Many rosacea sufferers are looking for help to reduce the redness of their face. This is one of the first rosacea symptoms that people might notice. It is also one of the symptoms of rosacea that is sadly hardest to treat. What treatments have fellow rosacea sufferers used to hide the ruddiness and angry face that sometimes accompanies rosacea ? Read on where I’ll go through what I see as your current best options.
Feel free to leave a comment at the bottom with your top tips too.
Eucerin Redness Relief
Eucerin Redness Relief is a new range of products from Beiersdorf that contains an extract from Licorice called Licochalcone. The reviews from members of the Rosacea Support Group are generally pretty good. There is also some published evidence that it might help with reducing the appearance of a red face.
Acne Cover Lotion
This particular product is really an acne product, but my personal experience is really positive. It contains sulphur and has a strong ability to cover lesions. I’d see this product as best suited to outbreaks of papules and pustules and possibly also for general larger areas of redness. For more information see Linda Sy’s Acne Cover Lotion. This product might not be suitable for the more sensitive skin types.
[update:] sadly Linda Sy has gone out of business and ACL is no longer available. If you find something suitable as a replacement please let everyone know in the comments below.
Tinted Sunscreens
It seems to me that tinted sunscreens are still underrated as a rosacea treatment. My favourite, that I continue to use every day is Linda Sy’s (now made by RosaceaCare) Tinted ZincO Cream. As well as offering protection from the sun and elements it can cover redness quite well. Even a small amount of flesh coloring in a sunscreen can really lift your self esteem. All red faced rosacea rosacea sufferers would love to feel that their face blends in with the crowd !
More reading on sunscreens here: Rosacea & Sunscreen articles.
Short Course Steroid Creams
In short stints, low dose steroids can help calm a red rosacea flareup. This should be viewed as a last resort, though.
However, I believe that when circumstance requires it, a short-term course of low potency non-fluorinated topical cortisone, on the face of non-rosacean, is not out of the question. There are times when it is important to control an acute condition as soon as possible, to prevent progression or complication and to give relief to the patient. Once this is achieved, a responsible physician will: 1) attempt to find the cause of the condition and treat it accordingly and 2) convey the message that cortisone cream should be discontinued and not be used long-term due to its many side effects such as peri-oral dermatitis, steroid addiction, steroid induced rosacea, skin atrophy etc.
As for rosacean skin, it is definitely a good idea to use all other alternative topicals or oral medications available, rather than use cortisone. This is, as you know, due to the highly excitable reactive skin and vasomotor instability of rosaceans.
Dr. Linda Sy, RSG Message 22628
You’ll get different answers from different doctors AND group members! My own experience with patients has been that if you use a low potency non-fluorinated topical steroid, short term to alleviate symptoms, it is ok.
Steroids should be used with care as over the counter steroids can cause steroid induced rosacea.
If you think you are suffering from steroid induced rosacea you might find this post from Dr. Linda Sy MD helpful: treating steroid induced rosacea.
IPL
IPL, or Intense Pulsed Light is perhaps the best known treatment for a red face. Recently there have been a couple of studies published that were able to prove that IPL is effective in reducing rosacea associated erythema (redness). A couple of great papers are Measuring Erythema (red face) after IPL and IPL is excellent for rosacea (and inded a 2007 followup also IPL excellent for treating red face and broken blood vessels).
I’ve collected a set of 16 items (at the time of writing this article) that are a great place to start if you are interested in IPL. See the IPL Articles category.
KTP Laser
There is some good published articles suggesting that the KTP Laser (KTP stands for Potassium Titanyl Phosphate) is also a good choice for a facial redness. This laser is not talked about much in the online rosacea groups, but the published articles look promising. Have you had experience with this laser ? Please leave a comment below.
- ktp laser good for red face and facial vessels
- treating rosacea with the KTP Laser
- KTP Laser and facial telangiectasias
Eredicane
How about if your redness is related to flushing ?
Eredicane is an OTC non-FDA approved treatment containing Magnesium, Passion Flower, Valerian, Vit B6, Glycine, Glutamine, Primula Officinalis and Taurine. According to their web site, eredicane works thusly ;
Fight Blushing With the Body’s Own Building Blocks
Eredicane’s main ingredient, GABA, is one of the nine essential amino acids found in the brain. GABA inhibits neurons in the cells from firing, thus diminishing the excitatory messages reaching the frontal cortex of the brain.
In essence, GABA lowers the excitatory level of the cell that is about to receive the incoming information, therefore helping to prevent the onset of the sensation that causes blushing.
But does it work ? A long thread over at ESFB, `Has anyone tried “Eredicane??”‘ is inconclusive, showing mixed results.
Cutanix DRL
Unfortunately Cutanix is not currently available. Some members of rosacea-support have found DRL to help their facial redness. It is believed that the FDA has objected to the claims made by the packaging. No information is yet available on if or when DRL will return to the market. I love this product so personally I’m looking forward to it becoming available again. As some background you might like to read the Cutanix Articles on Rosacea News.
[update:] Cutanix DRL is now available from SkinMedica after they bought the product from Cutanix. See SkinMedica Redness Relief CalmPlex launches to replace Cutanix DRL for more information.
Sansrosa / CD07805/47
This option is speculative, but is worth mentioning here in this list. Galderma is in one of the final stages of developing a product that is showing promise as a treatment for the flushing redness of rosacea. The product is informally known as Sansrosa and is also called COL-118 (now CD07805/47) by Galderma. The information currently available suggests that this topical can be used safely for long periods and can reduce the appearance of a red flushed face. I have covered this product extensively, so feel free to look through the sanrosa articles. There is no guarantee that Sansrosa will be approved for general use, but if and when it does get approved, it will offer a treatment option that is not currently available from any other topical.
Oxymetazoline
Some recent research has found that the active ingredient in some nasal decongestants, oxymetazoline, when applied topically can relieve the redness associated with rosacea skin. While nasal decongestants are not formulated to be applied topically to rosacea skin, new custom formulations for rosacea sufferers are likely to be available soon.
Read more about oxymetazoline.
