Personal success stories

[SBD1212]

Rosacea Free!

Just wanted to leave everyone with an encouraging success story. I had rosacea for about 4 years, but it was REALLY bad the last year and a half. I went through all the different types. It started with just some redness, then flushing, then papules and then my skin got super sensitive to everything and I had hives and regular contact dermatitis even if I wasn't on new creams.
Well I spoke with a family member who apparently had rosacea 20 years ago for about a year and it went away on its own. At the time I thought that was impossible for me. I am now 2 months practically rosacea free. Granted, I've been on isotretinoin for about 5 months now, which honestly could be what stopped it, but I've read quite a few medical articles now that say almost half of people's rosacea, especially P&P rosacea, goes away on it's own within 5 years. I'm not sure why everyone thinks people will neccessarily have it forever. Anyway, I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but so far I haven't had the redness, flushing or papules in two months and it appears like it went away on it's own. Maybe this will give hope to those who need it, I certainly was among them at one point in my life

[wewillmakeit]

Great, Thank you for your message ! I hope it's gone forever. Please stay careful with your skin.

[Pistol]

Hi, I'm Natalja, I've had rosacea since 1999. I have been on this board since 2005 I think, or even 2004 perhaps. My rosacea started with sudden flushing and burning after I used a small amount of cortisone cream on my face for less then a week and at the same time stopped with my anticonception pill. Before my skin was completely normal and flawless. The first years I only got moderate/bad flushings from specific triggers: hot foods, spices, stress, hot rooms etc. After a while it got worse. IPL did not help me and made matter much worse for my rosacea in 2005. Only test patches with Dr. Crouch gave some visible effect, but only when I treated very small areas of skin. Full face treatments always were too much and never gave the same effect for me.

On January 2006 I got a dermatologist in London, Dr. Tony Chu and he has helped me enormously. He prescribed me
clonidine, propranolol and mirtazapine. At the time I already used moxonidine, but not to my content. I discontinued with it and started with the new drugs and they worked very well. Within some weeks I felt my flushings getting less in frequency and severity and with time this improved.
When I started with the meds I had almost constant dark red flushes that were debilitating and I could hardly cope with everyday life. (I wrote many desperate mails on this forum about it at the time). The rest of 2006 was been heavenly; I could go shopping again, get out of my house and into normal life and finish my studies. In 2007 I added diclofenac (low dose, just for my general inflammation, also in some joints and stuff), which helps also a bit with the base redness for me and Xyzal made a big difference for my histamine-related flushings. When I go out for dinner and eat something out of the ordinary, something not from my very healthy, gluten-, diary-, sugar- and additive free diet, I take an extra antihistamine and can cope pretty ok with normal foods (still some restrictions, but still). But I do still need to be careful with all the major trigger: never full in the sun, always big hats on when outside, very careful with my diet, not too much stress, no skin care products for me and my hormonal changes and the weather extremes also can still trigger my "angry skin", but overall the rosacea has calmed down significantly and my face is paler in general. It just takes much more for the blood vessels to get wide open again.

Dr. Chu explained to me later that he prescribes these meds to more of his rosacea patients, especially the ones with the more difficult treatable vascular subtype. It works for more of his patients. He also let me try mepacrine at some point, but I reacted strongly to the first two doses and stopped. Now I know from several of his patients that mepacrine is helping them tremendously, so I still have it on my list to try again if necessary. Dr. Chu has a lot of patient experiences with both drugs and believes that rosacea is reversible and can in time "die out" again. I know this is not the common consensus here and on other forums, but now my blood vessels are not put under so much pressure anymore, I do notice them to normalize a little bit again. The rosacea is still there, but went from very severe to moderate I would say.

I now dread the moment I have to stop with my meds, for instance when trying for a baby. I need to discontinue all the meds then and just wished everything could stay as it is now. I still have rosacea, I still have some flushing, especially with hormonal changes or stress and extreme heat, but I would say my rosacea improved with 70% since 2006.

Hi Natalja - I'm new to the site so unable to PM. I wanted to ask for your opinion on Dr Chu. I would appreciate any help or advice you could offwe.

