I went to the derm and was given Epiceram. Skin is very irritated and raw. I put some on, and although it doesn't burn, it makes some of my more raw skin areas red. Should I continue with this cream? It doesn't hurt just turns red. It's mostly my T-zone that turns red. My skin is so irritated that I'm losing eyebrow hair.

I’ve seen folks post about this over the years, but haven’t seen any real answers as to what may cause this.

My face, head, and neck reliably flush starting at about 3 pm every day and I’m wondering if anyone might have a lead on which hormones or bodily processes could cause this to happen, especially with such reliability.

I’m Type 1, very fair skin. My main triggers seem to be adrenaline and spicy food. Propranolol helps in the morning, but not even a second 60mg dose can control the hot hell that’s unleashed in the late afternoon.

I’m male, mid 40s. I take a low dose of prescription testosterone three times weekly (down to 90mg a week). I thought it might be related to estrogen, but ALL of my blood values are well within range.

Also, it happens whether I eat lunch or fast, although seems to be more pronounced if I fast.

Let’s put our heads together!

Thank you!

Recently found out that "Avene's Antirougeurs CALM Soothing Mask" has been discontinued.
Does anyone have any alternative recommendations? Thank you in advance!

Liked it because it was soothing so it would help with preve flare-ups and had a green tint to counterbalance any redness from rosacea throughout the day.

If it matters:
My morning skincare routine:
Cerave's hydrating facial cleanser
Avene's Antirougeurs CALM Soothing Mask (discontinued)
Avene's thermal spring water

Night time routine:
Cerave's hydrating facial cleansersoolantra
avene cicalfate + intensive skin restorative serum
avene tolerance control soothing skin recovery cream
avene thermal spring water

I’ve been eyeing this product for awhile and there is a 30% off sale right now. Has anyone used this particular eye corrector and how did your skin react? Do you like it? Thank you for any feedback!

Hello fellow rosaceans, I am currently going through a series of vbeam laser for my background rosacea redness plus the flushing . I had my third session just 9 days ago. My dermatologist said that she will treat my lateral cheeks as well because though I don’t have baseline redness there- my bad flushing episode can span almost close to the periauricle area. Luckily - the day of the laser was one such bad day. I have light skin with dark hair and light peach fuzz around the side burn area- as she lasered that area first time- I could smell burning. She quickly said it’s just the peach fuzz. I swelled up like expected but I experienced more than usual itching in the areas where she might have singed the hair around the lateral cheek /close to the side burn area. I have also experienced mild itchy sand paperish texture/bumps too in that area following vbeam. I am guessing it’s because the hair was singed and now my sensitive skin is just reacting . But a more pressing issue is that anytime she treats an area that doesn’t have baseline redness around my lateral cheek- without any rhyme or reasons a few random spots become redder (after the swelling has subsided) in a striping or grid like pattern . This is only more visible around the very lateral part of my cheeks that aren’t even red to begin with . Has anyone experienced non-red areas becoming red too for a little while. Any advice or insight would be much appreciated . If this isn’t suppose to be happening - then I will tell her not to treat my outer cheeks for risk of causing more singed hair and redness/irritation

Hi all! I was diagnosed with rosacea and perioral dermatitis this spring. My doctor put me on doxycycline on and off for 5 months, I tried metrogel and elidel cream. The elidel worked well with the doxy but now I have stopped the doxycycline and my rash is back. I still use the elidel cream but I don’t think it’s helping.

The rash is mostly dry, scaly, sometimes itchy patches around my cheeks and mouth. It sometimes flares red on my upper cheeks.

I really wish it would subside. For skincare I only rinse with water and occasionally use La Roche derm moisturizer if the dryness gets unbearable.

I do not want to take any more antibiotics because I feel they are just putting a bandaid on a more systemic issue.

I was also recently diagnosed with Hashimoto’s (autoimmune disease) and have been addressing some root causes with my gut and nutrient deficiencies (vitamin D and Zinc) and diet changes. I’m assuming it’s all related.

