Re: Reactions? / New stuff - HerbaCort

[Guest guest]

My sincere thanks to , Marjorie and Dennis for their comments to my

post. Yes, I do know that not everybody tolerates Cetaphil, though I

stubbornly keep assuming that I would have reacted to it sooner. Marjorie,

you mentioned that when you used Aveeno, its moisturizing effect did not

suit you. Can you be please a bit more specific? In what way did you react

(if we can call it a reaction).

I do have something new to share with you. Yesterday (again, a fairly good

day, though I had some new tiny itchy spots under my eyes, where my glasses

rest on my face) I stopped at a health food store and bought HerbaCort

cea Cream (made by HerbaLab). I head about it in an online chat forum

(though not a rosacea-speficic forum, just a general beauty / fashion

chitchat thing). The girl in the store said it was the only product that

helped with her psoriasis (HerbaCort comes in 4 varieties: Ezcema &

Dermatitis, cea, Psoriasis and Acne Cream).

Their flyer says that it contains plant extracts that act similar to

Cortisone, but without its side effects.

The few spots under my eyes were a bit pesky, so I tried the cream first on

one cheek which was calmer. No reaction. No stinging, no burning. After an

hour or so, I applied it on my entire face. A few hours later, my face was

in heaven. No itching, no burning, no nothing. So I am continuing today

(again, washing with Cetaphil and then applying HerbaCort, I am still

staying away from Metrogel). Well, so far so good. No flushing today (in

spite of doing a serious spring cleaning, running up and down the stairs,

dusting, shampooing the rug, vacuuming, etc. which normally makes, as any

physical activity, my face red).

Here are the ingredients in HerbaCort:

Picea-Abies Butter

Pine Oil

Olive Oil

Vitamin A

Cheledonium Plant Extract

Hippophae Plant Extracts (in plural)

Lavender Oil

Vitamin F

Vitamin C1

White Willow Bark

Now, while the flyer says White Willow Bark, the bottle itself actually says

Salicylic Acid. I wonder why this inconsistency? I do remember the

discussion about these two recently. Do you guys think this is going to be a

problem?

It cost $16.49 (Canadian) which would be about US$10. It is teeny weeny

bottle, only 15 g - gee, I am a metric person - an online conversion tool

says this is about 0.5 oz and I don't think it will last more then 2 weeks.

My only gripe is that I would have preferred it to be a little more liquid

(for easier application), it does feel somewhat like butter that you took

out of the fridge. It is yellowish in colour and I can tell that the yellow

does show on my very skin which is very fair. So I guess I will still have

to find something as daily moisturizer and stick with this evenings only. I

will keep you posted on my progress.

Now, there was a sheet with instructions and more info inside the box. It

says:

" Massage deeply into the Acne or cea. This is very important, because it

helps antibacterial and antiinflammatory ingredients to penetrate, it

stimulates circulation cleansing the area, toning the muscles (particularly

facial) and impeding the formation of fat deposits. Common teaching suggests

that massaging spreads infection. Our experience proves that the opposite is

true. Acne and cea will be reduced with consistent stimulating massage " .

I wonder why they did not underline that cea is not an infection??

It says further:

" Both Acne and cea stem mostly from internal causes such as hormones and

digestive and dietary imbalances. [Grey Owl, exactly what you said]

............. ...... Avoiding the following will almost always help:

Margarine, Orange Juice, Apple Juice, Tomato Juice, Strawberries, Brown and

Rye Bread, Chocolate Ice Cream, all pop and hot spices. Also, avoid eating

cured meats, condiments, alcohol and sweetened sauces. "

(Of course I read this whilst sipping orange juice that I just brought from

the grocery store. ).

HerbaLab has a website which I am sure will have some info, too. (haven't

looked yet). www.herbalab.com

Alena

[Guest guest]

My sincere thanks to , Marjorie and Dennis for their comments to my

post. Yes, I do know that not everybody tolerates Cetaphil, though I

stubbornly keep assuming that I would have reacted to it sooner. Marjorie,

you mentioned that when you used Aveeno, its moisturizing effect did not

suit you. Can you be please a bit more specific? In what way did you react

(if we can call it a reaction).