Thanks,

Pete

[lb7css]

Hi all, I wanted to share my experiences and what has worked for me. I've had really bad P&P's over the past 6-12 months and sought GP advice (I am in the UK where it is impossible to see a dermatologist unless you are referred by your GP, and they won't refer you until you have tried every pill and potion known to man!). I tried metrogel which did nothing for me. I cut out dairy, caffeine, alcohol, ate only really healthy food (i.e. lots of grains, fruit and vegetables), drank lots of water etc. and saw no improvement whatsover. During this time I was also trying different cosmetics, opting for as natural as possible. My GP then prescribed adapalent/benzoyl peroxide which came in the form of Epiduo by Galdarma. Within a week of using this all of my P&P's have disappeared and even the scarring left behind is improving. My skin is less dry and irritated/sensitive. So this is my routine: Mornings - scent free cleansing cream by Handmade Naturals followed by chamomile flower water toner and sensitive face cream (again by Handmade Naturals www.handmadenaturals.co.uk). I then follow with La Roche Posay factor 50 tinted BB anthelios cream as the epiduo makes your skin more sensitive to the sun. In the evening I follow the same routine, minus the BB cream, and after the toner I apply the epiduo followed by the sensitive face cream. Within two weeks my skin has improved 100%!! I am very pleased, and this has definitely worked for me. Well worth checking out handmade naturals, they don't have any preservatives or chemicals in their products and they are great for sensitive skin. Good luck everyone.

[marybeth9999]

Healing with Zinc--dramatic results!!!

This thread is for any type of success regarding your rosacea treatments. Small or big successes. What has lessened your rosacea symptoms and helped your quality of life. Any benefits you would like to share.

Here is my success story to date: (1 week into using Zinc)

So far, I've found out that all acne is a result of low Zinc levels in the body (Orthomolecular Medicine for Everyone-Dr. Abram Hoffer), and that phytates in certain foods inhibit the absorption of Zinc and other minerals....thus causing deficiency (The Paleo Approach-Dr. Sarah Ballantyne). Signs of Zinc deficiency are alopecia, seborrheic dermatitis, acne....I have all of those!!

This is 1 week into my intense Zinc treatment: I am using the Zinc Soap(Amazon) with my clarisonic brush 2 x a day, Marguarite 10% Zinc Cream(Amazon) 2-3 x a day, Zinc (Amino Acid Chelate) 30 mg tablets 3 x a day, 1 probiotic tablet daily, 1 whole food multivitamin daily, Paleo diet....and now eliminating the high phytate foods (I HAD been eating nuts every day before understanding the role that phytates play in depleting Zinc). I am using no other creams or makeup on my face for now to allow everything to heal. My symptoms are improved a good 70-75%!!! The redness is gone, and all the bumps are dramatically smaller. I am healing from this ugly condition after 25 years!!!! I will continue this plan for the next week....and expect further healing.

I'll write another update in about a week...I am so thankful for this Rosacea board!!....because looking through all the threads and topics on it...really got me wondering.... and digging deeper as to what causes Rosacea and why. The toughest part of this will be following the Paleo diet consistently. It takes more time to shop and cook on this diet. I went to the grocery yesterday...bought lots of fruits and veggies and cut them up and put them into containers. Having things all clean and cut up will help to remove barriers in following this plan. In addition to the paleo diet, I will also focus this week on greatly reducing any high phytate foods in my diet. The main high phytate foods I had been eating daily were grains, nuts, seeds, and beans.

I sincerely hope that in writing down this journey....someone else who is struggling with Rosacea may benefit from reading and trying it.

[hg24]

Here is my success story to date: (1 week into using Zinc)

So far, I've found out that all acne is a result of low Zinc levels in the body (Orthomolecular Medicine for Everyone-Dr. Abram Hoffer), and that phytates in certain foods inhibit the absorption of Zinc and other minerals....thus causing deficiency (The Paleo Approach-Dr. Sarah Ballantyne). Signs of Zinc deficiency are alopecia, seborrheic dermatitis, acne....I have all of those!!

