I am really sorry to hear that you have had a bad reaction. Thank you for letting us know about the dangers of prolonged use and using Cetaphil in combination with this cream. It sounds like an allergic reaction.

Digital Davo,

My skin improved for 4 weeks and then seemed to regress in week 5. I discontinued use after reading Pavla’s post. I believe that the cream was starting to react with my makeup.

This week, I started using the cream again sparingly at night after washing my face with a colloidal oatmeal soap (Aveeno moisturizing bar) rather than putting my makeup over the product and this approach seems to be working very well. The red areas of my face have lightened considerably but there are a couple of areas that I am trying to improve. My sister has also gone on the trial and noticed an improvement within the first 2 weeks; her skin is significantly improved at week 4. Her condition was very extreme with thickening of the tissue and spider veins.

From Pavla’s experience, it appears that the cream does not work on all patients and that it needs to be treated as a medication to be used with caution.

I have been using the skin cream for 2 weeks in the morning and evening. Redness has visibly decreased. My skin feels smooth and soft where there were small bumps previously. Spontaneous breakouts have also stopped. The study above was conducted over 4 weeks.

Anyone interested in participating in the clinical trial can submit photographs to Dr. Pedro Cuevas at:

pedro.cuevas@hrc.es

Dr. Pedro Cuevas
Servicio de Histología
Departamento de Investigación
Hospital Ramón y Cajal
Ctra. de Colmenar, km. 9.100
28034-Madrid-Spain

Tel. (0034) 913368290

If you are planning a trip to Spain, Madrid has the best tapas in Spain. Another great reason to visit this country.

This is wonderful news. Your daughter’s condition must be heart-breaking. So glad to hear that Dr. Cuevas has sent you the cream. Good luck with your efforts.

I use a line of non-irritating skin products by Shikai (available at http://www.shikai.com). Highly recommend the soap free Shikai shampoo, the colloidal oatmeal shower gel, borage facial cleanser & borage moisturizer. These products are designed for skin that is very sensitive, hyper-reactive, chronically dry. The borage cream has been show to improve conditions like exema and skullcap (red rash that babies get on their head and underarms).

Best wishes with your efforts. Have a wonderful holiday.

Have you tried Noritate cream 1% (also known as Metronidazole 1%)? This cream helps to reduce redness, tissue swelling and breakouts from rosacea. Have used it and it definitely is very effective at controlling the symptoms of rosacea. 2 yrs of hot flashes have made my skin much worse and it now has spontaneous breakouts.

Intense Light Pulse and laser treatments can help reduce spider veins and excessive flushing. Laser treatments are a bit rough I have been told. ILP helped reduce spider veins in my face and has reduced flushing. There is a risk of hyperpigmentation particularly with dark skin with both treatments.

The other possibility to consider is lifestyle. Rosacea has triggers like alcohol, spicy food, heavy exercise, and stress. Stress is one of the more subtle triggers that we don’t tend to notice. A diary noting when you have flare-ups might be useful in identifying what triggers you are susceptible to.

Just some possibilities to consider. There are lots of different treatment options for patients. I know it’s frustrating when a medication doesn’t work but sometimes, you find a treatment that works best for you if you perservere.

I once read about a lady who went through 19 different medications before she found one that worked for her depression. The result of her persistence was greater quality of life. So often as women, we look after others rather than giving ourselves the care we need.

The base that I used has reacted with the calcium dobesilate turning the cream pink after several days. I decided to discontinue use after 1 week. Have seen reduction in redness in cheek area. Am currently experimenting with 4 other alternative bases (small amount mixed with calcium dobesilate; next to a sample of the base material for colour reference).

Did come across a pharmacy in Valetta that carries doxivenil cream and get. Believe this is Valetta, capital of Malta.

http://www.malpharma.com/Om.html

Doxivenil is manufactured by OM Pharma of Switzerland who also manufacture Doxium (this is the product that I purchased in Nicaragua without a prescription) although I did not find Doxivenil on their website. Their products are distributed throughout Europe, Central & South America and Asia but not in North America. Have come across several websites in Romania that reference Doxivenil.

http://www.ompharma.com/

Many seniors suffer from chronic veinous insufficiency, leg cramps, restless legs at night and varicose veins. It may be easier to convince a doctor to prescribe doxivenil to such a patient and ask the patient to give you a small sample. Chances are pretty good that you may have an elderly relative or a friend who knows someone suffering these symptoms. Clinical trials show relief of oedema (swelling of legs), pain due to swelling, cramping etc., and good tolerance by patients.

Given that the original experiment was conducted over a 2 week period with the patient using the product twice daily, and the symptoms had not returned 6 months later, it would seem likely that one could use the cream for 2 weeks and discontinue use until a flareup. One has to assume that the way the product was used indicates that it would not be desirable to use the product habitually but as a periodic control.