Posting to see if others have had this experience or have suggestions. I’m thinking of asking my derm about Soolantra?

Hi all!

I am seeking some advice around my rosacea.

About 5 years I got diagnosed after having a persistent patch of pimples. Mostly on the right side of my face due to that side facing the sun when driving. The derm explained to me that I have extra mites or something on my face and when they die they release toxic stuff and that’s what causes the pimples.

The only thing that cleared it up was Soolantra. Previously I used rozex which did help a bit but didn’t completely clear it.

I am currently breastfeeding my daughter who is 5 months old. As soolantra is not breastfeeding or pregnancy friendly, I haven’t used anything on my face for well over a year and my skin has now gotten so bad and is now painful.

Does anybody have any advice or recommendations on what I can do to control the mites while I’m still breastfeeding? Ideally I don’t want to give it up for another 6 months but that’s such a long time to go with bad skin 😭

TIA

Hi all. I’d love to hear what people drink (other than sparkling water) when out on a special occasion? Most mocktails are either full of sugar, fruit juice heavy and / or laden with sweeteners. I’ve never cared for those sorts of drinks and sugar and I do not get along. I do not like beer so the alcohol free beers are also of no appeal. I’d normally drink wine and can occasionally have 1-2 glasses. But with silly season approaching, I’d love to try out your suggestions for a ‘special drink’ when dining out. Thank you!

It was my birthday the other day so I splurged and had a piece of pepperoni pizza and some ice cream. Of course, my face was a train wreck the next day. I was really bummed because it was looking so great but that reminded me that I should post some thing here. I’ve been using the Clinique redness, soothing cream and and it’s been working really awesome. First week I wasn’t so convinced it really did much and wasn’t necessarily worth the cost. But since I’ve already bought it, I continue to use it because it did have a good moisturizing effect and didn’t irritate my skin. But after that, my skin texture and redness, super improved, I do wish it was cheaper but luckily a little goes a long way. So in case some of you are looking for something new to try, you might consider this woman.

Hi, if you ever tried q switch laser for hyperpigmentation on rosacea prone skin then how was your experience after the first session? What difference did you notice, what was the healing process and how long did it take to see results? I’ve heard it can be risky for people with rosacea.

Has anyone experienced red flashes all over the body?? Before rosacea appeared on my face I had two incidents of redness all over my body. I even rushed to the hospital and they said it was an allergic reaction to something. Second time I took a pill for allergies and next was diagnosed with rosacea on my face.

Basically title. Shopping around to see if anywhere can beat my current provider who charges $400/sesh. Please share any providers that use Excel V in SoCal/LA area. Thanks fam!

Maybe the rosacea subsides because you aren't eating as much or you aren't eating key trigger foods when you are sick?

Like many of you, in my 15 year war with rosacea, I've noticed that my skin looks amazing when significantly ill with something like flu.I created this account today because I wanted to share my observation with you after what I believe is my first rodeo with a Covid infection. I have the common covid symptoms and tested positive. I've been sick for about 8 days and my skin started to look nice and glowy around day 3 or 4. The redness and pustule/papules went away after the first few days and, as more time has passed with continued covid symptoms, my face is now much less swollen. I did not realize that my puffy face was inflammation or rosacea related. I just thought it's the shape of my face because I'm older and I'm chubbier. Before we jump to...you've lost weight because you are really sick...I have not lost a pound, I've checked....I've had a very healthy appetite with Covid for whatever reason--no dietary changes.

My experience with Covid has been unique for me compared to other illnesses because 1) The duration ...8 symptomatic days now vs my experience with flu with is often a 5 day thing for me and 2) I've been eating regularly. Covid seems to make me hungry. I'm eating and eating and not eating healthy--dairy, gluten, processed things like peanut butter pretzels...sugary things like ice cream. I have not been forced into calorie restriction or an elimination diet under this illness. Although previous instances of sickness lead me to believe that maybe inflammation from my diet is at the crux of this...now I'm not so sure. I will say now that at the end of the 8th day...the skin magic is waning.