I do have something new to share with you. Yesterday (again, a fairly good

day, though I had some new tiny itchy spots under my eyes, where my glasses

rest on my face) I stopped at a health food store and bought HerbaCort

cea Cream (made by HerbaLab). I head about it in an online chat forum

(though not a rosacea-speficic forum, just a general beauty / fashion

chitchat thing). The girl in the store said it was the only product that

helped with her psoriasis (HerbaCort comes in 4 varieties: Ezcema &

Dermatitis, cea, Psoriasis and Acne Cream).

Their flyer says that it contains plant extracts that act similar to

Cortisone, but without its side effects.

The few spots under my eyes were a bit pesky, so I tried the cream first on

one cheek which was calmer. No reaction. No stinging, no burning. After an

hour or so, I applied it on my entire face. A few hours later, my face was

in heaven. No itching, no burning, no nothing. So I am continuing today

(again, washing with Cetaphil and then applying HerbaCort, I am still

staying away from Metrogel). Well, so far so good. No flushing today (in

spite of doing a serious spring cleaning, running up and down the stairs,

dusting, shampooing the rug, vacuuming, etc. which normally makes, as any

physical activity, my face red).

Here are the ingredients in HerbaCort:

Picea-Abies Butter

Pine Oil

Olive Oil

Vitamin A

Cheledonium Plant Extract

Hippophae Plant Extracts (in plural)

Lavender Oil

Vitamin F

Vitamin C1

White Willow Bark

Now, while the flyer says White Willow Bark, the bottle itself actually says

Salicylic Acid. I wonder why this inconsistency? I do remember the

discussion about these two recently. Do you guys think this is going to be a

problem?

It cost $16.49 (Canadian) which would be about US$10. It is teeny weeny

bottle, only 15 g - gee, I am a metric person - an online conversion tool

says this is about 0.5 oz and I don't think it will last more then 2 weeks.

My only gripe is that I would have preferred it to be a little more liquid

(for easier application), it does feel somewhat like butter that you took

out of the fridge. It is yellowish in colour and I can tell that the yellow

does show on my very skin which is very fair. So I guess I will still have

to find something as daily moisturizer and stick with this evenings only. I

will keep you posted on my progress.

Now, there was a sheet with instructions and more info inside the box. It

says:

" Massage deeply into the Acne or cea. This is very important, because it

helps antibacterial and antiinflammatory ingredients to penetrate, it

stimulates circulation cleansing the area, toning the muscles (particularly

facial) and impeding the formation of fat deposits. Common teaching suggests

that massaging spreads infection. Our experience proves that the opposite is

true. Acne and cea will be reduced with consistent stimulating massage " .

I wonder why they did not underline that cea is not an infection??

It says further:

" Both Acne and cea stem mostly from internal causes such as hormones and

digestive and dietary imbalances. [Grey Owl, exactly what you said]

............. ...... Avoiding the following will almost always help:

Margarine, Orange Juice, Apple Juice, Tomato Juice, Strawberries, Brown and

Rye Bread, Chocolate Ice Cream, all pop and hot spices. Also, avoid eating

cured meats, condiments, alcohol and sweetened sauces. "

(Of course I read this whilst sipping orange juice that I just brought from

the grocery store. ).

HerbaLab has a website which I am sure will have some info, too. (haven't

looked yet). www.herbalab.com

Alena

[Guest guest]

Marjorie,

> you mentioned that when you used Aveeno, its moisturizing effect

did not

> suit you. Can you be please a bit more specific? In what way did

you react

> (if we can call it a reaction).

-=-=-==

No, Alena, my skin didn't react, it just didn't go well with my

texture/type of skin. I rinsed off very well several times, yet I

still felt a mildly sticky film residual. It quickly dried to an

unusual touch -- rougher than my normal skin, although my skin itself

felt well-moisturized. Maybe it was the oatmeal? Whatever, it

just wasn't for me, but I definitely didn't react to it in the

typical rosacean way so I recommend a try, you may well love it.

I've also found willow bark/salicylate to be the effective anti-

inflammatory, although for me it quickly loses effectiveness when

used to manage acute irritations. Some of the ingredients would

irritate my skin, and others I don't believe are effective topically.

Regarding your glasses, I've had the same cheek trouble even with

100% titanium frames. I bought new glasses -- the kind with

bottomless rims, and this time I made certain they didn't touch my

face so air always circulates around them. It made a difference.