When it isn’t Rosacea
Finally, before launching into some treatment for rosacea, it might also be worth exploring the possibility that your red face isn’t actually rosacea. One good place to explore this further is red face: when flushing isn?t rosacea.
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How have you tackled your red face ? Leave a comment a below and let everyone know your top tips.
209 Comments over 5 pages ↓
Hi
I have suffered with rosecea and seborrheic dermatitis and realise there is no cure just ways of controlling it. i find at work in an office sitting at a computer in a call centre all day i go bright red when under pressure and the air heating system is very erratic. cardigan off /cardigan on . i use products from Aalgo which is a seaweed soap to wash my face and cetraben emollient cream which is the only thing thta does not make my face sting. i use powdered aalgo which is powdered seaweed as a face mask and in the bath to remove flakey skin and it makes my skin really soft. i have been on a course of lymecycline for the past 3 mths and have to stop taking them slowly as the effect wears off. my skin is smooth and less red but the flushing is daily at work. colleagues don’t mention it but i am self conscious and just drink lots of cold water and slow down my breathing to calm down as stress is a trigger. wine and any heat on my face i know wil effect me but i have accepted this and am considering bare minerals make up as had my face made up but it was very heavy looking. thanks for your comments as it makes me a 51 yr old feel not alone with this. all of you take care !
Im from an island called “Guam”.
For some of you that dont know where it is,its in the pacific.
Down here its really sunny all the time,so it makes the skin on my face much worse,theres no escaping this weather.
I didnt quite know what rosacea was until now.
I’ve been looking up facts about this skin condition.
Cause all along i thought i just had severe acne,
but to my understanding I also have Redness all over my cheek,chin,and forehead.
My skin gets really itchy,then its starts to scab,or dry up causing very dry patches.
It kinda looks like im wearing a red mask.
I’ve tried every face wash,mosturizer from various of skin companies and they all have failed to even help out a little.Neutrogena,Biore’,Clean & Clear,Loreal,etc.
They made everything worse on me!!!!
I hate this because I have no dermatoligists here on this island.
And just to fly out of here would cost over 1,000 bucks.
So sad for me,but im hurting here,
wishing that someone can give me a direct answer on what really works.
Cause they all have the different lines on what triggers a flare up,and what makes you swell like a theres no tomorrow.
So please im asking if anyone knows a simply thing i could do to control this until i atleast get out of this small island way out here.
Hi,
to the person from Guam. I really feel for you. I have been diagnosed with Rosacea for the last six months but suffered from it for about three years now. It was a relief to know what what my condition is! I really find that Clinique Daily Relief Cream from their Redness Solutions really works for my dry skin. Its really soothing without being greasy and has a lovely texture on the skin. It also seems to reduce the redness due to the green tint. Obviously heat on the face is a trigger so I would try to avoid direct sun wherever you can. If you can try to get Boots protect and perfect beauty serum as this really helps the damaged skin to recover from the scabs.
My routine is.. wash with clinique redness solutions facial wash, dry face then apply boots beauty serum followed by clinique redness solutions daily relief cream followed by clinique tinted moisturiser to cover the redness.
My doctor has put me on a course of Tetralysal which is supposed to help reduce the bumps on the skin.
I hope you find this post a little helpful as I know what you are going through.
i feel for all of you. this condition sucks, bigtime. ive been to about 6 dermatologists and of course, most are clueless, at least in terms of their treatment. i was told i had sebhorric dermatitis and i was also told differently that i had rosacea.
either way, i had it since i was 17 y old, and am now 36. i have tried everything under the sun, from elocon, to several cat 5 topical steroids, to plastic surgurical removal of excess capillaries (supposedly, excess).
nothing has worked in terms of persistent control.
i have this in my scalp, both ears, forehead, nose, and around my nose area.
the Z-Bar on amazon.com has solved my issue with my forehead, and the T-Gel has solved my scalp problem (for the most part).
i cannot solve the nose nor surrounding areas–nor the ears. i dont like putting greasy stuff in my ears, thus, that problem will not go away soon.
i have moderate to severe rosacea, where its super red if left untreated.
obviously this is a genetic flaw, inherited from my ancestral tree. my sister does not have it. lucky her.
the funny thing is, the phd’s that research this cannot even agree on what causes it. no wonder why there is no cure. not enough of the population suffers from it, thus less $$ into the studies.
thus for now, its steroids and women’s foundation and makeup. which of course makes it look very dry. i tried green ointment from lord and taylor, but it didnt do squat. tried it for 2 weeks b4 i gave up.
this is a serious condition, for which there is little management. i even tried the z-bar on my face, to no avail. i tried taht t-gel on my face to no avail.
actually there is 1 thing that will work, guaranteed, at least for me. move to a tropical climate. if i go into the steam room for like 1 hr, and come out, its gone. when i went to florida for like 1 mth, no problem at all. took like 3 weeks to clear up.
yet, i cannot solve it…still working on it. ill let you guys now if i find a solution, cause this sucks bigtime.
now my 2 year old daughter is saying, daddy has a red face, its here and here and here. i gotta say its a sunburn, or a windburn, or this or that.
im tired of making excuses. 20 years.
I was diagnosed over 30 years ago and I don’t think there’s been a big improvement in products designed to eliminate/decrease redness. I wash daily with Cetaphil, use Finacea and Metrogel, and moisturize with Cetaphil moisturizer. I’m just recovering from a breakout where the pimples were the deep, cystic kind and it’s left my face bruised, inflamed, and red. This breakout lasted 3 months.
I had 3-4 laser treatments last fall for the broken blood vessels and redness. I already have more broken vessels on my nose and because of the outbreak I’m red again. I’m wondering if my last outbreak was triggered by the laser treatments as it started within a week of getting them. My daughter is getting married in May, and I’d love to have more laser treatments, but I’m afraid it will trigger another outbreak. Has anyone else experienced this?
I, too, hate this disease. Just once, I’d like to go without makeup in public.
I too suffer from this dreaded condition. I wash daily with Cetaphil and use Metrolotion and it doesn’t seem to be doing any good. I have oily skin and constant breakouts of postules that are sore and ugly. I have tried ZenMed products which seemed to bring only temporary relief. I recently bought an expensive DermaDoctor product but after 3 weeks made my condiiton even worse. I have another visit to the Dermatologist this week to try to get a better treatment plan. Any suggestions are welcome. Is anyone having success with Aveeno Ultra Calming or Lancome products?