Current Hypothosis: My immune system attacks my face as a reaction possibly to decaying demodex mites when it doesn't have anything better to do. When given a "real job" like a sickness my immune system will deal with that instead. I have had a positive ANA titer present across testing since age 14. The titer has increased in strength based on dilution over consistently over the years but further testing for conditions like Lupus have been negative.

Personal Rosacea and Autoimmune History-A big list of what hasn't worked that is specific to me and a little about my own autoimmune testing. The above realization is really what I wanted to share but I'll detail all of the rest here in case it does anyone a bit of good which I doubt, honestly. Feel free to stop reading here (I probably would).

Current age: 40, 65% Irish ancestry per DNA testing but I have dark features and olive skin tone.

Earliest awareness. In middle school I started having anxiety and my cheeks would take on a sustained and embarrassing flush while I experienced something akin to a hot flash. I would feel anxious and uncomfortable, my face would get really red, I would feel hot and the more I tried to calm myself down, the more the flushing and anxiety seemed to persist. Episodes lasted for 1.5-3hrs. My guess is some combination of teenage angst and hormones. Also, I frequently had a breakout of what I thought then was acne but now I think was papule pustules that would always appear on the same cheek in--in the same area the size of a quarter. Always the same area. Doctor's observation: When I was 14 years old, a GP noted my possible "butterfly rash" and positive ANA titer. Further testing = not enough to confirm any specific autoimmune disease.

Continued presence: The girl with rosy cheeks. There were years in my later teens and early 20s where the pustule/papule thing subsided but people would comment on my "rosy cheeks."

25 years old and all hell breaks loose: A month after I graduated from basic training, my skin went completely to crap. I have a vivid memory of an elderly civilian co-worker telling me when I started that my skin was amazing. A month later she kept admonishing me and asking me what I was doing that was ruining my skin. The change was that stark with painful, inflamed, oozing pustule papules mostly primarily confined to specific areas. Primarily in a swath of my cheek on one side of my face only. This is still the primary area where it manifests.

No winning treatments:

25-27: Metro Gel-A military GP diagnosed rosacea and put me on Metro Gel for almost 2 years. This had zero result and my face continued to canibalize itself. A-hole GP told me to persist with Metro Gel and repeatedly refused to write a referral for Derm (you have not say over this in the military). Fatefully, a PA was covering for my GP one day. He said, "what's going on with your face?" I explained my experience with the rosacea diagnosis. PA wrote a referral to Rheumatologist after concern over "possible butterfly rash" and blood testing revealed positive ANA titer. Further testing with Rheum = not enough to confirm any specific autoimmune disease, suggest yearly blood testing to monitor for changes. Rheum says, "What's going on with your face? It's scaring your skin, you need to see a dermatologist."

27-29: Doxy and Laser treatments-The dermatologist told me my GP was a dope and that the metro-gel would have provided improvement within weeks if it was going to work for me. I think the military derm was excited for an opportunity to use the face laser (apologies because I do not remember what type of laser this was.) used it for 4 or 5 treatments once a month. It didn't do much of for me and it made me look like Seal for the first few days after each session. Big raised areas of dots across my cheeks for the laser. The Derm explained that as long as my face kept flaring the laser (used to tamp down the blood vessel growth) couldn't help much because the blood vessels would grow back in response to the flares. over this time, I also started low dose doxycycline daily for 6 months. It helped a little but I believe it increased my anxiety as it destroyed my microbiome. I came off it --pustule papule returned but I had noticed they seemed to present cyclically. My face would go crazy for 1-2 weeks...then begin to clear, scab, and scar, and then another cycle would start before the first had fully healed. I requested to take doxy as needed over the week of the papule pustule breakouts. Little to no help to skin...lots of anxiety. Juice not worth the squeeze. Sometimes my skin...pustule papules were still so bad...so bad...that strangers would come up and ask me what had happened to me and if I was contagious. If they could "get it." Someone crossed a room to to ask me what was on my face and explain that they thought they had something similar somewhere else on their own body....A co-worker committed , "GD, it looks like a pit bull ripped up your face." What can I say? If you you know the pain, shame, and embarrassment of this--you know. :-(

