Distressed with the expense of exotic rosacea treatments ? The stress of rosacea is enough without also having to worry about how to afford treatments. Finding affordable rosacea treatments is a real challenge.
So here we go; my top 5 suggestions to help you find cheap rosacea treatments.
1. Make your own cleanser
Colloidal Oatmeal has promise as natural product because of it’s cleansing, moisturizing, buffering, soothing, protecting and anti-inflammatory properties.
While products like Linda Sy’s Mild Oatmeal Facial Cleanser and Aveeno Oatmeal Anti-Itch are not cheap recommendations, you should be able to source colloidal oatmeal easily from a health food store. Colloidal Oatmeal is defined as a product made from grinding and processing whole oat grain with strict requirements on the particle size and fat content. The small particle size and the way that it disperses in water means that when it deposits on the skin it forms an occlusive barrier.
Try mixing a small amount of Colloidal Oatmeal with warm water and lathering it on your face. Gently remove it with cool water.
See also the Homemade Mixes Forum and the Custom Topical Formulations resources page for more suggestions on making your own super cheap topicals.
2. Use generic prescriptions
Newer releases of antibiotics like Oracea and Solodyn can be extremely expensive, especially without medical insurance. One alternative is to discuss with your doctor the possibility of trying generic doxycycline instead.
Doses of 50mg a day of doxycycline will closely match the amount of active antibiotic in Oracea and Solodyn. Higher doses many also be of benefit until the inflammation of rosacea subsides. Generic doxycycline is far more affordable that these 2 newly released re-packaged antibiotics.
Another possibility is to ask your doctor about generic metronidazole. The patent for metrogel (the 0.75% version specifically) has expired so generic equivalents are now available in several countries around the world. For more information see generic metrogel.
3. Hunt for Bargain Suggestions
Many of the `regular’ treatments for rosacea such as systemic and topical antibiotics are quite expensive. Be on the hunt for things you can try that are more reasonably priced. Here are some suggestions
- Prosacea: this can be sourced over the counter at places like Walgreens and Rite Aid for around $10. It seems to be an ok treatment for rosacea. Prosacea is based on a sulphur preparation.
- Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser and Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream or Lotion are two under-rated skincare products. They are cheap, mild and easily available. If you can incorporate these in to your daily skincare regime then you are off to a good start to cheaply caring for your rosacea skin.
- Try to source a cheap zinc oxide based sunscreen. Some countries have cancer foundations that are good at providing affordable, simple sunscreens. You might be fortunate enough to find a low irritant formulation free of chemical sunscreens.
4. Manufacturer Rebates
Drug manufacturers recognise that their products can still be quite expensive by the time they get to the consumer. To try to mitigate this, rebates or coupons are sometimes offered.
A quick search revealed the following ; $10 Mail-In Rebate for Metrogel, and Save $10 on Finacea Instantly.
The very expensive Oracea also offers a Savings Card where you could save $25 per prescription for those without prescription insurance and help some insured patients pay no more than $25 per month. The similarly expensive Solodyn is also offering a $35 rebate.
While these manufacturer rebates come and go, keep an eye out for promotions offered by the manufacturers. Be aware of all the small print also as refunds can take many weeks to arrive, and promotions can be revoked at any time.
5. Ask for Physician Samples
When new drugs are being promoted, the sales team are desperate to find as many outlets as possible. This might mean that your doctor or specialist has drug samples just waiting to be handed out. Check with your local doctor’s surgery, and maybe even ring a few dermatologist to see if they ever get samples from the drug companys’ sales teams.
You might be lucky enough to find a good source for free samples. This is one asset that is worth trying to chase down and link up with.
Please Help
`Cheap’ and `Rosacea Treatment’ don’t often appear together in the same sentence. Treatments, especially prescription treatments that have been developed and marketed for rosacea sufferers are notoriously expensive – to the point of being unobtainable for many.
Do you have any recommendations for your fellow rosacea sufferers that are on a budget ?
1 comment so far ↓
I have come up with six inexpensive or free treatments for rosacea and will add your suggestions as number seven. Here are my suggestions: rosaceans.com/free.php
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