Rosacea caused by stress. What do you think?

[jen]

Hi, i think my rosacea is caused by stress and was just wondering what all of you thought. I 'll try not to make this too long. Since I was like 13 I've had problems with anxiety. I used to have ocd, washing my hands a lot. I don't really have it anymore it does creep back every now and then, but it's not really an issue. I'm also suffering from Social Phobia, that started when I was 15. I droped out of high school because of it. From the time I was 15 until I got my first job at 26, I hardly ever left the house. I know it sounds pathetic but this whole Social Phobia thing pretty much runs my life. So I got this job that I loved, got along with everyone and became close to some of my co-workers. But after a year I got fired for reasons I'm not really sure of. The whole situation was really weird and I don't understand what I did and they wouldn't tell me. I took it really hard. I worked so hard to get myself out of the house and go on job interviews. About 2 months after I got fired my face started to get red, sometimes it was worse than other times and sometimes it wasn't that bad. In January I went to California for a few days and was out in the sun without sunscreen and it didn't affect my face at all. Before I left my face was really red and I was considering cancelling my trip. When I got back my face was really good for about a month. After I lost my job I started seeing a therapist but it's hard for me to open up to her and she wanted me to talk to a phycologist and around the time I started seeing the phycologist my face flared up again. I think when I was in California I was away from my problems for the most part, and I was kind of happy and not worrying like I usually do. So when I had to see the phycologist it stressed me out having to meet someone new and talk to him, it was incredibly hard for me to even start seeing my therapist. I worry about things constantly, the fact I don't have a job and that it's so hard for me to leave the house. I worry because it's hard for me to talk to my therapist about things that I need to talk about. And if it already wasn't hard enough to leave the house, it's twice as hard because I worry about my face. The reason I think my rosacea might be caused by stress is because I don't have any other triggers. I don't eat spicy food or dairy, I've been vegetarian for the last 8 years and I eat a lot of vegetables, practically no junk food. I don't drink either. And it couldn't be caused by the sun or really warm or cold tempretures, because I never leave the house. Sorry this was so long, but any replies will be very much appreciated.

[CrabbyCathy]

Hello!

I'm sorry about what you are going through

Did a derm diagnose you with rosacea, and give you a prescription product?

Stress can be a trigger for rosacea, definitely. Rosacea.org lists stress and anxiety as triggers under "emotional influences".

http://rosacea.org/patients/materials/triggers.php

[Mike T]

I think you will find that certain people are predisposed to Roscaea (the exception being certain drugs which can actually cause Rosacea).

If you would like to think of Rosacea like a large boulder just balancing atop a very high hill.

There are external factors like light winds and showers (equivilent to low grade stress, sun/heat damage, reaction to irritants etc) which exert a force on this boulder. These forces may not be enough to move it initially, but one day when a cyclone or a tidal wave hits this boulder is forced out of equilibrium and the process starts.

If the external factors continue to cummilate the slope of the hill increases and the boulder picks up speed. If the external factors are reduced, so is the speed of this boulder. The faster the boulder is going the more momentum it has behind it and the longer the neccesary duration of trigger avoidance is needed to slow it down.

Although this boulder can never be removed it can be slowed down for extended periods of time which are usually just as good.

The best thing to do is to try and keep it at rest . If this fails then the only option is to slow it down.

In my case my Rosacea progressed from one really bad sunburn. In your case it seems to have been triggered by stress.

On a different note, there are rules and regulations in Australia governing the dismissal of an individual from paid work. One of these rules is that the employee must be clearly be made aware of the (lawfull) reason(s) which lead to there dismissal.

Social phobias can be very difficult to overcome, particularily in there developed stages. You seem very keen and willing to get through yours and seem to have made very good progress with the help of your psycologist. Dont let a few bad situations shadow all the good work done so far. Stay strong and move forward. Maybe take another holiday

Hope this clears things up for you.

All the best,

Mike

[jen]

Hello!

I'm sorry about what you are going through

Did a derm diagnose you with rosacea, and give you a prescription product?

Stress can be a trigger for rosacea, definitely. Rosacea.org lists stress and anxiety as triggers under "emotional influences".

http://rosacea.org/patients/materials/triggers.php

I saw a dermatologist and he gave me metrocream and the only reason he gave me that was because I started to cry when he said he wouldn't give me a prescription for anything because nothing works. I saw him twice the first time he said it was not that bad and to come back when it flared up. So I went back when it flared and he still said it wasn't bad enough to do anything and then started to make jokes about it. A month ago I went to my family doctor and he gave me Clarithromycin, but it's not working. The metrocream did work for the papules but not the redness, which is getting worse. But I thought if it's caused by stress then Medication probably won't do anything.