Kim, if your skin is really oily you might want to switch to Metrogel as it’s not as greasy/oily as the lotion. Also, ask your doctor about an oral antibiotic for the pimples/postules. There’s a new one out called Oracea that is pretty effective or you can use one generally used for people with acne. And of course the breakouts will make your face even redder so you might want to try something for that, like Finacea. Do you use Cetaphil for oily skin? I’ve never tried the Lancome products, but I did the Alveeno. I really couldn’t tell a lot of difference but it works for others, so you might want to try it. It’s inexpensive, so if it doesn’t work you haven’t made a huge investment. Also, how knowledgeable is your doctor about rosacea? I’ve learned that your doctor can make a huge difference in your treatment and that lots of dermatologists are not that good at treating rosacea. I’m not sure if this website has a list of doctors or not but you might want to check out the National Rosacea’s Organization website. Good luck.
Hi, I’v been to a homeopath. I know not everyone believe in them. I recieved Belladonna 6c and is currently using Aloe cleansing gel 2x day & moisturise with Dermalogica Smoothing cream. My skin feels much more hydrated and less sensitive. I will continue using. Good luck to all…
Hi.. I have just starting looking for homeopathic treatement for rosacea. My face has been red for years and recently the red bumps have appeared. After much reading I decided on the following, and will not go to the doctor for tetracycline, steroids, laser, etc. until absoultely the last option.
After cleansing my face (I use Mary Kay products and have been for over 15 years) I saturate a cotton pad with apple cider vinegar and smooth over my face, avoiding eye area. I know it smells horrible but it is worth it. It kills the germs on my face.
I was consuming a lot of Aspertame (Equal, Nutrasweet) and stopped 2 weeks ago.
My face in just 2 weeks is 50% better and I am looking forward to more improvement in the weeks to come.
I joined this group today, after discovering the definition of rosacea yesterday.
I’m now age 46, but I realised that I’ve been a rosacea sufferer all my life. I’ve been reading many of the comments, and I share most of your experiences. I too hate it when people say things like “wow, your face is really red” as if I didn’t know it already. I resigned from a board of director two years ago because of the feeling of shame I got from having to sit in the meetings with my face bright red from the heat I felt wearing a suit and tie, imaging everyone else thinking “I wonder what Mike is embarrased about?”. All I could think of in those meetings was “when are we going to finish, so I can go home and hide away from everyone”.
I’d like to ask if anyone else has tried this technique for reducing the redness of a flare up. It sounds silly, but sometimes (not always) it works. I just make myself yawn strongly, several times over (breathing in deeply through the nose can help to force a yawn). It feels like the yawn stretches some muscles in the jaw, and somehow it might reduce the blood flow to the face. Looking in the mirror, it does reduce the red tone to a lighter pink, and gives me enough courage to go out and face people again.
Hi everyone,
just thought I’d leave another update… I have been on tetracyline for nearly two months now and have noticed some difference but not much. About 3 weeks ago I started looking for foods that are good for the skin and help repair damaged skin and promote healthy youthful looking skin. I started making for breakfast, plain yoghurt with berries (strawberries and blueberries) doesn’t have to be a massive bowl. I follow this up with a granola bar which contains , coconut, peacans, walnuts, almonds, raisins, dates and pure honey. I usually do this mon-fri leaving sat and sun to eat whatever I want.
I also have everyday 1 x 15mg Zinc tablet (good for skin, metabolism, immune system and cell growth) 1 x 1000mg tablet Flaxseed oil and 1 x 1000mg tablet of combined evening primrose oil and starflower oil. All of these are good for the skin.
I have noticed a huge difference in doing this and my skin is much clearer. I will be off the antibiotics soon and will continue with the good probiotics and essential fatty acids to see if my skin stays calm. There will always be a little redness (thats rosacea for you!) but its so much better now that I don’t get gread big dark red patches and blotches.
If you decide to try this let me know how you get on! just remember to fill your diet with nuts and seeds and good oils…flaxseed and starflower …also zinc and yoghurt… or probiotic drinks if you are dairy free. Everything that helps in healing the skin.
And remember give it a good two to three weeks to start seeing a difference.
Good luck!!
xx
Hello,
I have read all of your posts and feel bad for everyone.I have a real mild case and it seems like a daily battle. The only thing that helps me is the warm weather. I live in chicago, and my face is clear from June through October. When the weather starts to get cold my face gets bad. I am hoping to move to a warmer climate sooner than later. Has anyone noticed the same thing?
I live in a warm climate, in Spain, and I try to spend as much time as possible indoors, away from the sun. As soon as I go out in the warm weather, it gets worse. Then again, driving rain makes it really bad too. The best months for me are November to February.
I don’t know if this will help others but I apply a small quanity of Vitamin E oil directly to the reddened and flaky area once or twice a week, allowing at least one half hour for it to be absorbed. It works for me, significantly reducing the redness with first treatment after several hours, and eliminating same after application of several weeks. I have continued one application weekly as a preventative. I am now considering reducing the frequency slowly to see how long relief continues. By the way, I also use Metrogel to rosacea pimples but find that they are occurring much less frequently in the several months since beginning the E.
We’re all unique. Having a red face is not something to be ashamed or embarrassed about. If anybody does comment on it in a negative way then they are pretty narrowminded and you do not have to ‘wear’ someone’s opinion if it does not fit with how you view yourself. Accept yourself for who YOU are.
Of course I have not experienced any pain or discomfort from having a red complexion and obviously would get treatment if that was the case. However if it is only a vanity issue then surely anybody should not worry.
I never thought I would quote Madonna but ‘if everyone looked the same, we’d get tired of looking at each other’!
