacterial infection which Rozex seems to take care of very well. I still do not dare to try Cetaphil Moisturiser again due to previous reactions, so ive been using an Aqueous Cream as a moisturiser. I find if enough is applied it just manages to prevent flaking on my face, however it does lead to a very negligible amount of redness.

One thing i have learnt recently is that depending on the state of your face when you use a product you can have different experiences. For example i know when i have a severe reaction Elidel actually adds to the inflammation rather than reduce it. This used to baffle me. The only thing which works for me at those times is one or two applications of steroid cream to reduce the inflammation to a point were i can start using Elidel again.

I very rarely get bumps on my face and when i do its just about 5 or 6 around my nose area, which the Rozex takes care of in one application. When your P & P issue gets better you may find that just using a topical cream (e.g metro, clindamycin etc), with diet restrictions is enough to hold back the bumps, and then you can ween of the tablets. You can discuss this with your derm.

So for me atm cleansing then applying Elidel then Moisturiser in the morning followed by cleansing and then applying Rozex at night seems to be doing the job.

All the best,

Mike

[rednessgoneforever]

hi mike,
i agree with what u saying that sometime elidel does cause unusual breakout once in a while.
but usually it does control the redness pretty consistently. i sometime wonder could b our skin
also needs a break from the medicine that constantly applied. as for me, i just stick to it and just
using little less or give it a day or two a break.
i find the symptom very stubborn and not easy to have a clear face. constantly there is either
a breakout waiting or the redness is more visible. this is the part that is no fun. i have to say
it does affect u somewhat psychologically and stress.

best,
Kris

[Mike T]

i hear you.

Just remember that using products to treat the redness is only one side of the coin.

The other side, is to try and prevent the redness, or the least amount of redness from occuring, by minimising exposure to triggers and irritants. If this is not done then you will be in a kind of "one step forward, one step back" scenario, where you want to be in a "two step forward, one step back" situation.

Being weary of the following triggers has helped me;

**Weather conditions- heat, sun, dramatic change in temperatures
**Foods- High sugar foods, quick-carb foods, hot foods, spicy foods, even drinking a glass of water in one go will give me a few seconds of redness
**Stress- The major one here is blushing, or "going red" when embarresed, angry, emotional, stressed etc This is very hard to stop as its a natural reaction however i have slowly (very slowly) learnt to control my emotions fairly effectively, however it is impossible (as far as i know) to completley block them out. Drugs such as Clonodine can be helpfull to break one out of a deep, cummitavely worsening blushing cycle.
**Products- i am carfull with what products i use now, i have a general knowledge of irritating substances, i patch test and i in general try alot less products then i used to, when i was first self-diagnosed and set on the quest for the "holy grail", as some people have described it.

This list is by no means extensive and you will, with time, learn which triggers affect you the most. I have found the longer the time period between succesive blushing episodes, from any of the categories above, the clearer my face gets.

Trust me things get better, it just takes time to find what works for you.

All the best

Mike

[rednessgoneforever]

hi mike,

it has been one week taking the metronidazole 250mg 2 twice per day n
once applying elidel on the redness. i find much improvement to the
redness n no acne that no cover up is necessary. the doc wanted me on for
27 days don't know if is considered too long for staying on antibacteria.
any advice? thanks

best,
kris

[Mike T]

That's great news Kris!

Unfortunatley I have very little knowledge (due to lack of personal experience) when it comes to oral Rosacea treatments, and more specifically dosages and durations.

However, I am sure someone else with expertise in the field will be able to adress your question soon.

What i do know is that alot of the oral antibiotics are continued for a short period even after symptoms seem to have subsided. This is done to prevent an immidiate relapse of the bacteria.

Your dermatologist most likley took this "extra time" into consideration when he suggested you take the metro pills for 27 days. So for now I think it would be safe to stick to the duration your dermatologist has suggested.

You can even give your derm a call and discuss with him/her the pros and cons of prematurely discontinuing the oral treatment.

Know that you've got the Rosacea by the balls, don't let go. You should probably discuss long term topical antibacterial treatment with your derm the next time you see him. Since oral metronidazole has worked so well for you, then i would presume that topical metro 0.75% used long term on a daily basis should help to keep the condition at bay.

If it ever does get out of hand again, then atleast you know a few weeks oral metro will get you back on track.

Regards,

Mike

[rednessgoneforever]

thanks mike again for the valuable info.
if the side effects doesn't seem to have problem i think should b okay.
my next doc visit is the 28th so will keep u updated.

best,
kris

[rednessgoneforever]

hi mike,
just wanna update the latest.
just got off oral metro and elidel for about a week now.
don't know if is the quality of water in singapore better than taiwan,
i find my skin has lesser breakout with red bump itchness.
if there is a breakout of rashes now i am applying elomet cream which i
find more effective than elidel. maybe because i have been on elidel for
the past 2 months that my skin getting immune to it.
as for now my face is clear but still have pinkish look in the center.
the doc gives a go for ipl laser so will see how it goes.

all the best,
kris

[Mike T]

Hi Kris,

That is good news.

Correct me if im wrong but Emolet is a low grade corticosteroid.

This shouldn't present any problems if used for a week or so, but continuall use for months on end can actually worsen your Rosacea.

You should try and find a substitute which doesn't contian steroids, and can be used long term, to treat your inflammation.

Steroids should really only be used in times of adverse reactions. Even then there use should be limited. They should not be used to treat persistent low grade redness of the face. It will make things better initially but worse of later.

Make sure you have a read about the pros and cons of laser therapy before you have it done so your fully aware of what to expect.

Nice to hear from you again, keep us updated.

All the best,

Mike

[sam49]

Hi Mike,
what great info you have provided. I really wish I hadbread your e-mail before I read another readers cure all -" CeraVe apply for 8hours and then do a couple of other things to remove it - Rosacea is gone!" I should have known it was BS I am new to this blog and was really hoping to find something that would help rebuild my skin and increase its moisture.
I applied the CeraVe cream a sm amt over noc then applied it liberally for 4-5hours the next day. Currently I have the worse reaction I have ever had. My skin is inflammed and I have red bumps and sm white heads all over my cheeks. I look like I have been infected with the small pox virus.
This happened yesterday and now I am confined to my home - thankfully I am on vacation this week - what a way to spend it!
But what is most disappointing is that I may have worsened my condition. I am so scared. I don't know what to do I feel like a recluse. I had written in ealier and it was suggested to use elidel I was glad to see your post and see what you have written on it. I am planning on going to a derm - searching for one presently, but am hesitant that I may make things worse.
Any thoughts on what to do know for my skin - I am thinking I will just wait it out and pray for the best outcome. I realize things in life could be so much worse but I wonder daily why is the rest of my skin perfect but the one place everyone see's....
THanks for listening
Sam