This is great news! I would definitely consider a zz cream that doesn't dry up my fragile skin. Thank you, Brady.
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Nope, it's not available in South Africa. It's better according to many reports I've read including on this forum. Also because it costs 1/5th the price. Remember that if you are indeed suffering from Demodex Rosacea for which Soolantra or ZZ Cream can help, your skin is more than likely so sensitive because of the Demodex Mites wreaking havoc on your skin. If this is true, then worrying about your skin's sensitivity is pointless, because ZZ Cream (or Soolantra) will resolve your issue, and return your skin to normal/close to normal.
Have you not been able to get your hands on Soolantra yet? It's been about 1.5 months since we spoke. Or are you still researching?
There are many in this thread that report that Soolantra works for them. But, as with every rosacea treatment, it doesn't work for everyone. Because of this thread, I tried Soolantra beginning November 1, 2016 and applied it daily, at night, just before bed, all over my face, until February 13, 2017 (105 days) and reported my findings in this post. I was hoping to receive the similar positive results that others in this thread here at RF have reported. I think I totally nuked every demodex mite on my face but it was just too much for my face as you can see from the photos I posted in my review. After that I let my face heal for three days and did nothing because my skin became way too sensitive and was burning from the Soolantra treatment. Then I tried several different sulphur topical samples that my dermatologist prescribed who said I also have Seborrheic Dermatitis and particularly found Avar e Green better than the others. I tried switching the different samples the dermatologist gave me which are mentioned in my review post for the next four months to the first week of July 2017. I then went back to my favorite treatment the ZZ cream and noticed an incredible difference in improvement in my skin in about three weeks. I posted on August 4 my review of the ZZ cream here and will continue to update with photos.
What I have done is apply the Soolantra about once every two to four weeks. I think it is powerful and causes my skin to be inflamed. The ZZ cream calms my sensitive skin and since I have oily skin I love how it dries my face. If you have dry skin, you will probably do better with Soolantra since it has a Cetaphil base. Everyone is so different, so you simply have to find what works best for you. I am confident that both the Soolantra does indeed work for some. And without a doubt the consensus is that the ZZ cream receives good reports as well for some who say it works for them. I know the ZZ cream works for me and is my preferred treatment. However, I have to limit my sugar and high carbohydrate intake to control my rosacea along with the ZZ cream and apply Soolantra once or twice a month.
Brady, I appreciate you taking the time to reply in such detail, thank you. Fingers crossed that I can tolerate Soolantra (and that my derm will prescribe it to me...I have Kaiser insurance, so I'm not sure how willing they are to prescribe expensive medications). I do not suffer greatly from P&Ps...minor pustules here and there. My major symptoms are follicular scaling, sandpaper like texture of the skin...which I believe to be congruent with pityriasis folliculorum. If I can't get my hands on Soolantra, I will surely check out ZZ ointment.
-M
Hi M,
No, I have had absolutely no problems with Soolantra whatsoever. I've been using it for about 2 months consistently. It made my pustles go away in about a week. Then again, I don't have that many (maybe 5 at a time at most). I do find, though, that if I slack off with the Soolantra the pustles start to come back, normally in the exact same places. My main rosacea subtype is type 1, and the pustles seem to show up in the spots that I flush the most.
I find that Soolantra works to assist in moisturizing my face too. I have pretty normal skin, though it tends to lean towards oily if I moisturize too much. It's good to hear that ZZ cream is somewhat drying, as this might be better for my skintype. It sounds like Soolantra might be better suited for you, though. I'd say give it a try. I definitely think it helps!
Best,
Katie
You may want to read this post on pityriasis folliculorum.
Thank you, K. Yeah, I don't get many pustules either....but my skin barrier is wrecked (by demodex? That is the question.) so I'm hoping Soolantra is the winning ticket at least for that issue (my Sub Type 1 flushing is another story). Even if my pustules are few, it would still be nice to get those suckers resolved!
I am coming armed to my derm appointment with some good studies covering the subject. It does seem like pityriasis folliculorum is not very well known. When I initially emailed my derm about it, she didn't seem to know what I was referring to.
Also, as mentioned in the article you posted, I did not wash my face adequately (no cleansers, barely any water) for about 6 months because I thought I was irritating my skin by doing so. I also used an oil based moisturizer here and there. I ended up with a flaky mess all over my skin with layers of dead skin that I would have to physically exfoliate every few weeks. My skin was NEVER like this before not washing my face. If I do have this condition, I see now that could have possibly exacerbated the issue by not practicing good skin hygiene. Another diagnosis may be seb derm, but I do NOT have the flakes around the typical spots (naso-labial folds, eyebrows, scalp) and do not match up with the type of flake that forms in seb derm (based on what I can see on the internet). Every article that I have accumulated on PR seems to better match what I'm dealing with (white, fine, follicular scale, protruding from each pore, evenly dispersed on my cheeks and chin, which gives a rough, sandpaper like texture to the skin, with very superficial pustules) which is due to a massive demodex overgrowth. Who knows. We'll see what my derm says on Friday.
Thanks again, Brady!
Hopefully your dermatologist concedes that there is far more information online than what most dermatologists understand, and that he/she needs to prescribe you with what you need/want prescribed to you based on the countless hours of research you've done into the remedies that you think you need/to try.
Good luck.