30, Pregnancy and Postpartum: Rosacea says hold my beer: Just the worst. Apparently, I hadn't seen anything yet. Fortunately, I separated the military and didn't have to interact with people publicly at a job during this time. Went I went in for a check 2 weeks before my due date, another wonderful military doctor said, "WOW! what's going on with your face?!!?" I said, "Well, I have rosacea." She laughed and said, "Oh, ok...YOU THINK that's rosacea. You think that's rosacea. Ok." No suggestions or advice was offered. Thanks, Lady. After the delivery, my skin for the first 6 months postpartum was even worse.

30-31: Shopping for dermatologists with healthcare choices as a civilian:

Highly recommended dermatologist 1: Finally, someone who will listen! I explained that I had tried all of these different treatment options: Metro Gel, Doxy, Laser and nothing worked and that I was starting to think that maybe I had a food allergy because it would clear up while I was sick. After I finished she dismissed the dietary wholistic approach as stupid and said, "I think you need to be on Accutane." I explained that I wasn't comfortable taking a medication that would change the shape of the rods and cones in my eyes and require two forms of birth control because of the strong threat of birth defects. She did not care and told me that if I changed my mind to come back after I finished nursing my infant. I did not go back.

Dermatologist 2: "This could be what is called a "butterfly rash" have you had blood testing for autoimmune. I'm going to order bloodwork?" Blood testing showed "strong positive ANA titer. Derm referred to Rheumatology because the "strong positive was outside of his wheelhouse."

I experiment with dietary eliminations on my own to no avail. I can't seem to pinpoint a trigger. I did meet someone who told me that she eliminated until she found her trigger which was milk...but only if she had it in like a cappuccino...in other forms diary was not an issue. If it is a food trigger, it can be that specific...and sometimes...you don't see the manifestations of a food trigger until a week or more later. I haven't been able to get anywhere with it and gave up.

For 9 years: I accept that my face is just going to make me look like I don't know how to take care of my personal hygiene with frequent breakouts like I'm a teenager. No Derm can help me because they would rather prescribe a pill than listen to me and do any research. Fine. I just get over my self and accept my disappointing face.

**Incidently, no Derm has ever mentioned demodex mites or treatment for them or entertained the idea at all when I've mentioned it. Not once. I only know anything about that at all because of posts on Reddit. Recently, after reading some things about demodex, I've been using Oust products to treat possibly ocular rosacea and also on my face to try to get results by reducing a possibly overgrowth of mites after waking in the night occasionally to subtle crawling sensations on my face. Using Oust my pores look smaller. I still have pustule papules coming and going. Thinking of making my own stronger dilution of tea tree instead of using Oust after reading about a recent study.

Continued watch on Autoimmune front: I keep blood testing every few years with Rheum as we move around:

Rheumatologist 2: Further testing = not enough information to confirm any specific autoimmune disease.

Rheumatologist 3: Your ANA positive has increased over time since it was first noted until it is at such a high level of dilution that we know something is going on with you. We don't know what but the consistent, strong positive tells us it's not nothing. Keep doing annual bloodwork and recording any new symptoms. Ordered cardiac ultrasound and pulmonology lung evaluation ruling those things out.

Rheumatollogist 4: I see saw this doctor 1.5 years ago and she doesn't seem to think she can help me. Dismisses butterfly rash because I don't have a stark white boarder between the butterfly and my mouth as typically seen on google. Although, that's a common manifestation...I'm not sure it's a rule. She doesn't see a need for annual bloodwork, says if anything possibly Sjogrens Syndrome diagnosis could manifest someday based on my bloodwork but I don't have it now. Dismisses my mention Raynaud's syndrome symptoms because if I did my "fingers would turn stark white or blue" like on Google images.