Hi all, im a 23yr old male, and like the rest of you my cheeks are red as. The rest of my face is normal, but there is a distinct outline of the redness in my cheeks.
it has only just got real bad in the last 2 yrs, and now to the point that its messing my life up because of the phobia it has created. I am scared of facing people, and constantly thinking to myself what my face looks like.. how red it is. If i walk into a room with people in it, i instantly start to feel INTENSE heat rushing into my face. But it is not only Social situations, simple things like washing my car, kicking a ball around, light excersise.. my cheeks will explode into intense redness.
Exposure to sunlight seems to just stain my cheeks red for the whole day and night.. wich makes me just lock myself away…
Alcohol makes it even worse, so i cant go out and drink with friends, only at home by myself
People sometimes comment on it, and that is as bad as getting shot in the heart.. and then my face just feels like its on fire. Often i have to leave social situations because i feel my face is just so red i cant bare to face anybody. But its not just the looks of it.. its also the feeling.. i mean my cheeks get so hot its unreal, my head feels like its burning up…
Now, i look at people with perfect faces.. and get so jealous, and think to myself… What the hell did I do to deserve this?
It has taken over my life, there isnt 5 minutes in the day when i dont think about how red my face is…
And I just dont know how to overcome it..
Wow Chris I know exactly how you feel mate.
Hi All.
Firstly i want to say to everyone who ventures onto this website i really feel for you, but you are most definately not alone.
Ive had Rosaccea since i was about 14 and im 32 now, so its been a long old battle. School life was hell, and i left school with zero self confidence as a result. Like many people on here i was left to figure it out for myself, and when i did eventually find the courage to see the Doc i was put on tetracycline which helped but never took the redness away completley.
Since then i have found out a few things.
Alchohol is a big no no. Even a sniff of red wine or beer and i can almost feel my face getting hot, so i have banned alchohol from my life completley.
Drinking tons and tons of water really helps. I drink about three or four pints of tap water a day, and its really flushed some of the redness out of my face.
Chocolate and anything with Caffenine makes it worse.
I have found its very important to stay out of too much sun, although just a little sun actually seems beneficial. I will let the sun fall on my face early in the morning before it gets too intense and i can cope fine. From about 11am though i mostly keep out of the sun… unless i have a good sun block on.
Most sun blocks really really hurt my eyes and make them sore and water constantly. I have to put it on my cheeks, but i have to leave a ring about two inches wide untreated around my eyes otherwise i wish i hadn’t put it on.
Moisturising is also very important, although most moisturizers make it worse so i have to be really carefull what i use. Aqueous cream seems to be pretty good and safe, and you can get it without prescription here in the uk.
I had IPL once which cost tons of money and didn’t seem to help much. From what i’ve read its results are pretty hit and miss, and ive decided its way to expensive when there is no guarantee to work.
The best solution i have found is the products from Rossacea care. I got one of their £15 sample packs and i have to say i had some fairly amazing results. The serum was especially great, and you can really feel it cooling your face down and taking the redness with it. Using this stuff took my rossacea away to such an extent that it almost dissapeared completley, but then i ran out of product and its started to creep back. Unfortunatley its so damn expensive that i can’t get any more now until pay day, so i have to endure three more weeks of feeling like a freak. I definately recommend it though, and they have a calming spray thats quite neat and small that you can carry about all over the place and use whenever you feel a bit of a flareup starting.
One more thing is stress. I have noticed that stress plays a really big role with this thing. If im really stressed about something it can flare up, and even when the stress is removed the damaged caused remains behind… i have to beat it back down with facial cream, drink even more water, and general tlc. Therefore i recommend avoiding stress if at all possible. Stay organised to prevent stressful situations, and if you can’t avoid something stressful deal with it quickly and don’t put it off, otherwise it gets worse.
Also i think some things work for some people and not others. There doesn’t seem to be a pattern to it. IPL works for some people. Some creams and lotions seem to work for others… so i guess all we can do is keep searching for our own solutions. Im also thinking of trying the cream thats supposed to kill the dermodex mite… you never know it could be that for me!
Good luck to all out there trying to deal with this confidence sapping problem.
I am sure glad I found this site. I too have been diagnosed with rosacea, I also have ocular rosacea. I have been able to keep most of it under control with finacea and oracea(doxycycline). Yet I still get the flare ups. I am just starting to research most of this and heard that some types of amino acids can cure this. I got excited but could not find info on it. Aveeno ultra calming lotion has also worked for me. I do have to stay out of the sun and do not drink alcohol. This is a nasty disease and it does wear me down. The worst part is also the ocular rosacea, it is bad on the eyes. I feel like sand has been poured in my eyes and they constantly feel gritty. My Dr. prescribed Acular, this helps a bit but is very expensive so I can only use it during bad flare ups. Has anybody used Rosacea-ltd III? I found the site and it seemed encouraging. I have not ordered the product but have been tempted to.
hi there every one,i know how everyone feels..i feel exactly the same this condition is the worse thing u could wish apond anybody.my condition is pretty bad.it affects me at work,gym,well anywhere but home.i have a red face and acne dots that just will not go.ive tryed everything nothing works..its so upsetting that some days u wake up u seriously wish u didnt….my face is sore 70%of the time.ive had maybe one good weak in a year,where i feel so happy and could do anything for anyone and i just enjoy life..but reality is that a couple days later my face is f..uked!its so stressful i dont know what to do.i feel for everybody that has this.:( well i keep trying everthing and keep spending 10000 of dollars on products.i could just cry now and im a bloody grown man it sucks.the only 1 that dnt look at me funny is my dog and my girlfriend.fingers crossed i can get this cleared up and live a normal life but at the moment iam not enjoying life.:( well i can tell u truthfully of a couple of products that will help people honestly here we go..:( lysine(will help cheap 2)minocycline,water heaps,vitamins,zinc,deoxcycle,minomycium,vitamin e 4 moistorizer.if i help one person thats great.ok goodbye everyone iam going to hide AGAIN!!!!:(
Hi everyone, it is so refreshing to hear everyone giving feedback on their exepriences with their Rosacea. I am 34 years old and I was wrongly diagnosed 7 years ago. I have gradually seen since then my skin get progressively worse, it is now in its advanced stages. I have the redness, then the painful bumps, the burning is the worse feeling and tight and sore. I have tried Metro Gel, Eurythromycin anti biotics, which worked at first but then just decided to stop working? I was then at my wits end so payed £58 for Zenmed which did absolutely nothing. I am now on Tetrasyl antibiotics which also started to completely clear all my horrific symptoms and have now began to stop working also. I am today experiencing my worse ever flare up. My entire face is red and swollen my eyes are sticky, it is all burning beyond belief to the point where I have now cancelled all plans for my weekend off work. I am utterly miserable and cant cope with this any more :O(. I dont know who to turn to next, my partner doesn’t understand how bad it feels and when I have my makeup on he says “Dont worry you look fine”. If anyone can let me know ant coping mechanisms I would be eternally grateful. Thanks for listening all!
