Photos of my Red Nose, Papules, Pustules and Acne-like Rosacea
Here are some photos of some rosacea flare ups from the year 2000. At that stage I was trying to work out whether they were caused by being too experimental with new treatments or trying to cut out the antibiotics too quickly. Being mostly fair skinned, a rosacea red nose stands out a mile away. Many people mistake this redness as sunburn, acne, or may even call it acne rosacea, but in reality, you need to understand rosacea as separate disorder in order to treat it.
As you can see, my rosacea symptoms include papules, pustules, red nose, mild swelling and flushing. These kind of symptoms would last for several days, and even more papules and pustules would take over as current ones healed. I convinced myself that new acne bumps and lumps would grow overnight ; each morning more would be there.
I would say that I had these rosacea symptoms for about 15 years or so. It was very frustrating for sure.
This is some of the worst rosacea pictures that I have photographs of. Like most rosacea sufferers, I didn’t like my photo being taken, so I don’t have records of any more `impressive’ symptoms than these.
See also my successful rosacea treatments for more information about how I’ve become symptom free.
30 comments ↓
Dear Sir/Doctor,
“Greetings From India - Agra”
I have seen your 3 photographs in red nose,My Nose is same red sun burn problum
Please advise me & which medicine I used so complete finished this probleum.
Thanking You,
BRIJ MOHAN VAID
Hi Brij Mohan,
I have put some notes here about the treatments I have tried;
http://rosacea-support.org/my-rosacea-treatments-rozex-doryx-cutanix-zinco
davidp.
I always thought I just had crazy skin - I kept thinking that as I got older I’d eventually stop breaking out. Finally I was having a hard time deciding where to put the zit medicine and where to put the “oil of old lady” lotion and went to the doctor. I was diagnosed a year ago with rosacea and started using Finacea. What a difference! Every once in a while I forget to use it for one day, and about 2 days later, I’ll start with the pustules again. It takes a few days for them to heal but as long as I use the finacea once a day (I use it before bed at night, it’s a little irritating), the pustules rarely reappear.
As an interesting aside, I’ve also been having more problems with my eyes the last few years (red, dry, feel “tired”) and attributed it to being peri-menopausal. Looking at this web site today now has me thinking maybe I have ocular rosacea…I wonder if Lasik surgery is contraindicated for this condition…
Last year around April I was diagnosed with rosacea after having a biopsy done on my nose. I’ve been using metrogel 1% on and off since. The problem I’m having is that I wear eye glasses and haven’t been able to wear them since my first outbreak (before the diagnosis). Everytime I think the rosacea is under control I try wearing my glasses and even my sun glasses but I flareup. This is very frustrating because I need my eye glasses. I have a astigmitisim and can’t really see my computer screen at work. I tried wearing contact lenses years ago before the rosacea ever occured but was unable to wear them. I always felt like something was in my eyes. Can anything be done so I can wear my eye glases again? I’m desperate for answers. Please help.
Thank you.
Hi Diane,
are you saying that the glasses sitting on your nose are causing papules and pustules ? Have you tried lighter glasses ? How about rosacea-ltd - that might help clear up the lesions more permanently.
davidp.
im 19 and my nose has a permenant red glow which my doctor says is rosacea. the thing is looking at my old school pics from a couple of years ago my nose is different!!! its gettin just a slight bigger . ive been taking oxytetraciline now for 2 months and still no improvement, i need something just to help cause the doctor says there isnt much else. please
For myself, Emu oil works just as well as any medical prescription, plus you don’t have to keep going back to the doctor for refills.
But my case is considered mild. I’ve got the broken capillaries and flushing of the cheeks. Sometimes those white nodules .. but after I switched to Emu and used it on a regular basis, my skin got better. I ran out of Emu and didn’t get more because my skin wasn’t flaring up, but now it is.
Hi David I am new to the site today : May 30th 2008.
I saw your photos of your ‘pimple like’ pustule spots around your nose and they look just like mine.
I have just uploaded some photos of mine too.
Rosecb
Hi Rosecb, Anyone else wanting to see his photos, see this thread here ;
http://rosacea-support.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=655
davidp.
Hi David, I too suffered with a very red nose for about 15 years, in the beginning I went to my GP who informed that I had Rosacea and sadly there was very little that could be done. I decided to find out more about the condition and cures available and in that time I have tried several of them.
The most recent and successful up to now is a treatment called ‘Veinwave’. This has reduced the redness to nearly a natural colour and I no longer have the painful burning which I had suffered with. I have now had three courses of treatment and would recommend this to anyone.
