How long did it take your dermatologist to diagnose rosacea?

[mrsmoof Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mrsmoof]

Thanks BellaBleu

Thanks BellaBleu,

That was a great post! I appreciated it very much. I guess I am not a very patient person! :-) You mentioned you take Probiotics every day. I am thinking of taking something and wanted to see what you recommend!

Thanks!

[bellableu Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close bellableu]

Thanks BellaBleu,

That was a great post! I appreciated it very much. I guess I am not a very patient person! :-) You mentioned you take Probiotics every day. I am thinking of taking something and wanted to see what you recommend!

Thanks!

You are so very welcome! I drink Kombucha (bottled) every day, or Rejuvelac if I have not been too lazy to make it. So, usually 16 ounces daily at least of live, probiotic liquid. And, these are drinks that taste pretty good, so no suffering involved. LOL. A few other members here have mentioned they take fermented/probiotic foods as well. Hopefully they'll jump in here with recommendations. I honestly don't think capsules or dairy-based probiotics work as well, but I do think that any probiotic is probably better than none.

[mrsmoof Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mrsmoof]

Where do you buy Kombucha (bottled) or Rejuvelac?

[bellableu Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close bellableu]

I get Kombucha at my local natural foods co-op. Look for GT's brand (aka Millenium Products): http://www.synergydrinks.com/, as they seem to be the most reliably available.

Rejuvelac is not easily available at a store - there is only one supplier that I know of, in Northern California, and last I checked they weren't even attempting to ship beyond that area. Rejuvelac is very easy to make, though. I posted brief directions on another thread hereabouts, but this site has a nice recipe: http://www.sproutpeople.com/cookery/rejuvelac.html .

Apologies to Brady for taking this thread off-topic!

[Brady Barrows Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Brady Barrows]

Criticism

Brady

I really think you are missing my point which I have attempted to explain on this thread and others before. In many cases of rosacea a GP or a dermatologist will be able to quickly diagnose the condition because it's blatantly obvious. Yes there will be cases where the condition is very mild, in it's very early stages where it doesn't present well or there could be a crossover with another skin condition which makes matters more complicated thus necessitating a more detailed examination.

At work I can see several people with clear cut rosacea and if I was a GP or dermatologist I would be able to diagnose them immediately. Every weekend when I am in the supermarket or just walking round the town, I always come across people with rosacea in various degrees of severity and again I could easily diagnose them if I was a professional. I have no doubt there are occasions where people are not initially diagnosed correctly but that can apply to many other medical conditions and is not unique to rosacea.

Lets face it the main problem with rosacea is not the diagnosis but finding the best method of treatment. For many the first line treatments can be very effective at controlling the condition but for others it can be much more difficult and they are the ones who need to find a good dermatologist who they can work closely with.

Rather than debating the rights and wrongs of whether a rosacea diagnosis took a 1 minute, 10 minutes or a hour, wouldn't it be more rewarding to post about the rosacea success stories, best treatments and those professionals who we would recommend to others? Just my opinion of course.

Thanks

Peter

Peter,

I posted this in the GENERAL ROSACEA QUESTIONS. And a quick look at the current topics on the first page read today shows this list:

Help -super oily skin!!
Raw Honey question
Just diagnosed and full of Qs!
Cortaid...
Burning Sensations...
What exactly happens during a flush?
shaving
New member saying hello and questions..
DRUMS cannot log in
Question about tingling
Has anyone not had great results with raw honey?
Clarisonic Adventure
Colon Hydrotherapy. What about this?
Little red speckles all over neck/chest?
Need info from the ladies
In Living Hell Literally for over 9 weeks
Nose
Dr Syeds cream dangerous? Very scared..
Botox
cinnamon ...wish me luck
Nose flushing driving me insane
Any Advice?
I am hungover...and so is my skin! Any tips?
Can Depression cause Rosacea ?
What to try next?
my skin gets worse when i moisturise
63 year old just diagnosed with a couple of ??

I did not initiate a debate in this thread, but have had to answer your critique of this thread. Which one of the above topics have you entered into the discussion and said, "wouldn't it be more rewarding to post about the rosacea success stories, best treatments and those professionals who we would recommend to others" to the author of the thread?" How does this topic stand out so much from the above list that you would say such a criticism? What if you made the same remark to any one of the authors of the topics listed above? How do you think they would feel for even posting a question in this forum after you say that? The question posed in the title of this thread is just as valid as any of the other topics listed above.

I have posted many threads about what treatment works and have helped many rosaceans control their rosacea with basic rosacea knowledge. This thread was never intended to be about "debating the rights and wrongs of whether a rosacea diagnosis took a 1 minute, 10 minutes or a hour" but simply a survey to find out if most rosaceans received a quick or cursory diagnosis which might be one reason misdiagnosis occurs.

[Brady Barrows Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Brady Barrows]

Apologies to Brady for taking this thread off-topic!

Not to worry.

[Peter Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Peter]

HI Peter,

You mentioned first line treatment is effective in a lot of people. Any percentages? I ask because I was diagnosed over a week ago with Rosacea and am taking oral and topical antibiotics and am hoping this treatment will do the trick! I have Subtype 1 Rosacea - I have blushing, some redness, a few thin red lines, and some burning (even though I think my burning is from something else and would like to talk to someone that has burning as well). You read a lot of good things on here but you read a lot of doom and gloom which makes you think it will only get worse no matter what you do.

Thanks.

Hello Doug

I have no idea what that percentage would be but I would imagine it would fairly high, although very often some people do have to experiment somewhat to find what suits them best. I suppose we should consider ourselves lucky that rosacea is treatable and that there are different treatment options out there that can be effective over long term use.