Just wanted to say, I feel for all of you. I’ve had problems with my skin all of my life but when I was younger it was acne. At least I knew how to fight that, I just kept the oil off of my face as best as I could with soap and warm water. As I’ve gotten older it has morphed into someting out of a twighlight zone episode. I will go 5 days at a time without washing my face and it will actually look better? The problem is, then you have to try to avoid getting dirty or the acne will come back. My cheecks are always red, but along with that I get these itchy splotches here and there, they seem to be more prevelant in certain spots. Those spots will heal at times but it always comes back to the same spots, like my skin is very thin in those specific places. Sometimes I’ll just be sitting there and my skin will start to itch in a certain spot, I’ll go from having nothing there, to a red spot the size of a quarter in like 5 minutes time. I’ve been so bumbed about this I started seeing a shrink. He says excersise is the best thing for depression, but all I do is run around trying to avoid sweating, so I can go as long as I can without washing my face. I’m really caught between a rock and a hard place. I’m about to just jump out the window, this condition is nuts, I wish there was a cure, I am only 37 and on many levels I have stopped living my life.
I wrote about ten paragraghs on things that had and hadn’t worked for me and I accidentally messed up something in my e-mail address and couldn’t get it back, but I was just thinking about how much time and $ I have thrown at this. The best thing I can really say to make you all feel better is IT”S NOT YOUR FAULT, and from my experience, THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO STOP IT. The true answer lies in ACCEPTANCE! Wev’e all got it, we can’t get rid of it, but hey, it beats the hell out of cancer or MS or losing an arm. I’m personally done hiding and fighting. You only live once and you may someday regret all of that time you spent focusing so hard on it and missing out on all the great things life has to offer. I,m not going to give up on trying to make it better, but I”m DONE with having it rule my world! I wish the best for you all, but please don’t let it ruin your life. Your friend, Bobby T.
I suffered from severe acne as a teenager and into my 20′s. At 27 I took Accutane. It cleared up my acne (yippee!) but left eczyma in it’s wake. My face is always red (some variation of pink to bright red – ALWAYS). Like you all, people make comments like “did you go to a tanning bed? Were you running? Did you just come in from outside? Are you upset about something?” “Did I embarass you?” Yeah, I have heard them all.
I have been to several dermatologists over the years, they all have told me that nothing really works and not to waste my money. Despite that, I have used every over the counter product to fix it and when they didn’t work I tried everything to cover it up; yes, I even did the laser treatments. NO, nothing worked…. most things just made it worse.
I finally tried the homeopathic route and it has helped more than antyhing over the counter, so far! In a 4 oz glass bottle put 10 drops of organic tea tree oil, 10 drops of organic lavendar oil, 1 teaspoon of organic all vegetable glycerin and fill with purified water (not tap water!). This is the only thing now that I will put on my face. I wipe it on with a cosmetic puff (cotton balls work too) once every other day or so. My face has improved 80%.
I was willing to settle for this…. However, when on vacation last month one of my friends also said she suffers from the same thing and loaned me her perscription metaderm cream (alphatrex is the US brand). I used it for 2 days and my skin completely cleared up!!! I have never before seen my skins natural color! I felt amazed…. and beautiful! I am going to a new dermatologist today to see if I can get a perscription. Wish me luck. If they don’t want to perscribe it to me, I will keep going to different ones till I find someone local who will!
Good luck to you all!!
Hello guys and gals. How come so few of you mention IPL? It’s supposed to be “THE” solution to our condition.
I had acne from age 14-24, period during which I took at least 4 rounds of Accutane. It finally did its job, and no more acne for me, except the occasional pimple. However, at around age 17 (while I still had some acne) I began to see how my face was also developing a redness, which started taking parts of my face… first it was the cheeks, then the cheekbones, nose and forehead. It is mild rosacea, but it’s there and apparently it’s there to stay. I tried Accutane once again around age 25-26, but mainly to get rid of my clogged pores (I’ve oily skin)… basically all my pores are clogged, but you get to see the “gunk” only while showering.. otherwise the pore is closed and looks normal (no bumps or anything), except the ones around the nose, which are a little bigger (but nonetheless, they’re not noticeable). So great, Accutane did its job, the gunk disappeared and my skin was really smooth… but eventually my sebaceous glands would take over, and once again I’d start to see small drops of oil forming in each pore… and then the skin would go back to how it was before. Taking accutane in higher doses (I was doing 10mg 3 days a week) and for the rest of my life isn’t an option.
So I left it alone for a few years, and recently began to wonder if there had been any developments to treat acne and related diseases. To my surprise I found this IPL thing, and so many other similar treatments (vbeam, LED, RF, resurfacing, etc.). Though expensive, these seem to be the “light at the end of the tunnel”. I booked an appointment with a dr. here in Buenos Aires who does IPL (apparently with a Lumenis Quantum), he saw me and said my rosacea was really mild, and it’d take about 3 IPL sessions to see great change and almost make the redness go away. I’m 3 weeks away from my first session, and I’m looking for other ppls experiences… which treatment is better, which machine, etc.
Cheers!
P.S.: before posting, always copy to the clipboard the text you’ve just typed, in case something bad happens and all your text is suddenly gone (as someone stated a few comments before).