Good luck,

Marjorie

Marjorie Lazoff, MD

[Guest guest]

Marjorie wrote:

> No, Alena, my skin didn't react, it just didn't go well with my

> texture/type of skin. I rinsed off very well several times, yet I

> still felt a mildly sticky film residual. It quickly dried to an

> unusual touch -- rougher than my normal skin, although my skin itself

> felt well-moisturized.

I understand what you mean. It's similar to my attitude (for lack of better

word) towards anything with contents of glycerin. I feel like I have a

coating on my skin (as opposed to other lotions that get absorbed) and I

don't like it. I just find it unpleasant. I remember that already as a kid I

used to figt battles with mom when she tried to put some sunscreen on me. I

have always had strong dislike to the feeling of something greasy on my

skin.

> Regarding your glasses, I've had the same cheek trouble even with

> 100% titanium frames

I will keep it in mind. About 7 years ago, I dished out an outrageous amount

of $$ for new frames. The frames were $360 and with my lenses and taxes etc,

the final amount was roughly $580. I must have been out of my mind because I

was unemployed at that time. But I fell in love with the frames and really

really really liked them. They were titanium (I was told) but I guess not

100% because a few years later the skin behind my ears started to itch and

peel. (Needless to say, it was impossible not to scratch. I was like a dog -

constantly scratching behind my ears ). There was some coating on the

sides (they did not have the usual plastic at the end) that wore off and my

skin reacted very badly. I was told then that the frames could not have been

100% titanium and I had to give them up. I am saying this as a word of

caution for anyone who might think of new frames - better make sure the

frames truly are 100% titanium.

Thanks,

Alena

[Guest guest]

Marjorie wrote:

> No, Alena, my skin didn't react, it just didn't go well with my

> texture/type of skin. I rinsed off very well several times, yet I

> still felt a mildly sticky film residual. It quickly dried to an

> unusual touch -- rougher than my normal skin, although my skin itself

> felt well-moisturized.

I understand what you mean. It's similar to my attitude (for lack of better

word) towards anything with contents of glycerin. I feel like I have a

coating on my skin (as opposed to other lotions that get absorbed) and I

don't like it. I just find it unpleasant. I remember that already as a kid I

used to figt battles with mom when she tried to put some sunscreen on me. I

have always had strong dislike to the feeling of something greasy on my

skin.

> Regarding your glasses, I've had the same cheek trouble even with

> 100% titanium frames

I will keep it in mind. About 7 years ago, I dished out an outrageous amount

of $$ for new frames. The frames were $360 and with my lenses and taxes etc,

the final amount was roughly $580. I must have been out of my mind because I

was unemployed at that time. But I fell in love with the frames and really

really really liked them. They were titanium (I was told) but I guess not

100% because a few years later the skin behind my ears started to itch and

peel. (Needless to say, it was impossible not to scratch. I was like a dog -

constantly scratching behind my ears ). There was some coating on the

sides (they did not have the usual plastic at the end) that wore off and my

skin reacted very badly. I was told then that the frames could not have been

100% titanium and I had to give them up. I am saying this as a word of

caution for anyone who might think of new frames - better make sure the

frames truly are 100% titanium.

Thanks,

Alena

[Guest guest]

Marjorie wrote:

> No, Alena, my skin didn't react, it just didn't go well with my

> texture/type of skin. I rinsed off very well several times, yet I

> still felt a mildly sticky film residual. It quickly dried to an

> unusual touch -- rougher than my normal skin, although my skin itself

> felt well-moisturized.

I understand what you mean. It's similar to my attitude (for lack of better

word) towards anything with contents of glycerin. I feel like I have a

coating on my skin (as opposed to other lotions that get absorbed) and I

don't like it. I just find it unpleasant. I remember that already as a kid I

used to figt battles with mom when she tried to put some sunscreen on me. I

have always had strong dislike to the feeling of something greasy on my

skin.

> Regarding your glasses, I've had the same cheek trouble even with

> 100% titanium frames

I will keep it in mind. About 7 years ago, I dished out an outrageous amount

of $$ for new frames. The frames were $360 and with my lenses and taxes etc,

the final amount was roughly $580. I must have been out of my mind because I

was unemployed at that time. But I fell in love with the frames and really

really really liked them. They were titanium (I was told) but I guess not

100% because a few years later the skin behind my ears started to itch and

peel. (Needless to say, it was impossible not to scratch. I was like a dog -

constantly scratching behind my ears ). There was some coating on the

sides (they did not have the usual plastic at the end) that wore off and my

skin reacted very badly. I was told then that the frames could not have been

100% titanium and I had to give them up. I am saying this as a word of

caution for anyone who might think of new frames - better make sure the

frames truly are 100% titanium.