This is 1 week into my intense Zinc treatment: I am using the Zinc Soap(Amazon) with my clarisonic brush 2 x a day, Marguarite 10% Zinc Cream(Amazon) 2-3 x a day, Zinc (Amino Acid Chelate) 30 mg tablets 3 x a day, 1 probiotic tablet daily, 1 whole food multivitamin daily, Paleo diet....and now eliminating the high phytate foods (I HAD been eating nuts every day before understanding the role that phytates play in depleting Zinc). I am using no other creams or makeup on my face for now to allow everything to heal. My symptoms are improved a good 70-75%!!! The redness is gone, and all the bumps are dramatically smaller. I am healing from this ugly condition after 25 years!!!! I will continue this plan for the next week....and expect further healing.

I'll write another update in about a week...I am so thankful for this Rosacea board!!....because looking through all the threads and topics on it...really got me wondering.... and digging deeper as to what causes Rosacea and why. The toughest part of this will be following the Paleo diet consistently. It takes more time to shop and cook on this diet. I went to the grocery yesterday...bought lots of fruits and veggies and cut them up and put them into containers. Having things all clean and cut up will help to remove barriers in following this plan. In addition to the paleo diet, I will also focus this week on greatly reducing any high phytate foods in my diet. The main high phytate foods I had been eating daily were grains, nuts, seeds, and beans.

I sincerely hope that in writing down this journey....someone else who is struggling with Rosacea may benefit from reading and trying it.

Hey, thanks for sharing your story and good news! Congrats!

[rosacea2016]

Hi all,

I only came here to share my success because it is so simple and may help others with less severe condition.
My problems started a year ago, my skin became very dry while T-line became super oily. Before I had perfect skin. After this happened I had a period with huge painful pimples and then suddenly, out of nowhere my whole face was inflamed, red, painful, small white spots everywhere, bumps, blood vessels etc.

I tried everything natural suggested by others and also sudocream. Everything helped a little bit mainly with redness but usually just for a couple of hours.

And then, three days ago I accidentally drained the last small piece of my black soap and the only cleanser I had left from old, non-rosacea times was Simple purifying cleanser lotion. I cleaned my face with it, didn't wash my face after just applied my latest finding, organic shea butter (100%, nothing added) with one drop of tea tree oil.

I woke up next morning with baby skin.

I haven't washed my face since, just continue cleaning with the lotion and applying butter and tea tree (tea tree in the evening, lavander oil through the day). My skin is close to perfect (blood vessels still there). Also my skin is not dry anymore and not oily in the middle.

Maybe it is too early to call this success so if I wake up with horrible skin again I will let you know.

Good luck!

[globalchick]

Developed a slight redness under my nose about 5 years ago but because there were no pimples and it could be covered up with light makeup didn't worry about it.

8 weeks ago I started developing tiny pin prick pustules on my face - I'd rub them with a wet flannel and they'd break but next day there would be another 5. They were tiny and NOT pimples as they could be broken with a wet flannel.

It coincided with winter where I live and I bought a new polyester/acrylic blanket for night time. This had the effect - I now realise - of trapping heat. After about 3 weeks of the blanket my cheeks began flushing when I woke up then suddenly I woke up one day with raw rashes on my cheeks. I had a dermotologist appointment booked for something unrelated already. She diagnosed papulopustular rosacea. She prescribed Soolantra cream indicating it would take a few weeks to months to work.

In Australia the Soolantra costs $57 AUD a tube - I feel sorry for you Americans who get ripped off by your drug companies...

Anyway I read up on Rosacea on the internet - found out about Minocycline, went to a GP the next day and asked for and got Minocycline. I decided to ignore her advice on Soolantra as there is no way I was going to wait weeks or months to see an improvement. In Australia Minocycline costs $10 AUD for 60 tablets. Well within 11 days on the Minocycline at 50mg a day all the tiny pustules had gone and the red rash has gone. Note there are still some dilated capillaries under the skin of my cheeks. And the flushing is still occuring if I am hot at night but fades when I cool myself down and doesn't happen at all during the day. So I highly recommend Minocycline IMMEDIATELY for any pustular Rosacea if you want fast relief. In my opinion you should go immediately to Minocycline and then think about the other stuff if there is a relapse.

I've been using the Soolantra cream on my nose only to see if it gets rid of the underlying redness that has been there for 5 years. It hasn't in a month and I have real doubts that Soolantra is going to work. I may switch to Metronidazole.