In your case the antibiotics should help with the rosacea inflammation but if you have flushing and burning then you may also want to try a drug like Clonidine which can help with this aspect of the condition. Again be prepared to take it in combination with the antibiotics for several years to reap the maximum benefit but you should consult with your GP or dermatologist first.

Try and avoid dwelling on the doom and gloom which you can sometimes come across and remember that millions of people suffer from rosacea but many have achieved substantial control over their disorder, even to the point of reaching remission. You will often read that the best defence in beating rosacea is to comply with long term medical therapy and try and minimise the lifestyle factors that can aggravate your own individual condition.

So if you remain positive and also patient, then there is every chance you will also be one of the success stories.

Good luck

Peter

[Gilly78 Member Find all posts View Profile Close Gilly78]

Hey doug!

You will hear some people say that remission isn't possible or stories that it WILL get worse as it progresses and that 'this and that' WILL make it worse.

I can tell you categorically that Rosacea can be successfully treated AND possibly put into remission.

I went from moderate / severe rosacea to mild / moderate with little or no treatment except looking after my skin more, i.e. not using harsh products and using calming moisturisers, etc.

When I had a slight flare up a few years ago I went down the low dose Accutane route and achieved complete remission for 3 years. It did come back sadly and I haven't achieved remission this time after another round of Accutane (Though I was perfectly clear whilst on it), though i'm giving Efracea (Oracea) a try before going back to the derms.

There's no guaranteeing that what works for some will work for you. It can take a lot of trial and error and some set backs but it is treatable.

Hopefully you will find what works for you quickly, but don't be too dissapointed if the first things you try don't have much effect.

[mrsmoof Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mrsmoof]

Thank you..

Thank you Peter and Gilly! I needed that today! I was feeling great this morning - no redness, no burning skin looked great. then I went out to run some errands and something triggered because I started burning like crazy and got real red. Not sure what it was exactly. Anyway, it got me really down tonight but I know I need to be patient as I will have ups and downs. I still think my 4-5 weeks of using cortaid really made things worse and have read it can take up to 3 months to recover just from that..

Peter have used Clonidine? If so, your thoughts? Or if anyone else has i would like to hear your story!

Thanks again everyone!

[Peter Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Peter]

Hello Doug

Yes I used Clonidine (Dixarit) for 4 years and it really helped put a dent in the flushing attacks I had by calming down the blood vessels. If you do a search on here under “Clonidine” then you will find many posts on the use of this drug. Here is an extract from a recent one I made on David Pascoe’s excellent Rosacea Support Blog site:

http://rosacea-support.org/book-revi...-c-powell.html

“Well I am very surprised by his comments regarding Clonidine because I thought it was recognised by most of the top dermatologists as being excellent at controlling the flushing associated with rosacea. My dermatologist was a big fan of this drug and under his guidance I took it for 4 years with superb results. He regularly prescribed Moxonodine as another option for those where Clonidine doesn’t suit and I wouldn’t describe it as experimental. I’m not sure whether it’s still the case but none of the vascular drugs are licensed for rosacea and this really is anomalous given that it is recognised that the primary abnormality in rosacea is vascular. Treating rosacea can often be a matter of trial of error until you settle on something that works but a good dermatologist will be prepared to think outside the box for those who do not respond to standard treatments.”


It sounds like in your case you could benefit more by taking a drug like Clonidine in combination with the antibiotics but you do need to discuss this with your dermatologist. As I mentioned above another drug that can have a similar effect is Moxonodine.

Good luck

Peter

[mrsmoof Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mrsmoof]

thanks Peter.. Can I ask why you stopped taking Clonidine? I have heard if it combined with another drug it really reduces the redness and flushing. Do you know what the other drug is?

also, is it ok to put on a moisturizer after I apply my topical antibiotic? My skin is getting dry!

[Peter Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Peter]

Hello Doug

I think there are several drugs that can be prescribed in combination with Clonidine but usually it is combined with either a topical or systemic antibiotic or both. Given that his patient is also displaying the flushing side of rosacea then a dermatologist worth his salt will also target the blood vessels by using a drug like Clonidine.

My dermatologist told me to stop taking this drug after 4 years because he felt I had gone into clinical remission and there was no need to continue. If you do want to try this drug then you will need to talk to your dermatologist or GP first and also have your progress monitored on a regular basis.

No reason why you cannot use a moisturiser but give the topical 15 - 20 minutes first so that it is totally absorbed. I use Aloe99 which is a Aloe vera gel and suited my skin. Always do a small patch test first when trying something new just in case there is a reaction. I'm sure there are other members here who can suggest other moisturisers for you to try.

Peter

[mrsmoof Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mrsmoof]

Thanks! How long have you been in remission? Also, when you are in remission do you still need to avoid all the triggers? I hate that I will have to avoid the sun since it seems to be a big trigger. I love to golf so Im dreading the summer a little.

[Peter Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Peter]

Hello Doug

I was told I had probably reached remission during 2003. The only minor triggers I have now are certain foods and additives like MSG, Sodium Nitrate which I avoid when possible.

Peter

[mrsmoof Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mrsmoof]

Thats great! How long did you have Rosacea before remission? Do you still take any medicine or topicals? So when in remission most triggers you used to have go away? I wish Rosacea had a definitive life-span if you will then you could deal with it better knowing it would go into remission after x-amount of years. I was reading something where the person said a lot of people with Rosacea go into remission after 1-2 years if they are good about taking their proper topicals and oral medications. Not so sure I believe that though.