Comments on: Finacea (azelaic acid 15%) as a Rosacea Treatment

By: Lisa B

Lisa B — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:49:34 +0000

I was diagnosed with papular pustular rosacea many years ago after being misdiagnosed time after time as acne vulgaris because I am African American with brown skin. I have tried EVERYTHING. Some treatments work for a while and then stop. I even tried Accutane, which controlled the condition for several years but eventually the bumps came back. About 6-7 years ago my derm made his own concoction which worked for a long time but he no longer makes it. I had 8 laser treatments that didn’t work at all. I always use a gentle cleanser and moisture and I hate foundation (makeup). I tried Finacea a couple of years ago and it didn’t do anything but burn and itch. I am so desperate now that I am going through to try different combinations of the (seemingly) hundreds of creams and hope that something will work. The red itchy bumps are just so ugly on my face. Starting with Finacea and a Dr’s mix of Desonide and salicytic acid. There is some science to this, it’s not random, even though I am a lawyer, not a scientist.

By: Lori

Lori — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 04:38:56 +0000

Ben: Have you been on doxycycline at all? I had some pretty severe pustules and went on 150 mg of doxy and it cleared it up within a few weeks. Used that for about 6 months and now I’m on a maintenance dose of 50 mg and use Finacea cream. I’m mostly clear most of the time. I understand about the self-esteem issue. I hated that I could see people’s eyes glance at the gross bumps first. I tried make-up which made it look like covered up gross bumps so I just gave up. I’m so sorry you have to deal with this. Keep trying things. It took me several attempts to finally find something that works. Hang in there.

By: BenG

BenG — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 03:09:55 +0000

Hello. I’m a 32 year old male, who began to suffer from rosacea around 27 and only on my forehead. It started out with small pimples around my temples and seemed to eventually spread to cover all of my forehead. Then I started to get big monster pimples every now and then mixed in…I’ve tried all different stuff over the years and to be honest nothing has really worked to “get rid” of the problem. Some treatments are just worse then others, i guess just depending on the skin type, BUT you would think a dermatologist would know this…BUT not the case. Because I’ve seen a few different. In any regards, I was using Benzaclin for about 2 years and that worked the best in controlling the problem but never rid me of those small tiny pimples under the skin. It also dried my forehead nice and good. So my latest trip to the derm, I was offered to try Azelex Cream and I’ve been on it for 2 weeks and its made my skin worse then before I started it. It also burns and itches for about 5 minutes after you apply it. But my forehead is worse then ever!! It looks like a mountain landscape full of disgusting looking pimples. I’m hoping by week 3 to see some of this “MIRACLE” results i frequently read about Azelex. So will see…But as of now, it hasn’t done anything but get worse. Nothing has cleared up and nothing has got better. NOTHING. But I’ll be patient and try a couple more weeks, its just a pain in the ass since i work in the public and see hundreds of people on a daily basis. Not good for the self-esteem or not good to look away from people and try to hide looking at the floor all day.!! Ill keep you posted.

By: Linda

Linda — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 18:52:54 +0000

I have had a relatively mild case of rosacea for 10 years + and have used metrogel and finacea. Metrogel was relatively useless and finacea worked somewhat but was quite uncomfortable on my skin. In addition, it contains some bad stuff, especially propylene glycol. Recently, I started using Sea Buckthorn oil twice a day and it has greatly reduced my redness and there are no longer any of the rosacea “pimples” or pustules on my face. I’d really like to find something to cure it, but, for now, at least I can control it with a natural product that is effective and won’t damage my skin in other ways.

By: Devin

Devin — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 02:41:56 +0000

I just used finacea for the first time and my face is on fire. Is it always going to be this uncomfortable or will it stop burning after a few days? Also, should I use it twice a day or once a day? I just have a little rosacea on my cheeks.

thanks

By: Vera

Vera — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 15:54:44 +0000

Finacea is over rated. Firstly it’s only 15% and yet it’s more expensive than the cheaper and stronger Ego Acnederm Medicated lotion at 20% using micronised azelaic acid which means better penetration.

Secondly, US citizens should be buying it from Australian online sites because you guys are getting ripped off by big pharma over there. Ego Acnederm Medicated lotion here only costs $8.99 a tube! Ignore the ‘acne’ tag, it works exactly like Finacea. Try http://www.epharmacy.com.au that’s where I get mine from.

Look at the ingredients, Finacea and Ego Acnederm are almost identical except for the strength and price.