Thanks,

Alena

[Guest guest]

How has your trial with Herbacort gone?

p.s. did you also have a redness or flushing problem?

thanks

tommy

> My sincere thanks to , Marjorie and Dennis for their comments

to my

> post. Yes, I do know that not everybody tolerates Cetaphil, though I

> stubbornly keep assuming that I would have reacted to it sooner.

Marjorie,

> you mentioned that when you used Aveeno, its moisturizing effect

did not

> suit you. Can you be please a bit more specific? In what way did

you react

> (if we can call it a reaction).

>

> I do have something new to share with you. Yesterday (again, a

fairly good

> day, though I had some new tiny itchy spots under my eyes, where my

glasses

> rest on my face) I stopped at a health food store and bought

HerbaCort

> cea Cream (made by HerbaLab). I head about it in an online chat

forum

> (though not a rosacea-speficic forum, just a general beauty /

fashion

> chitchat thing). The girl in the store said it was the only product

that

> helped with her psoriasis (HerbaCort comes in 4 varieties: Ezcema &

> Dermatitis, cea, Psoriasis and Acne Cream).

> Their flyer says that it contains plant extracts that act similar to

> Cortisone, but without its side effects.

> The few spots under my eyes were a bit pesky, so I tried the cream

first on

> one cheek which was calmer. No reaction. No stinging, no burning.

After an

> hour or so, I applied it on my entire face. A few hours later, my

face was

> in heaven. No itching, no burning, no nothing. So I am continuing

today

> (again, washing with Cetaphil and then applying HerbaCort, I am

still

> staying away from Metrogel). Well, so far so good. No flushing

today (in

> spite of doing a serious spring cleaning, running up and down the

stairs,

> dusting, shampooing the rug, vacuuming, etc. which normally makes,

as any

> physical activity, my face red).

> Here are the ingredients in HerbaCort:

>

> Picea-Abies Butter

> Pine Oil

> Olive Oil

> Vitamin A

> Cheledonium Plant Extract

> Hippophae Plant Extracts (in plural)

> Lavender Oil

> Vitamin F

> Vitamin C1

> White Willow Bark

>

> Now, while the flyer says White Willow Bark, the bottle itself

actually says

> Salicylic Acid. I wonder why this inconsistency? I do remember the

> discussion about these two recently. Do you guys think this is

going to be a

> problem?

> It cost $16.49 (Canadian) which would be about US$10. It is teeny

weeny

> bottle, only 15 g - gee, I am a metric person - an online

conversion tool

> says this is about 0.5 oz and I don't think it will last more then

2 weeks.

> My only gripe is that I would have preferred it to be a little more

liquid

> (for easier application), it does feel somewhat like butter that

you took

> out of the fridge. It is yellowish in colour and I can tell that

the yellow

> does show on my very skin which is very fair. So I guess I will

still have

> to find something as daily moisturizer and stick with this evenings

only. I

> will keep you posted on my progress.

>

> Now, there was a sheet with instructions and more info inside the

box. It

> says:

>

> " Massage deeply into the Acne or cea. This is very important,

because it

> helps antibacterial and antiinflammatory ingredients to penetrate,

it

> stimulates circulation cleansing the area, toning the muscles

(particularly

> facial) and impeding the formation of fat deposits. Common teaching

suggests

> that massaging spreads infection. Our experience proves that the

opposite is

> true. Acne and cea will be reduced with consistent stimulating

massage " .

>

> I wonder why they did not underline that cea is not an

infection??

>

> It says further:

>

> " Both Acne and cea stem mostly from internal causes such as

hormones and

> digestive and dietary imbalances. [Grey Owl, exactly what you said]

> ............ ...... Avoiding the following will almost always

help:

> Margarine, Orange Juice, Apple Juice, Tomato Juice, Strawberries,

Brown and

> Rye Bread, Chocolate Ice Cream, all pop and hot spices. Also, avoid

eating

> cured meats, condiments, alcohol and sweetened sauces. "

>

> (Of course I read this whilst sipping orange juice that I just

brought from

> the grocery store. ).

