Rosacea Support Group

Wow i know exactly what you are going through. I am pretty sure i have rosacea but my doctor keeps telling me that it is something called dermatitis from the accutane i take. but my face gets so red sometimes and like you said, i dont even know what my triggers are. even if i did avoid the triggers then i might as well stay in the house all day because i wouldnt be able to do anything. all i can say is yes we do have this problem, but not everyone thinks its horrible. and people come up to me all the time and tell me "do you know your face is really red?" and that makes me wanna scream, as if i dont know. but just be strong and know that you are so much more than your physical appearance. and also if you always believe you are beautiful then you always will be. send me a message if you wanna talk about it. i know it migt help both of us

Love your horse...beautiful animals. Hmmm...rosacea. We have to learn to live with it. I just discovered through another member the over-the-counter gel, Prosacea, you can get w/o prescription. It's at my Dominicks (Safeway). Nothing I've been given by prescription via Doctor has worked. save your money. I'm on Doxycycline for breakouts. 1mth into that and there is a small improvement. Stay away from citrus frutis/tomatoes/melons/beer. Those seem to be the worst offenders for me anyway;. Lots of wtr-no sugartype drinks.. Good luck & stay in touch

Thank you for your advice! I will look into Prosacea, I'm willing to try anything!

Hi bigdreams,
I hate Rosacea, too. I guess there are some foods that can trigger our rosacea, and I found out that I had to eliminate figs from my diet, and had to limit other stuff like tomatoes and bananas. I have not been to a dermatologist yet, and am trying to get an appointment so I have not tried metrogel, or been Rx'd with an antibiotic yet, but I heard they help a lot.
I got a tip to try the Clinique redness solutions stuff on this site and I actually like it. It isn't a miracle cure or anything, but my skin looks much better and feels a lot softer. i still get breakouts on my cheeks and jawline, but no longer get them on my forehead, chin or nose.
I think they give free samples at the clinique counter,and if you buy it at a department store like Nordstrom's they take it back no questions asked if you don't like it, which is good because if you are anything like me, I spent a small fortune trying to find something that works.
Ugh. I hated going shopping for products!! I felt like I was totally being gawked at by everyone and hate the way the sales ladies treat me. One snotty sales lady actually said "Well, washing your face every once in a while would probably be a good idea." She started to walk away, but I asked her to go get her manager for me, and asked for a little conference between the two of them. She looked shocked! She just picked the wrong girl on the wrong day.
I told her manager that the sales woman needed some education about acne and rosacea, and probably some sensitivity training to deal with people with skin trouble if she is going to be successful in selling skin care products to the people who need them. (The sales girl started to turn red, just like me.)
I let her manager know that people who have acne and rosacea probably wash their faces more than anyone else they know, and that it is really a distressing problem and when people come in to their store, they are probably looking for help and not looking to be insulted or made to feel dirty and stupid. I told her that comments like "You should probably try washing your face." are not a very intelligent or sensitive and are actually counterproductive to getting a sale. The manager agreed and the sales woman was beet red by this time and looked like she wanted to shrink.
I was offered free glycolic acid products, and had to let them know that glycolic acid isn't good for people with Rosacea, and to be sure to look it up. It was really frustrating! I am glad that I said something, though and hopefully it will make things better for the next person who goes in looking for help.
I am glad that I finally found something I'm happy with. I hope you find something that works for you, too!
Hugs!
Hannah

Wow Hannnahbee What a Great thing you did. Bravo! I am starting a new Dr. prescribed direction. My family Dr. put me on Desonide lotion for years and years. To my horror i found out that a person should not be on this very long as it is a steriod and will cause your skin to thin and become more red in the long run. So some pills and new lotion . I do belive that i will look into the Clinique and see what that might do for me. Thanks for the info.

It would seem we are all different. What works for one will not work for the other. I have had rosacea for quite a few years. All of my siblings have it but my older sister and I have to worst. Prosacea did not work for me. Too bad, it is cheap! I wash twice aday with dove sensitive skin soap and use only my hands to apply soap and water. Then I apply a cleanser called Zenmed gentle cleansing cream. The other zenmed products offered for rosacea seemed to make it worst. I also try to avoid the triggers of caffeine, citrus, and chocolate. It would be hard to give up beer! I like tea but I have to tell you when I drink it I can feel the burning in my face. Also red wine does the same! Sheesh!

I blush like crazy when I get flustered, or have to give a presentation. I feel like everyone can see me turning red. Rosacea sucks!