Question for you guys - could the Rosacea have been caused by overheating myself with the blanket for 3 weeks? Very interested in what you think. Obviously I am no longer using that blanket at night.

Second question - how do you get rid of the broken red capillaries on your cheeks under the skin which look red. Any ideas. I am not prepared to get laser done. Not too happy if I've caused permanent damage to my cheeks from using that blanket for 3 weeks!!!

[timtim39]

Here is my success story to date: (1 week into using Zinc)

So far, I've found out that all acne is a result of low Zinc levels in the body (Orthomolecular Medicine for Everyone-Dr. Abram Hoffer), and that phytates in certain foods inhibit the absorption of Zinc and other minerals....thus causing deficiency (The Paleo Approach-Dr. Sarah Ballantyne). Signs of Zinc deficiency are alopecia, seborrheic dermatitis, acne....I have all of those!!

This is 1 week into my intense Zinc treatment: I am using the Zinc Soap(Amazon) with my clarisonic brush 2 x a day, Marguarite 10% Zinc Cream(Amazon) 2-3 x a day, Zinc (Amino Acid Chelate) 30 mg tablets 3 x a day, 1 probiotic tablet daily, 1 whole food multivitamin daily, Paleo diet....and now eliminating the high phytate foods (I HAD been eating nuts every day before understanding the role that phytates play in depleting Zinc). I am using no other creams or makeup on my face for now to allow everything to heal. My symptoms are improved a good 70-75%!!! The redness is gone, and all the bumps are dramatically smaller. I am healing from this ugly condition after 25 years!!!! I will continue this plan for the next week....and expect further healing.

I'll write another update in about a week...I am so thankful for this Rosacea board!!....because looking through all the threads and topics on it...really got me wondering.... and digging deeper as to what causes Rosacea and why. The toughest part of this will be following the Paleo diet consistently. It takes more time to shop and cook on this diet. I went to the grocery yesterday...bought lots of fruits and veggies and cut them up and put them into containers. Having things all clean and cut up will help to remove barriers in following this plan. In addition to the paleo diet, I will also focus this week on greatly reducing any high phytate foods in my diet. The main high phytate foods I had been eating daily were grains, nuts, seeds, and beans.

I sincerely hope that in writing down this journey....someone else who is struggling with Rosacea may benefit from reading and trying it.

Hi Mary, any update with your zinc treatment?

[mgdln]

Rosacea, a success story

I have no idea what sub-type of Rosacea I have. On bad days, I used to look like a dalmatian, with red patches spread all over my face and the top part of my neck, which sometimes had little, red pimples in the middle that ached like hell. It began sometime in 2013. 2015 was the worst year, where I literally had pieces of skin falling off my face, just like dandruff, but bigger. There were no causes of this that I could name, besides stress perhaps.

I began to research Rosacea like a maniac. First help was Duac gel, used to treat Acne, which my GP gave me to use when the redness and itching were unbearable. So I used it only at those times. It really helped. Besides this, I developed a Rosacea-controlling routine: Every morning and evening I wash my face in warm water, and wash it well to remove all impurities. In the evening, I add Apple Vinegar to the water, enough for it to have that characteristic smell from Apple Vinegar, but not too strong. I use face moisturizers from Avene. They work great for me and are very gentle to the skin. Because my face can get very dry, I use their moisturizing line, but I started with the Rosacea line first. So: wash, then apply a moisturizing serum, them moisturizing lotion or cream, depending what skin you nave. Remember to always use an SPF when you leave your house! In the evening, additionally, I end the routine, on top of all other products, with a thick layer of a cream very similar to Nivea, called Purol. Nivea is okay, but I find it to be too heavy for my skin; Purol is a bit lighter and easier to apply (Purol is available in the Netherlands). It should look like a thick mask, and I mean it. After 6 months of this routine, my Rosacea is under total control. No dalmatian-like me anymore. No itching. No scratching.

Rosacea to me is at large due to dehydration, and I can't stress enough how important proper hydration is for the skin. Drink 5 liters of water per day if you must. Begin an exercising routine, but slowly, so it doesn't trigger Rosacea, get your skin used to it, and do a sport that you really enjoy, for fun.