Podiatrist: Last year I went in for a cold injury on my feet called chilblains (blisters resulting from rapid vascular expansion on the digits as they transition from cold to warm) that I got while walking in my neighborhood on a winter morning. Upon looking at my feet the podiatrist says it's definitely chilblains and when I mention that my Rheumatologist was quick to dismiss Raynaud's because my digits don't turn blue he looked surprised and explained that they wouldn't have to that this is only in the most extreme cases...like what you see on google.

Possible Autoimmune Symptoms Present to Date:

-Consistent, increasingly positive ANA titer, speckled, over 25 years (In recent years 1:2560)

-Butterfly-like symmetrical redness across the cheeks-25 years

-Frequent temp of 99.2 degrees

-High heart rate-Occasional high resting heart rate. Occasional windedness. Frequently very high active heart rate of 170+ when jogging, lifting weights, elliptical, and circuit training. Tested across fitness watches, chest strap sensors, Grip monitors on gym equipment. Since I was a teenager it doesn't take long of me to get to 170..and I'm frequently stopping to bring myself down from 185. I've been involved in regular exercise my entire life. I was active as a child. Track and sports in middle and high school. Running for enjoyment in college. Running and fitness in the military. Repeated Attempted zone 2 training in which I never manage to progress beyond a walk remaining in zone two. No one has ever been able to tell me why this is but i'm listing it here because it's always seemed odd to me.

-Sustained muscle soreness for 5 days or more after workouts that aren't that feel like 60% intensity. Like I'm making too much or storing too much lactic acid. Returns to this level after 2 weeks of not working out. -4 years

-Unexplained bouts of joint stiffness, specifically ankles and wrists lasting for days at a time seemingly not related to physical activity.

-Skin of inner eyelid is red/pink consistent with ocular rosacea-Maybe 15 years

-Infrequent minor bouts of eczema on forearm, wrist.

-Reduced ability to move cold fingers in temperatures below 60 degrees. 1.5 hr timeframe to warm cold hands and feet after being out doors on a cold day. Requires hot mug and heating pad- 7 years

Manifestation of chilblains cold related injury on toes after walking for 40 mins on 30 degree morning (wearing hat, scarf, gloves, serious winter coat, sweat pants, sneakers and socks).

Neurological:

-Occasional Aura only Migraines

-Single isolated episode of tonic seizure

-Consistent brain fog starting at age 30 with notable effect on recent memory and reasoning. I can tell you all about a movie I watched 15 years ago but I can't tell you who won the competition show I watched last season, I can't recall the plot of the book I read 2 books ago (I read 50 books a year), I can't remember the plot of recents shows and movies I watched a season ago.

-Infrequent but concerning instances of extreme cognitive deficits seen over the past 2 years(extreme examples: 2.5 hrs to cook a 40 min recipe that I've made several times before. Confusion over which side of the street I should be driving on a road I am very familiar with. I did have my hormones tested 6 months ago: estrogen within normal limits...testosterone slightly elevated--which if anything should be helping my memory.

Occasional sleep disruptions due to tingling sensation across face.

Vague symptoms I have that are often lumped in with autoimmune diagnosis: anxiety, insomnia, attention deficits.

I have been on 50 mg of Pristiq for 3 years almost exactly - since I was postpartum. I have also suffered from pretty severe rosacea for about the same amount of time. I am on day 3 of no Pristiq (in preparation to get pregnant again) and I noticed that on day 1 it was looking a lot better. Day 3 my skin is completely healed - no flushing, no redness, or bumps. It’s like night and day!!

I know correlation does not equal causation, but nothing else has changed in my life. Just an FYI. I didn’t see anything on this sub about the link between the two!

I've been using it 2.5 weeks and my skin is honestly worse. I have bumps on forehead now and between eyebrows and the redness/bumps around my nose is the same. Not sure if I should keep on with it, or if it's not working. Ughhh. Was so hopeful! And now I'm feeling pretty self conscious.