I am a 46 yo woman who was diagnosed with Rosacea, 5 yrs ago. For the past year I have been developing a hard nodule or lump from the tip of my nose and back on one side of the left nostril, it has now grown enough so that it has disfigured my nose and has caused it to take a turn to the left. Now just recently I have noticed another lump beginningon the right side. I saw a ENT to ruled out anything like polyps and such. He said he thinks it’s rhynophyma a skin thickening that sometimes caomes with rosacea sufferers. What can I do? I don’t know who to turn to. He said there was nothing he could do and the dermatologist just shrugged his shoulders and said as long as it wasn’t cancerous, which was ruled out by the ENT, he wouldn’t worry. Well I am worrying, I’m not an overly vain person but come on, the nose isn’t one of those things you can hide. Now, not only do I have a predominately red nose, it is also sporting growing lumps and looks like it’s been broken due to the shift.
I do not drink, I take vitamins and eat healthy meals. I’ve triied metrogel which does nothing for me and have been on tetracycline for a long time, supposesdly to prevent flare ups of rosacea.
Can anyone help me please?? I don’t know who to turn to.
m 22,i hav been suffring frm rosacea since 3yrs….its really embarsnng 4 me bcz my cheeks are very red and i m dark comlxnd…pls suggst me sumthng 2 reduce redness..pls god pls help me out pls
I wanted to toss to you all another possible help for the bad pustule type of flare ups.It’s called Isomers redness relief( Isomers website or shopnbc website,30 bucks).It’s a serum I apply (slather,lol) day and night on my cheeks and nose or random lump/pustule stupid thingys.I swear its my saving grace! it really keeps them toned down and soothes my skin! I really really recomend it.Doesnt take all the redness away for me but it might do that for others! I just know it keeps my flare ups down.Finecea didnt do jack for me. Doxycycline helps for a time…100mg am/pm for 10 days but dont like taking it monthly!I swear around my monthly cycle it flares up too.Lucrece’ makes a wonderful zinc/emu oil sunblock that actually seems to sooth my lumpy bumps too.Maybe the zinc? Well I hope i have helped someone….i want to try Oracea next….good luck to everyone!! We are still wonderful people,redness and all!!
Wow! It took a while, but I finally read all the postings. I’ve had severe rosacea for quite some time now, I’m 49. I had light treatment about 7 years ago (not sure exactly what kind), it was very expensive, and it helped a little, but didn’t last! And at $2500 for the treatment, I don’t think it was worth the aggravation (actual pain), or the $$ … Right now I’m taking doxycycline (50mgs daily) seems to ward off the pimples or postules,whatever. But of course it leaves you sun sensitive, which really sucks, cuz riding my Harley is one of my favorite pass times. Avoid the sun huh?? Yeah right!!
Anyways, I’ve used metrolotion for a long time, it helps with the dry skin, but not the redness. I wash with Cetaphil, and I’m now trying Strata-C cream. I just put some on last night & it seemed to help already, and the cream left my face feeling smooth & not oily. I was wondering if anyone else has tried Strata-C ??
I didn’t see it mentioned in any post’s. It claims to :
Reduce inflammatory response of rosiatic skin
Skin-softening emollients
Anti-dryness and anti-itch moisterizers
Free radical reduction with antioxidants
100% Money Back Guarantee
I found it at goodbye-redness.com. I need to mention, I DO NOT work for, nor have any financial interest in this product or company. I just want to know if anyone has tried it? And what the results have been. And I will keep you posted as to my results…
Believe me, I’ve had severe rosacea for soooo long now, sometimes I feel like giving up! But I won’t!!
And the next thing I want to try is getting a good homeopathic or naturopathic doctor, and detoxifying my body, and start eating much healthier. All this processed food is certainly NOT good for us!
Well keep up the fight! Maybe someday there will be a cure?!?! Or at least an economical, “REAL” treatment that actually works!
Steve B
Hello to Everyone.
I’m a 35 year old man that’s had some issues with rosacea for just over the last 5 years. For four years it was just an occasional issue to deal with, but this last year everything got much worse. Previously I didn’t have much in the way of flushing episodes, (even though I had developed a persistent light erythema that I was ignoring).
The Heat
This Spring my condition kicked into overdrive. Every day, starting in the early afternoon, I experience a flushing episode that peaks around 2:30 and starts to get a little better around 4:00. I could probably deal with the “embarrassment” issue of the cosmetic side of Rosacea, but I’ve been unlucky enough to have an intense heat that comes with the flushing. -This makes it hard to get much done at my office. I compare it to getting a slight headache every afternoon. (You can work your way through it, but you’re nowhere near as productive as you should be. )
Also if it’s “too” hot outside, I get a stinging sensation on my face and upper chest.
If I’m unfortunate enough to actually aggravate my triggers, I get a “week of punishment”. This week entails raised patches of red irritated skin covering both of my cheeks accompanied by flaking skin on top. (The flaking skin relates to seborrhea that is otherwise under pretty good control. ) I had three of these outbreaks this summer. The first was when I learned I could never eat salsa again. The next two were caused by me being outdoors.
My Treatment:
Sulfers did no good. My dermatologist then moved me to metrogel and later metrogel and oracea. He said they should help, but I think my symptoms actually became progressively worse. Finally, he gave me Elidel, and we discussed laser options. He also told me that we were reaching the boundaries of treatments. (I think that means he’s out of ideas.)
The KTP laser treatments are helping, but I’m only 2 treatments in on a 5 treatment process. The Elidel I also think helps some. -Since the laser treatment, a lot of the heat is reduced from my flushing episodes. (I am still flushing and still red). I’m still taking Oracea and Metrogel because of my dermatologists optimism that they are helping somehow. Hopefully I’ll have more postive feedback in three months as to the overall efficacy of my current treatment. (I’m also trying a Pyratine 6 lotion treatment, but I don’t think it’s doing anything for me).
I’ll be interested to hear about any successes or strategies anyone else has had.
Good Luck to everyone who visits this page and thanks for being a a great resource of information.
Emery B
Hi,
I wonder why there’s no mention at all about Diprucan on this website. Fluconazole is the generic name for Diprucan. Also I believe the product is actually DMSO + 1% fluconazole. There is this very lengthy write-up on another website. I believe it’s health.groups.yahoo.com/group/rosacea. It sounds like the miracle CURE for rosacea. Apparently it’s strong, and it burns for 10 minutes and peels for a couple of weeks, but IT WORKS supposedly. Has anyone heard of it or tried it?