I don't drink alcohol, don't smoke or do drugs. I stopped drinking coffee about a month ago. I am vegetarian, but try to substitute diary with vegan products as much as I can. I use practically no spices, only salt, pepper, sometimes paprika and all green stuff.

Good luck!!

[Duff Man]

I tried every cream imaginable; the list of creams I didn't try is shorter. I went for 13 years without a full remission; started getting the rash really bad when I was a handsome young man, and it really was tough on my self esteem. It did a number on my face, and began to cover my scalp too.

The only thing that finally worked for me with long lasting, real remission, is plaquenil. My only regret is that I didn't try it sooner. Much, much sooner.

In hindsight, I think it was likely lupus all along, and my experience really has me questioning how many other people with "rosaceae" are just lupus sufferers.

I would encourage folks here to do an honest self audit to reconcile any symptoms that may be similar to lupus and connect the dots. And whatever you do, whatever your gut tells you, please don't give up on finding a lasting resolution.

Even if I don't have lupus, the treatment for it resolved my horrible, red, burning, painful, embarrassing rash. I don't really care what we call it because I'm able to look in the mirror again. And Im feeling my age again.

I hope everyone here finds a lasting remission. Don't stop until you do.

[Jane Smythe]

A sea salt rinse, at night, works for me. CeraVe lotion? Love it, but keeping an eye

This thread is for any type of success regarding your rosacea treatments. Small or big successes. What has lessened your rosacea symptoms and helped your quality of life. Any benefits you would like to share.

[kennyj]

Had intense facial flushing for about 2.5 years. Started at about age 15, a few months after finishing a treatment of Accutane for acne. Not sure, but I suspect the Accutane may have lead to the facial flushing - I had a very strong reaction to Accutane that caused the skin on my face/lips to scab. The facial flushing caused my face to swell and turn deep-red (sometimes even purple-ish). Accutane did permanently get rid of the acne, though. For the 2.5 years, I always had a feeling of significant discomfort and swelling in my face, and the flushing would become severe at certain periods throughout the day, or after certain activities.

I talked to doctors during that time, and none really knew what was going on. I had read about facial flushing online, but the doctors wouldn't really listen to me and didn't know what to do. One even used the word 'psychosomatic' - very frustrating. This was over 10 years ago, so maybe the knowledge has improved since then. The pain and embarrassment caused me to become very depressed, and I sort of 'gave up' on life, which had very negative permanent effects on my life. I wish I would have 'kept it together' a little better during this time . . . If I could go back in time and talk to my younger self, I would tell myself to keep a better attitude about the pain - I could have kept decent school grades and normal relationships, but I did not because I had a 'bad attitude' about what I was going through. Wish I would have kept a better attitude.

Anyways, the flushing lessened over the course of a few months and eventually completely went away. After maybe a year, I had no discomfort in my face at all. I underwent no treatment (not much was available 10+ years ago!). I did look into laser treatment, but my condition improved before going through with the treatment.

Just wanted to share my story here. Maybe someone will find it useful. It might be nice for some to know that facial flushing can go away on its own, after a few years, without treatment.

Hang in there and good luck, folks!

[nerfherder]

It worked.

I was recently diagnosed with type 2 diabeties and gave up sugar and gluten and my rosacea is all but gone. Still drinking lots of coffee with no effect from it...

[ragaman]

Raw coconut oil, topically

I apply it all over my face before going to bed. It's a solid, waxy substance from the jar. It melts in your fingers and on your face as you rub it in. In the morning all excess may have rubbed off. (You may want to wash your pillow-cases more frequently than you otherwise would do.) If it's still visible I'll wash my face then, otherwise I'll wash later. The particular brand I use is Lucy Bee and I get it from Sainsbury's, £6 for 300ml. (Last time I bought it. Knowing Sainsbury's, or as I call them, Stickemupbury's, it's probably gone up since then.) I'm sure other brands will do as well (I'm not a brand-pusher), but get the good, pure stuff, cold-pressed, organic. A jar should last you months. (It's marketed as a cooking product.) If you want more details, background, I'll be happy to supply. I know there is so much variation of response to particular treatments, but I hope at least somebody else might benefit as well. Persist with it for a week or two. You shouldn't have to give up whatever else you're doing. Good luck.