I was diagnoised with ance Rosacea in July 2007 and my condition is getting worse. My face is very senistive, I can’t use soap, sunscreen, moisturizer etc, it stings and I get flare ups. My nose has become bigger and mishapened, with tiny white spots that won’t shift. I was first prescribed Oxytetracycline then was switched to Lymecyline, plus metronidazole Gel ( Anabact), it’s the only one that does not sting/burn my face. I’m depressed and have become socially isolated. I don’t know how I can live with this condition and fear it’s going to get much worse. I don’t know what to do and where to go for help. My doctor says there’s nothing more he can do. I’m at my wits end. I’m embarrassed, ashamed and desparate.
Hi David. Are those red bumps everything you get/got on the nose? Mine come to a white head and are easily squeezed (white puss). I also get them on my chin, around nose and sometimes (less) on the cheeks. Do you get them only on the nose?
Do you still have them? If not, what did the trick for you?
Thanks a lot.
Andrew
Hi Andrew,
I did get pustules as well, but only papules are shown here. Pustules just seem to be really bad papules - like when they progress to their worst stage. I didn’t get them anywhere other than on my nose and a bit on the cheeks. I don’t get pustules anymore and very rarely get papules. It took a long time but I did manage to reduce the amount of inflammation that was causing all my problems. It was a combination of antibiotics, rosacea-ltd, cutanix and tinted ZincO. I put some more notes on my various treatments over the years here
http://rosacea-support.org/my-rosacea-treatments-rozex-doryx-cutanix-zinco
davidp.
Thank you for the reply. Too bad that it seems like cutanix isn’t available anymore. I hope that rosacea ltd will clear these damn pustules, I’m really tired of getting new ones daily.
Dreading finding another lump or bump each morning was definitely one of the less fun parts of having rosacea. I know it well !
All the best !
Oh yes, it is pretty hard to start each new day with a depression feeling in front of the mirror, counting the spots. Did Rosacea TLD clear your pustules? Is this the reason you don’t have them anymore? I read that you don’t use RTLD anymore since your P&Ps cleared.
I also noticed Cutanix being in your current regimen. Is it still available somewhere? I couldn’t find anything about it online!
Thank you.
Regards,
Andrew
Yes the reason I stopped using rosacea-ltd is that I didn’t really need it anymore. You can’t get cutanix anywhere at the moment, but you can try a custom mix of the same active ingredient at skinactives.com
http://skinactives.com/products/ethoxybenzaldehyde.htm
davidp.
HI…I HAVE SUFFERED WITH ROSACEA FOR OVER 2 YEARS NOW (AGE 36) ….I HAVE TRIED EVERYTHING…BUT I HAVE SEEN A FANTASTIC REDUCTION IN MY ACNE ROSACEA WITH THE FINACEA CREAM(AZELAIC ACID)…I ALSO TAKE 1 DOXYCYLINE A DAY (50 MG) AND IT SEEMS TO REALLY BE HELPING. I ALWAYS HAD BEAUTIFUL SKIN UNTIL MY ACNE ROSACEA APPEARED…SO GROSS, LUMPY ZITTY LOOKING FACE…AND NOTHING WOULD HELP…NO MAKEUP WOULD COVER THE LUMPS. METRO GEL DID NOTHING…AND WAS TOO EXPENSIVE. I ORDERED NIX (GENERIC PERMETHRIN CREAM)…I AM WAITING FOR IT TO COME FROM CANADA AND I AM HOPING THAT MY FACE WILL BE AS SMOOTH AS IT ONCE USED TO BE. I USED TO MODEL YEARS AGO AND MY SELF ESTEEM HAS PLUMMETED THESE PAST 2 YEARS DEALING WITH THIS STRANGE “ACNE ROSACEA” THAT WOULD NEVER GO AWAY …EVERY DAY I WOULD WAKE UP AND CRY IN THE MIRROR COUNTING THE NEW BUMPS ON MY FACE.
I TRIED “FACE DOCTOR” AND “FACE SURGEON” WITH ONLY MINIMAL RESULTS…ANY ONE OUT THERE WITH ADVICE ON THE PERMETHRIN CREAM? I REALLY DO HAVE TO SAY THAT FINACEA HAS BEEN GOOD FOR ME ALONG WITH “PURPOSE” FACIAL CLEANSER BY JOHNSON AND JOHNSON…IT CONTAINS NO SOAP OR IRRITANTS BUT DOES LATHER AND GETS YOUR FACE CLEAN…EVEN TAKES OFF EYE MAKEUP…IT IS THAT GENTLE!
