My Rosacea Treatments: rozex, doryx, cutanix, ZincO

My daily rosacea-beating regime has changed over the years. I have gotten it down to the simplest and most elegant combination that I can. Everyone wants to find their ideal rosacea treatment.

Remembering that everyone is different, I hope the following might prove useful.

My main rosacea symptom was my constantly red nose. I was a rudolph for at least 15 years. Even while I was using Rozex Gel and on antibiotics (Bactrim and Doryx mostly) I was unsatisfied with my rosacea treatments. I have also uploaded some photos of a rosacea flareup that set me back. By this stage my rosacea was already 80% better. Like most people I don’t have photos of when my rosacea was at its worst. You can also find an old photo on the profiles page.

Now I very rarely have pustules or papules and can sometimes even think about going without my tinted sunscreen.

Morning

Wash with `Cutanix Dramatic Relief Gelee Cleanser’. Moisturise nose and cheeks with `Cutanix Dramatic Relief‘. The Gelee Cleanser has a low lather and works best applied to a very wet face. Apply Linda Sy’s `Tinted ZincO Cream SPF 20′. Tinted ZincO’s colouring is very good for me. Reapply in the afternoon if required.

• Cutanix DRL (Quadrinone) reduces redness
• benzaldehyde reduces facial erythema
• Anyone uisng the Cutanix Dramatic Relief Creme ?

Shaving

I use the Panasonic Wet/Dry Electric Razor. Shave once every 10 days or so with a lubricated twin razor to discourage ingrown hairs. My face is too sensitive to shave with a blade everyday.

Sunscreens

Linda Sy’s wonderful `Tinted ZincO Cream SPF20′ is my daily sunscreen. For me using a sunscreen every single day is important. This is another gem that took me a few years to learn.

• micronized zinc oxide dimethicone a safe sunscreen
• nano zinc oxide and titanium dioxide being watched

Evening

Wash with Cutanix Dramatic Relief Gelee Cleanser. Moisturise nose and cheeks with Cutanix Dramatic Relief.

Future Regime

I’m looking forward to trying Linda Sy’s Mild Oatmeal Facial Cleanser next. I’m hoping that I don’t miss the quadrinone in the Cutanix Gelee Cleanser too much.

Previous Regimes

Previous daily regimes have included the following products.

Rosacea-LTD

I have used these `disks’ for several years, both the brown and yellow as directed. The papules and pustules have now almost totally gone so I no longer need to use these.

• www.rosacea-ltd.com

Linda Sy Cleansing Bar for Dry Skin

This is a regular looking soap that has a creamy lather. For those looking for a regular soap styled cleanser this is worth a try. It cleanses as well as any I have tried. If you are going to use a moisturiser or jojoba oil after cleansing then any drying effects will be negated.

• Linda Sy: Cleansing Bar for Dry Skin

Linda Sy Vita-Oil

I would never have believed that gentle cleansing, moisturising and protecting my skin would sort out my rosacea. This light oil is great for the whole face. Perfect for underneath the ZincO. A guy espousing the merits of moisturising - you read it first here !

• Rosacea News: jojoba oil has anti-inflammatory properties
• Linda Sy: Vita-Oil

Linda Sy Acne Cover Lotion

Was a wonderful boost for my self esteem to be able to hide my red nose for the first time in more than 10 years. Quite a thick colouring especially for the nose, you need to apply it just right to get a natural look - i.e. don’t put too much on. I feel that it was part of the calming and protecting my skin regime.

• Linda Sy: Acne Cover Lotion

Doxycycline

I have taken antibiotics for 6-7 years on and off. Antibiotics were important while I was getting my skin under control. The dosage varied between 50mg and 100mg a day. I tapered down to 50mg every second day when I felt that I could come off them. Years ago when I had teenage acne, I took Bactrim for a while. Since being diagnosed with rosacea I was on doxycycline (doryx) for an extended period.

• Subantimicrobial Dose Doxycycline for Acne and Rosacea
• low dose doxycycline hyclate (SDD)

Rozex Gel

Also known as Metrogel, this is the bog standard rosacea treatment that will probably be offered to you first off. I was always disappointed with how effective this was. It was giving me some relief from redness and probably cut down the pustules a little. I would still get new pustules every night even when on Doxycycline and Rozex. Stopped using it as it just wasn’t a good enough solution. In fact I started the rosacea-support email group because I wanted to find better treatments.

• focus on metronidazole

Laser Treatment

Several years ago I had 2 Pulse Dye Laser treatments of my nose. These left black crusty scabs that eventually healed. The treatment was painful. I would not recommend this as a rosacea treatment. I was disappointed to see that I had pustules return even while the skin was healing.

• pain, swelling and redness after pulse dye laser treatments
• pulsed dye laser and papulopustular rosacea
• pulse dye laser improves erythema

More Information:

Many of these products are available via mail order from their web sites.

Linda Sy - Order via the web site at www.lindasy.com.

Cutanix is currently hard to buy (cutanix goes offline, gets letter from FDA).

Rosacea-LTD - Order via the web site at www.rosacea-ltd.com.

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