a Begoun's Newsletter

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I just received her email newsletter and both questions pertained to

rosacea. I thought they might be helpful to pass along.

DEAR PAULA

Dear a,

I have rosacea with dry flaky skin, though my skin used to be quite

oily. With cold winter weather here, I recently started experimenting

with different foundations to try and find one that would moisturize

and protect my skin from the cold and wind (which exacerbate my

rosacea). I tried Bobbi Brown's Moisturizing Foundation, but found

that after using it for a short while my skin became more red and

flaky. Obviously there is something in the makeup or sunscreen

ingredients that may aggravate rosacea. One woman at the

cosmetics counter told me anything with oil in it could make the

condition worse.

Are you aware if oils make rosacea worse? If so, what suggestions do

you have for fighting dryness? Are there any particular sunscreens,

moisturizers, or foundations you might suggest? Thanks so much for

any suggestions you might have. I've been reading your books (and

diligently following your advice) for years. With all the products on

the market, and the myriad claims, I appreciate having a voice of

reason to help guide me to the best products.

, via e-mail

Dear ,

There is nothing specific about oils (other than fragrant oils) that

makes them problematic for someone with rosacea. Several factors can

make rosacea worse but these are not the same for everyone, as many

people have different reactions to the same ingredient or external

elements. Typically rosacea is exacerbated by hot liquids, spicy

foods, exposure to extreme temperatures (including cooking over a hot

stove), alcohol consumption, sunlight, stress, saunas, hot tubs,

smoking, rubbing or massaging the skin, irritating

cosmetics, and anything else that overstimulates the skin and blood

vessels.

cea symptoms can also be made worse by AHAs, Retin-A, Renova,

Differin, and exfoliants of any kind, including scrubs and

washcloths. In terms of skin care there is no absolute rule, but

generally eliminating the use of irritating ingredients such as

peppermint, alcohol, fragrance, citrus, eucalyptus, and the like can

help. Plus, the fewer products you use, and the fewer the ingredients

in each, the happier rosacea-afflicted skin is going to

be. The bottom line is that if you have rosacea (or any skin

sensitivity) it takes experimentation to find products that work for

you.

Dear a,

I have rosacea and have had four Photoderm laser treatments by a top

dermatologist in the Houston area. After the fourth treatment, I was

quite discouraged, as the veins on my nose still showed, and overall

I still had a great deal of pinkness. I went to her about it, and she

test-patched the side of my nose with a stronger laser setting. The

veins are still there, and I still look sunburned.

I have now moved to a midwestern city. They still seem to be

discovering current beauty treatments here and there isn't a

Photoderm laser to be found. I am also seriously questioning whether

this treatment is viable for rosacea. At $1,600 later, I'm not too

keen about trying the supposedly magic fifth treatment anyway!

What do you suggest for me? If you say Photoderm is still an option,

is there a way I can find out (other than the yellow pages) who is

professionally certified in it where I live? I don't have a problem

with breakouts, so my MetroGel doesn't do a lot for me.

Frustrated in St Louis

Dear Frustrated,

Although I don't have rosacea I do have some surface capillaries on

my face, and I was disappointed with the results of the Photoderm as

well (though I have only had two treatments). While it does take

several treatments to see results (four are recommended) not everyone

gets the great results you've heard about. According to an article in

the April 1999 issue of the Journal of Cutaneous Laser Therapy, " A

total of 200 patients were treated with an intense pulsed light

source (PhotoDerm VL) using various treatment

parameters. The patients were treated for facial veins (primarily

telangiectasia), facial hemangiomas, rosacea and port wine stains.

Results:

Of the 188 patients who returned for follow-up after 2 months, 174

achieved 75% to 100% clearance in one to four treatment sessions. The

post-treatment side effects were minimal and well tolerated by the

patients. There were no instances of scarring or other permanent side

effects. " While that statistic is impressive, there were still 26

people who weren't happy with their results. Statistically it was

wise for you to consider this treatment, but after four sessions it

is clearly not one that will work for you (assuming of

course that the physician you saw knew what she was doing).

There are other options for your skin, but they involve deeper laser

resurfacing. You would need to discuss this with a plastic surgeon or

dermatologist with a well-established practice in working with

lasers. To find one in your area refer to

http://www.plasticsurgery.org (The American Society of Plastic

Surgeons) or http://www.aad.org/DermProfile/index.html

(American Academy of Dermatology).

One other point: You seem to be under the assumption that MetroGel is

meant to treat " breakouts, " and that is not the case. MetroGel is

meant to deal with the symptoms (and theoretically the source of the

problem) for rosacea. Whether it is redness, flaking, enlarged pores,

or breakouts, MetroGel (active ingredient: metronidazole) should be

considered as an option.

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