Make sure you wear sunscreen! Azelaic acid makes the skin photosensitive which is worse for redness. I get my moisturiser sunscreen from http://www.cyrenorganics.com which don’t irritate my skin. I hate wearing sunscreen but this one is the only one I can tolerate because it isn’t greasy!

I know some of you said you don’t like Cetaphil because of the SLS in it, try foam free cleansing lotions or something. It worked for me. I use to have rosacea. Yes I know they said it’s not curable but it’s resolved for me after KTP vascular laser treatments and changing my skin care. I also reduced sugar intake. Don’t know why but all these combined worked. So never lose hope or give up even if the establishment has given up on you!

How bad was my rosacea? At one clinic, the doctor was horrified when I removed my makeup to show him the extent of my spider veins and redness. He literally was taken aback. How long did I suffer for? Since I was 13, then got progressively worse over the years. Makeup became my bestfriend, my mask and a necessary evil. I dreaded the time it took but now my skin is clear and I don’t have to deal with caking on a new face every morning : )

Hope this helps

By: Denise

Denise — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 19:06:22 +0000

Dear Mike,

I am not sure if the first message I sent got through so am repeating here. First, I am so sorry for the clear and awful pain you are in. If you have tried all the medical treatments without success, you may wish to consider DBT or CBT therapy. These are approaches used by psychologists to help patients with chronic pain. They have been used successfully with depressed patients and even with patients suffering diabetic neuropathy. A friend of mine has been doing DBT for a while and says it has helped her pain significantly, letting her lead a more normal life. I truly hope this helps as it is difficult to know someone is suffering the way you are.
Denise

By: Denise

Denise — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 19:02:51 +0000

Dear Mike,

It sounds like you are really suffering, and for this I am so sorry. If you have tried all the treatments out there and still suffer the neurological pain, you may wish to consider some psychological aids such as CBT or DBT therapy. A friend of mine suffered from severe pain related to depression and found substantial relief from using these therapies and mindfulness. I was at first skeptical about how this could work with real, physical pain, but the therapies have a very good record of success even with diabetic neuropathy. I hope this helps and will be sending good thoughts you way.

Denise

By: Mike B

Mike B — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 13:26:21 +0000

I have been living and suffering with both rosacea and chronic sebb dermatitis now for about 20 years.
I am nearly 44 and dont really know which way to turn anymore, as i have severe end stage neuropathic rosacea. ie all aspects at times to varying degrees!

With flushing nearly 100% of the time and burning , redness, stinging and also chronic flaking and redness from the severe adult cradle cap.. (sebb derm.)

Trying to alleviate one condition can cause the other to become worse also, all so easily.
Even water on my face can be upsetting,not to mention
drying it out even further, so forget shampoo of any kind for me, as it upsets my scalp and forehead and risks upsetting my face even further.

I would not recommend cetaphil cleanser at all for
anyone with a dry sensitive skin, as it has sodium lauyl
lauryl sulfate in it (sls) and should not be used , as it makes the skin worse in the long term. So those who promote it i think are very irresponsible (for those who should know better )! If they really care about sufferers such as me and the others on here, then they would get rid of the sls and sles altogether!
I dont see how it can or should be promoted for people
with dry problem skin, epsecially those with rosacea.

I have tried so many things as samples for my
conditions and am very reluctant and scared to experiment any further..due to direct irritations and further transient or permanent damage and discomfort.
I dont go out in the sun at all without a sunbrella and only when i have to, due to the heat and the uvrays.
I cant use suncreen and dont have much of a life that
is enjoyable and productive..and being indoors is very depressing of course and the heat inside doesnt help..

I dont bother with dermos now and laser treatments have failed me.
Any well repected dermatologists here in Oz, that are well versed in Rosacea??? Hard to find if they do exist!

I just thought id let you know how life can become for some of us…I hope not too many others are living
like me here in Autralia.at least ..but i suspect there are just too many!

Some feedback would be appreciated ..

regards Mike B NSW

By: Denise

Denise — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 00:41:23 +0000

Hi all,
Nice to find this website. I have been diagnosed with rosacea but do not have any of the bumps or pustule symptoms. My face (nose especially) gets red as do my cheeks.
The doctor gave me a sample of finacea but I am reluctant to use it because I’ve heard it can bring on the bumps, etc.
Does the rosacea get worse if I do nothing and just suffer the facial heat and blushing?
I welcome any suggestions. I have very dry skin.
Denise