>

> HerbaLab has a website which I am sure will have some info, too.

(haven't

> looked yet). www.herbalab.com

>

> Alena

[Guest guest]

How has your trial with Herbacort gone?

p.s. did you also have a redness or flushing problem?

thanks

tommy

> My sincere thanks to , Marjorie and Dennis for their comments

to my

> post. Yes, I do know that not everybody tolerates Cetaphil, though I

> stubbornly keep assuming that I would have reacted to it sooner.

Marjorie,

> you mentioned that when you used Aveeno, its moisturizing effect

did not

> suit you. Can you be please a bit more specific? In what way did

you react

> (if we can call it a reaction).

>

> I do have something new to share with you. Yesterday (again, a

fairly good

> day, though I had some new tiny itchy spots under my eyes, where my

glasses

> rest on my face) I stopped at a health food store and bought

HerbaCort

> cea Cream (made by HerbaLab). I head about it in an online chat

forum

> (though not a rosacea-speficic forum, just a general beauty /

fashion

> chitchat thing). The girl in the store said it was the only product

that

> helped with her psoriasis (HerbaCort comes in 4 varieties: Ezcema &

> Dermatitis, cea, Psoriasis and Acne Cream).

> Their flyer says that it contains plant extracts that act similar to

> Cortisone, but without its side effects.

> The few spots under my eyes were a bit pesky, so I tried the cream

first on

> one cheek which was calmer. No reaction. No stinging, no burning.

After an

> hour or so, I applied it on my entire face. A few hours later, my

face was

> in heaven. No itching, no burning, no nothing. So I am continuing

today

> (again, washing with Cetaphil and then applying HerbaCort, I am

still

> staying away from Metrogel). Well, so far so good. No flushing

today (in

> spite of doing a serious spring cleaning, running up and down the

stairs,

> dusting, shampooing the rug, vacuuming, etc. which normally makes,

as any

> physical activity, my face red).

> Here are the ingredients in HerbaCort:

>

> Picea-Abies Butter

> Pine Oil

> Olive Oil

> Vitamin A

> Cheledonium Plant Extract

> Hippophae Plant Extracts (in plural)

> Lavender Oil

> Vitamin F

> Vitamin C1

> White Willow Bark

>

> Now, while the flyer says White Willow Bark, the bottle itself

actually says

> Salicylic Acid. I wonder why this inconsistency? I do remember the

> discussion about these two recently. Do you guys think this is

going to be a

> problem?

> It cost $16.49 (Canadian) which would be about US$10. It is teeny

weeny

> bottle, only 15 g - gee, I am a metric person - an online

conversion tool

> says this is about 0.5 oz and I don't think it will last more then

2 weeks.

> My only gripe is that I would have preferred it to be a little more

liquid

> (for easier application), it does feel somewhat like butter that

you took

> out of the fridge. It is yellowish in colour and I can tell that

the yellow

> does show on my very skin which is very fair. So I guess I will

still have

> to find something as daily moisturizer and stick with this evenings

only. I

> will keep you posted on my progress.

>

> Now, there was a sheet with instructions and more info inside the

box. It

> says:

>

> " Massage deeply into the Acne or cea. This is very important,

because it

> helps antibacterial and antiinflammatory ingredients to penetrate,

it

> stimulates circulation cleansing the area, toning the muscles

(particularly

> facial) and impeding the formation of fat deposits. Common teaching

suggests

> that massaging spreads infection. Our experience proves that the

opposite is

> true. Acne and cea will be reduced with consistent stimulating

massage " .

>

> I wonder why they did not underline that cea is not an

infection??

>

> It says further:

>

> " Both Acne and cea stem mostly from internal causes such as

hormones and

> digestive and dietary imbalances. [Grey Owl, exactly what you said]

> ............ ...... Avoiding the following will almost always

help:

> Margarine, Orange Juice, Apple Juice, Tomato Juice, Strawberries,

Brown and

> Rye Bread, Chocolate Ice Cream, all pop and hot spices. Also, avoid

eating

> cured meats, condiments, alcohol and sweetened sauces. "

>

> (Of course I read this whilst sipping orange juice that I just

brought from

> the grocery store. ).

>

> HerbaLab has a website which I am sure will have some info, too.

(haven't

> looked yet). www.herbalab.com

>

> Alena