Does it take time to work? Is there such thing as a "purge" with rosacea?

I was diagnosed recently with type 2 rosacea, as well as adult acne and possible seborrheic dermatitis. I have very reactive skin. It’s always red, has pustules, slightly hurts, all the thing. Right now my skin is also incredibly dry and flakey, due to colder weather I guess. I’ve been testing my skin per my dermatologist with metrocream and soolantra for the past month with very little success. We’re looking into oral medication for the next step. On top of that there’s the adult acne that’s hormonal. So I have clogged pores and bumps around my jawline especially. Is there any way I can safely exfoliate my very sensitive skin regularly at home? A super mild product? Do you guys have recommendations? Thank you so much!!!!

Hi everyone! I have combination - dry skin, and have always had difficulty finding a sunscreen that doesn’t make my skin look shiny / overly oily, while also not breaking me out. Does anyone have spf recommendations that have soothing / hydrating ingredients? Thanks!

right now I am debating between a few:

• beauty of Joseon, the original
• Anua heartleaf silk cream

let me know if there are any thoughts or new recommendations!

I have had awful Insomnia for about 2 months now. I'm only sleeping four hours a night and it is destroying my mental health. I am incredibly stressed and anxious, I cry often. I started a new job and it's been rough. I have tried going without washing my face, that didn't help. So I'm finally gently cleansing at night again.

My skin is a disaster. My rosacea is so angry. It isn't linked to food (I have an ED that flares during these times and to be honest I don't eat much)

Can stress or lack of sleep cause Rosacea to worsen? I feel like my skin barrier is destroyed and I'm trying to repair it but I keep flushing. I have periods when I am sleeping and my stress is in check and I can eat spicy food and not change colour at all. In the summer I was sleeping well, feeling good, and went on a long walk in the sun (with sunscreen)

I was positive I'd be a lobster when I got back but not at all. Now I get these surges of anxiety and feel my face getting hot.

Is this a thing?

I'm in Ontario so it's like a year wait for a derm and I have no access to Soolantra, etc.

I've been prescribed generic Rx Azelaic acid 15 gel since September, and honestly I'm almost fed up with it. I'm having major purging, skin irritation and tingling and burning when using it as described. Using it on Dry skin isn't helping at ALL. I feel like when I use it on Dry skin then apply my serums, everything begins to burn, and my face becomes SOOO dry! And the burning lasts for half an hour. However if I use it after my hydrating serums, wait several minutes and put moisturizer on top, the burning ceases and becomes more tolerable. But I'm told you need to put it before anything else so it can work? I'm so confused! Am I using it wrong? Here's my routine:

-The burning way °Face Wash °Toner °Wait 15 minutes °Azelaic Acid (wait about 3 minutes after applying) °Centella Serum (it begins to burn after applying) °Moisturizer

-The Tolerable way °Face Wash °Toner °Centella Serum °Wait about Seven minutes °Azelaic Acid (Wait about 3 minutes) °Moisturizer

Doing it the latter gives me minimal burning and tingling, but I'm afraid it might be as ineffective as putting it on bare skin. Any tips?

Is anyone dealing with both acne and rosacea and can give me suggestions on navigating my skincare routine while I wait for an appointment with my derm?

I used to have acne as a teen and went on Accutane successfully. I got diagnosed with rosacea at 21 and now at 27 I suddenly got all these pimples and cysts around my mouth. I emailed my derm last night, thinking it was my rosacea but she thinks it might be the acne again and said that I could have both acne and rosacea.

I'm currently taking tetracycline (antibiotics for rosacea) in a low dosage and using 1% metronidazol cream for rosacea. She said I could keep on using the antibiotics while I wait for my appointment but I've been using it for 25+ days and my skin keeps on getting more pimples.

Is there anyone that has a similar experience with their skin? Feeling defeated.