I am 74, and I’ve had rosacea for years, but this year it’s turned into increased redness plus scaly patches. My dermatologist says it’s not rosacea, it’s contact dermatitis. He gave me cortisone, doxycillin, protopic, and now prednisone. EVERYTHING makes it spread and get redder.
It’s misleading to say it’s contact dermatitis and not rosacea because it just makes me wrack my brain as to what is contacting my skin to cause this. I use only Cetaphyl moisturizer and cleanser and La Belle powder to hide the redness. On my last visit, the doctor said to take prednisone for 3 weeks and not to put anything on my skin but vaseline and water.
I’m worried about my cataract operation which is scheduled in a couple of months because it’s on my left eye, which is on the side of my face which is most affected. And my left eye often feels irritated. I am worried that this might cause difficulty in healing from the cataract operation.
Any ideas?
Joan M
I had roseaca for about 15 years and used Metrogel to try to keep it under control. In my forty’s, I discovered I had food intolerances to milk/gluten/egg and some other foods. All three of my children are also sensitive to certain foods such as dairy/gluten. After, eliminating these foods from my diet, the roseaca went away. I will get occasional break out if I reintroduce the intolerant foods into my diet, but it clears if I strictly follow the diet. I highly recommend food sensitivity testing such as MRT (mediator release testing) through LEAP. Search MRT LEAP.
It is inspiring to know that there are many other people out there who go through this same problem……i have quite a mild case but it is something that is always on my mind…perhaps it is just a vanity thing but it bothers me constantly and im scared i will miss out on enjoying life. i work as a bar manager and im generally a confident outgoing character – but this being on my mind so much is doing my head in. upon discovering this site i think my plan is to combine all the treatments that people have generally said work for them, it seems eucerin products are rated quite highly by most…the only effort ive made so far is taking lysine, and fish oil supplements, and avoided certain food and drinks…if anything its helped any flushing dissappear quite quickly, whereas before if my cheeks went red they would stay red for ages…so i THINK something has begun to change…i am a male and have recently considered trying some kind of concealer, so as not to appear as red to others, i dont really want to, but feel it will help my confidence come back a bit…does anyone know of any products that wouldnt look so obvious?..
Dear Friends,
The toughest part, I think most of us will agree, is that the activities that we enjoy the most seem to be either triggers or involve light settings we do not enjoy.
I used to love sitting in the sun. I would sit for hours when I was younger and never worry. Pure enjoyment, it was my connection to GOD. So when I first started piecing together the puzzle of what this condition truly meant for me, well, it truly felt like a curse. However, I have come to realize there are many lessons in this condition… lessons that we otherwise would have completely overlooked. Before moving on, first let me state something. All is vanity.
As for what works, let me break it down for you, what has worked for me…
I am currently in Thailand. The weather after 1pm I do not go into. I want to… or I would want to, if it didn’t flare me up, but, I can not… I find ways to entertain myself in my room, or I nap, until sunset. After noon, or, if the temperature is over lets say 85 degrees or so… this is not good for me. This is a major part of keeping flare ups down.
I avoid alcohol. Every now and then, a beer or two. Love coffee but don’t over do it, or when I do, I pay…
I drink lots of water.
I use sunscreen when outside. (Aveeno! the lightest SPF… Another big helper!!!)
I use Aveeno bar soap. I use Aveeno Shitake mushroom cream at night. (It’s called positively ageless cream, been working so well in combination with a little morning sun lately. Interested in one day trying the calming cream…maybe.)
Ancient Chinese text reccomends 9 stems of Scallion. Or, Green Onions, is what some call Scallions. This is healthy good eating!
Meditation and ohming help. Very much! The only thing that changes when we walk into a crowded room is our mental attitude. THIS IS IN OUR CONTROL. I Am always surprised when people don’t see the connection.
Main tip is this: Use the night time to your advantage. This is the time where you can heal your skin. Use whatever cream you use lightly. Find what works. Repair your skin. Treat it gently. The one conclusion I have seen so many of us pros come to is that regardless of that the dermatologist tell you, the natural routes are the most effective in the long run.
That’s all I got people Take Care.
TheSeeker
I have had Rosacea all my life,I think it is hereidtary and I got it from my dad.Although I know there are certain foods that trigger my rosacea it is hard to stay away from them, also heat and excersise trigger them for me.The only thing that calms my redness is lots of water and I also take zinc.When I go out in public I use Rosascalm skin serum,I bought it from my dermotologist but I found it on the web (helpforrosacea.com)for less money.It actually reduces the redness for me and i feel better about myself.Good luck to all.
there is hope That’s what I found…
Laser treatment can certainly be useful with thread veins, but their underlying cause may be the rosacea. An operation would be quite a drastic move. The surgeon operates through your armpit and locates the nerves adjacent to the vertebrae in your neck that are responsible for the opening up of the facial blood vessels. They can be cut, which significantly improves the situation while at the same time preventing any sweating on that side of the face. Think very carefully before embarking on such drastic therapy, and see a dermatologist first.
Yours sincerely
The Medical Team
maybe someone tried this method,if so, please answer.
Rosula worked for me for about 5 yrs. Now,having my first flare up in 5 yrs.Stress maybe, I hope .
Mariann
I have read from many sources at several sites that applying Milk of Magnesia to the face offers remarkable results in the elimination of the flareups, oil and redness in the skin. I haven’t try it yet, but will attempt to get to the store as fast as I can to purchase it. In reference to this information, google Milk Magnesia and Rosecea. Good luck.
I have been using Dermablend to cover up my rosecea. Its a heavier makeup but no one knows that I have redness that I am hiding. Go to http://www.dermablend.com There are different shades and different types of makeup for everyone!
