New to Group-My cea Tale

[Guest guest]

Hello, all. I was surfing for some suggestions re. rosacea

treatments and came across this message board. I am at the point

where I am beginning to think that the condition of my skin will

never improve. After reading some of your stories, I realize that it

could be much worse. I am hoping to minimize the inevitable

deterioration of my skin, if that's possible.

My facial redness began when I was about 11 years old and was soon

followed by what I assumed to be adolescent acne and then by

telangectasia. On a routine visit to my MD, I was told that I might

have lupus. I was tested and learned that this wasn't the case. (As

a teenager, people with lupus actually stopped me in public and

suggested I be tested.) My MD prescribed the typical acne meds:

benzoyl peroxide, tetracycline, minocycline, erythromycin...Nothing

worked. I got such horrible erythema from the bp that I stopped

using it almost immediately but continued with the oral antibiotics.

Of course, I wasn't informed about photosensitivity and developed 2nd

degree burns on my face from sun exposure on several occasions.

Because my skin was so sensitive, I washed it with only the most

gentle cleansers and let it air dry, afraid to even touch it at

times. My MD insisted that the redness was irritation from washing

my face too vigorously. He was clueless and kept pushing the bp

products. When I was about 17, he put me on Retin-A gel, which tore

my face apart. I visited a few derms, who also insisted the redness

was from vigorous washing. I tried Metrogel at one point, which

didn't seem to help. Needless to say, I soon got frustrated with the

docs and stopped treating all together.

I'm a pharmacist and came across a pamphlet about rosacea while in

school. I knew instantly that this is what I had. My " official "

diagnosis came about a year ago while on an interview at a

pharmaceutical company that markets dermatological products. One of

the derms I interviewed with began by telling me I had rosacea. I

wanted to evaporate in the chair. How inappropriate was that?

I am now 31, and the redness that used to come and go is present all

the time. The tiny (and sometimes not-so-tiny) pustules are

sometimes so bad that I don't want to leave the house. In the

winter, I feel like a prisoner of the indoors because my skin just

can't tolerate cold or wind. I consider myself to be an attractive

person otherwise, but this condition has undermined my confidence to

the point that I avoid eye-to-eye contact as much as possible. I

constantly wonder what other people must think of my appearance. I

even question the possibility of having children some day; I wouldn't

wish this torture (physical and mental) on anyone.

I appreciate the opportunity to " vent. " It is difficult to express

frustrations about skin problems when you are surrounded by people

with flawless skin who just can't relate.

I am hoping that some of you can recommend a competent dermatologist

in the Philadelphia area. I realize that I need to treat this

condition to prevent it from progressing further.