IF ANYONE HAS ANY ADVICE PLEASE LET ME KNOW!
Hi Leslie,
Please be careful with Permethrin. A few rosacea sufferers have had terrible reactions to it. Some do see a benefit, but it seems that the effects are only temporary.
There is some more information on demodex mites and permethrin here ;
http://rosacea-support.org/demodex-mites-treatment
good luck and take it easy and slow,
davidp.
I have just been searching about this on the internet and came across this site! Im so glad i have found other people with this condition. I have acne rosacea on my nose, it only flared up a couple of years ago and now it is constantly sore!! I try and hide it under make up but it just goes all crusty and horrible! If any people have any advise about covering it up i would love to hear any. I am the only person i know with it and get comments made all the time about how red and spotty it is!
Thanks
Kirstine
i purchased rosacea ltd and i did not see much in the way of results…could someone advise on how long before results are seen…. I think Davo ? you may have tried this with results…please let me know how long it took for you….I have tried so many things it is making me crazy!
Hi Leslie,
From memory they took several weeks to show their maximum benefit on my lump and bumps. I continued using them for a few years as they continued to work for me. All the best !
davidp.
Hi Kirstine,
I have only used a tinted zinc oxide sunscreen to cover over my redness. Covering up certainly helps you face the day without worrying so much about your face. Some have used mineral makeup and others have tried a green tinted moisturizer. I liked the sunscreen because it helps protect your skin at the same time. Perhaps someone in the community section can offer some more coverup suggestions.
davidp.
I have been suffering from adult acne, resistant adult acne…now rosacea. I had a hard time believing this, but decided to investigate roscacea anyway. I was blown away when I found the link to demodex mites. What is this? I have been going to derms across the country and not one ever mentioned a demodex mite! I did more research on line and know that European researchers have been talking about the connection and more for years. Now it all makes sense. This is what I have been fighting for thirty years. Only I never, ever had any idea these were alive! And they really are alive.So gross. When I got over my shock, I realized why no doctor has whispered a word. They have no clue how to get rid of, or rather, contain them. Apparently they are the human equal of the cockroach. The little mites are particular, and not much fazes them. I have tried a combination of remedies, plus a round of ivermectin with some success. They do not care for steroids or antibiotics. So interesting that they might be a cause not a result. So many problems have really simple, elegant solutions. Wouldn’t it be interesting if rosacea could be controlled, plus good starts on other things like the common cold and cancer? I will be following this site w/interest.
Hi Barbara, it is worth noting that demodex mites are found naturally in everyone’s skin and that so far no-one has been able to prove that they cause rosacea. The demodex articles on this site are popular so feel free to read some more here demodex mites.
davidp.
Hi Linda,
I’ve always used over the counter cleansers and moisturizers but they’ve always irritated or stung my sensitive skin. I started using natural and organic products though and its wayyy more soothing. Some of my favorites can be found on http://www.natural-skincare-solutions.com.
Kirstine, I’ve given up on liquid foundations because I never get the right color and because it also looks really bad in sunlight.
I use mineral powder foundation because it goes on light or thick and looks natural!! Most brands are good for sensitive skin too, but like anything, you need to find the best that will suit your own skin best. I also have some of my favorites on http://www.natural-skincare-solutions.com. I have before, during, and after pictures of me on there as well. Check ‘em out and good luck! 
Sara
Hi! again David! Rosacea was onced called the “Curse of the Celts” as it was thought only the light skin races suffered from rosacea.. In the last 2 months I have met 3 Asians (2 nurses in their 20’s, and a middle aged lady) all suffering from rosacea? DavidC (pitanjara)
Hi
I have suffered from problem skin for the past 5 years and was mis-diagnosed by the doctor and prescribed an acne gel which made my skin a lot worse. I was then given Elocon cream which is a steroid. It totally cleared up my skin, but my doctor has now said that I can’t use it anymore because its not meant for long term use. I have now at last been diagnosed with Rosacea and my face is so sore, itchy and I have patches of terrible little bumps and pustules. I’ve been given Oxytetracline tablets which don’t seem to be doing anything. Can anyone offer any advice to get rid of the pimples? Thank you
Hi Gemma,
If what you are seeing is rebound inflammation from the steroids then you might find Dr. Sy’s advice helpful: Treating Steroid Induced Rosacea.
davidp.
Thanks for that David, I will try it!
gemma
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