[bellableu]

Stress is a huge factor, yes. Medications can help or even put it into remission, it's very individual. But if you continue to experience stress and high levels of anxiety, that will work against the success of the medication. I am so sorry you experience such a high level of stress even now - I wonder if you could see someone else, with a kinder 'bedside manner', if that would alleviate some of your stress around your skin concerns. With your history of anxiety, what steps have you taken/are you taking to manage that? What are you doing to be kind to yourself and manage your stress?

I suggest you continue to research treatments here, and return to your dermatologist (or a new one) armed with a list of treatments/medications and questions to ask. Just write it all down so you don't have to worry about it. Learn what you can, because not all derms are as up to date or knowledgeable as we'd like.

Therapy can change your life in wonderful ways. So can activities like yoga (my personal favorite), exercise, gardening, meditation (even just sitting quietly looking at pretty picture for 5 minutes), even inspiring books & films can relieve stress by altering how you think about yourself and the world. Please remember you are just as the Universe/Spirit/God of Your Own Heart made you: Perfect!

Take care of you.

[CrabbyCathy]

I saw a dermatologist and he gave me metrocream and the only reason he gave me that was because I started to cry when he said he wouldn't give me a prescription for anything because nothing works. I saw him twice the first time he said it was not that bad and to come back when it flared up. So I went back when it flared and he still said it wasn't bad enough to do anything and then started to make jokes about it. A month ago I went to my family doctor and he gave me Clarithromycin, but it's not working. The metrocream did work for the papules but not the redness, which is getting worse. But I thought if it's caused by stress then Medication probably won't do anything.

I am speechless! There are many things that work, it's just a matter of finding the right one for you. You should not be coming back when you're mid-flare, you should be preventing/treating the flare in the first place with a medications, gentle topicals, and other factors specific to you (such as the stress-relievers BellaBleu mentioned).

I'm so annoyed at your derm I could just fly down there and yell at him! If you trust your family doctor, tell him what happened with the derm and have him recommend another for you; sometimes the doctors do know each other, despite being in different departments, and he'll be able to recommend someone who is caring and knowledgeable.

This website is basic and can help with the questions to ask your doctor (second link)

http://www.rosaceafacts.com

http://www.rosaceafacts.com/Doctor-Dial ... -Treatment

[spencer]

Sorry to hear what you're going through. I stumbled upon this amazing book recently called "Buddha's Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love and Wisdom" by Rick Hanson. The book explains how we create phobias and fears and how, through understanding the brain, we can help re-wire neural pathways. I know my rosacea can be triggered by stress and this makes complete sense when you look at the book. When we get stressed, there are many physiological associations that happen to prepare us for fight or flight. I won't go into too many details, but here's a link to the book:
http://www.amazon.com/Buddhas-Brain-Pra ... 475&sr=8-1
I find it quite empowering to understand why the body does what it does and encouraging that we can get out of the vicious cycle of toxic worry/stress.

[mcunit]

I truely believe Stress is one of my biggest triggers. I blame my Rosacea flaring up originally on stress. (I've just posted my full story in this area)

My stress is generally encountered through work so I sincerely empathise with you. At least I can shove it to the back of my head sometimes and forget it for a while. It must be so hard for you that you are practically stuck in because of this and your emotional problems. Do you have girlfriends that can come round to cheer you up? This works wonders for me when I'm low.

The Buddist book sounds an excellent idea. My partner introduced one to me and although a littel hard to get into, it really does make you think differently and help you to understand your mind better.

Or perhaps meditation might be worth a try. I honestly do think the stress you are going through within yourself will be making you worse, and then it's a never ending circle of stress - rosacea - fear - stress - rosacea. Poor you!

Keep us posted if you try anything new.

Good luck

MC x

[spencer]

How I know stress is a big trigger for my rosacea is that I don't get flareups when I am meditating. In other words, on the days when I am meditating I never get rosacea-type symptoms (i.e. tingling, redness). In fact, my skin looks normal. But if I haven't slept very well or I'm feeling anxious about what I'm going to do with my life, etc., I always get rosacea symptoms. So, that is why I am working on incorporating meditation in my life. The more reactive I am to external events, the more reactive my skin is. With a regular meditation practice I find there is more equanimity in my life and, by extension, more balance with my skin. I think in some ways it may be more important than diet, exercise, topicals, etc...not that these things aren't important, but the mind is a powerful thing.

[bellableu]

I think in some ways it may be more important than diet, exercise, topicals, etc...not that these things aren't important, but the mind is a powerful thing.

The mind is THE most powerful thing. Our thoughts cause us stress ... stress doesn't cause itself.