Hey there! I am 47 and have had rosecea for about 17 years. Yes, it is so embarassing; the flare ups!! I am a school teacher and sometimes my kids say your face is read and I will say yes I know. It does help getting older and being less vain about yourself. I am still a good looking woman though and want to look my best. So here is what I do: I have tried the IPL lasers and have had some success. My trick is to sip ice cold water all day long. I eat a smaller lunch because when I eat a big meal I tend to have flare ups. I am using a green concealer by Makeup forever which covers up pretty well and then I put my foundation on over that. I do use sunscreen. I am done using the metrogel and meds with cortizone or steriods in them bc they can cause a rebound redness effect and they are not good to take for a long period of time. When I am out socially and want to avoid a flare up I have a drink with lots of ice and avoid juices – no wine! And then I will alternate a glass of ice water between drinks. I usually only have 2 or 3 alcoholic drinks. I appreciate the advise about the cooling gels so I am goind to find that. I also want to try a first aid redness treatment cream at Sephora?? I am also wondering about the food allergy triggers – I may look into that too. This condition is so weird it does sometimes feel like my face is on fire but my hands can be ice cold. It feels like a thermostat problem in my body?? When people say my nose is red I just tell them yes I have rosecea and that is why it is red. No big deal, I really don’t stress about it anymore; it’s just not worth it! I figure if I don’t make a big deal about it nobody else will even my kids in class. Hey we all have something we don’t like about ourselves… Thanks everybody for your comments. Keep chilling out with your ice water!!
I had rosecea for many years before I realized it was caused by food sensitivities. I believe I used Metrogel for about 15 years. It was quite by accident that I was cured. I had my oldest son tested for food sensitivities while he was in college because he always had skin issues, ADHD, etc. We already knew he couldn’t handle milk, but I was perceiving a gluten issue. The test came back that he was intolerant to dairy, gluten, egg white, and I believe kiwi also. When I started following the diet with him, my symptoms of rosecea, IBS, skin rashes disappeared completely. I would highly recommend the MRT LEAP testing which requires a blood test if anyone thinks they may have some food intolerances because perhaps it is contributing to the symptoms of rosecea. Just my two cents.
I am soooo sick of rosecea, it is the one battle I can’t seem to win.
Metro Gel is doing nothing for me, the stuff they had me try before that caused an allergic reaction and my face blew up like a balloon, that was the worst. Was so bad my eyes had swollen almost shut.
My Doc is going to give me something else today. Hope it works and hope my face doesn’t explode.
Oh and not to be a negative person, but they will never cure this! you know why? the money is in the treatment. like everything else. if they found a cure, we would stop spending.
the money is in the treatment
I found it so funny that people are using dog shampoo on themselves when I use T-Gel on my dogs since they take a flea preventative and I don’t like to add more insecticides. I also use T-Gel on my hair and it helps with itchy scalp.
I was having good results with relieving the redness with Aveeno Ultra-Calming products with feverfew, but they discontinued the night cream, which was the best. The foaming cleanser and daytime lotion work well, but I would like to find a good night cream.
I recently started taking 1,000 mg Vitamin D3 since I am never in the sun due to my Rosacea. After a week I had the worst rosacea flare up ever but unfortunately I never thought about the D3. I have spent three months with a terrible flare up, looking scalded, spending large amounts of money on products and time at my Dermatologists office. When my face was just starting to improve slightly I remembered the D3 and decided to test it out. I took two tablets and within an hour I was itching and red as a beet. Arggggh! The sad thing is I started this because I had heard it might be GOOD FOR ROSACEA. Ah well, f.y.i.
Hi Nancy,
Have you ever been checked for sarcoidosis?
Wikipedia: Sarcoidosis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarcoidosis
Sorry to hear about your response to the Vit D3, but if you definitely rule out sarcoidosis, where Vit D3 metabolism is disrupted, I do think your reaction to Vitamin D3 is not all that unusual. Many people are reporting difficulty ramping up on Vit D3, but almost all eventually do make it..
Since you have rosacea and avoid the sun, your probably correct in assuming your 25(OH)D levels are very low, and since more and more studies suggest it is so important for good health, please don’t give up on it. Just start at very low levels and work up slowly. You can find lower dose tablets (avoid the liquid gel forms to avoid possible allergic reactions to the oils in them) or even take your 1000IU tablets less frequently, say once a week for a while, then twice a week, etc…
Anyway, hope this helps.
I have been thinking I am alone in the world as the only red faced woman on the planet. I get the feeling from reading some of the comments here that I am not. I am almost 50 years old and have not had the quality of life I would like to because of the comments I have heard from family and others over the years about my skin. I can relate to alot of your comments….things like….”why god have you done this to us”. I have said similar things. I try to isolate myself from people which makes for a lonely life sometimes. I tried the laser years ago to help with broken blood vessels. It left me scars (ice-pick), styled ones and the broken capillaries are still all over my face. I always feel as though I am hiding which is probably what I am actually doing. I wished I had something positive to offer here but I do not.
I have this condition along with a condition that speards throughout all of my skin i get made fun of for having a red face whenever i talk or laugh or run or even doing nothing i also have keritasis pilaris a condition when you have small red bumps all along my upper arm.if anyone have a tips on how to prevent these conditions please comment!
Thanks Jennifer, I used the Rosacalm Skin Serum and it seeems to be working for me.
I tried milk of magensia and it didnt work, also tried the over the counter stuff but it didnt work either.
Tried Vitamin D3 and it got rid of the redness for about 3 days then it came back again.
Hope the Rosacalm keeps working, i have used it daily for 3 weeks now and it still keeps the redness at bay.
I have found to be extremely helpful for itch and redness vitamin c in Ester form 1000mg. in time (24) release….. Made by ester-c. Along with the metro gel .75 twice daily. I noticed less redness and that terrible itch that sometimes comes with rosacia. Get it at walmart it cost alot less. I stop taking it for two weeks and noticed the facial redness, and inflamation was back, including the itch. Even though I was using the metrogel daily. This vitamin is non-acidic..so stomach friendly. I have been living with Rosacia for five years. I was 38 when it started. Also, healing is fast! Plus…..I have not gotten a cold in three years since using this product. Where as, everyone else was sick.Take it with food only.
I really truly hate my red skin,hey I am vain I know it.
I have tried everything as well as most of us have.
I live in the retail world and deal with people all the time.
I am so tried of hearing …hey have you been skiing?
I suffer everyday too,but I am truly thankful also.
We need to thank God for all the other things in our life that are wonderful.