Introduction and questions

[Guest guest]

Hi, I'm new to the group but I've been lurking for some time. I've

had rosacea nearly all my life though I didn't know what it was until

about 10 years ago, I'm 43. I can remember as a school girl wondering

why, when I cried, my face would get so terribly red and splotchy then

stay that way for hours. I would try splashing cold water on my face

to hide the fact that I'd been crying, but it never worked. Still

doesn't.

My whole face is affected as well as my ears, neck and chest. They

don't always flare at the same time, but when they do ... wow! People

wince when they see me in that state. I also have ocular rosacea and

have had the exquisite pleasure of having surgery on my eyelid to

remove a chalazion. But that's another story.

Since I've always been red for as long as I can remember, I did not

seek medical attention until I started getting inflammatory nodules -

I hesitate to call them papules, it's too cute a word and Dr. Nase

described them as small. These ain't small. I had little success

with tetracycline and metrogel, so the doctor tried Zithromax and

Noritate and that helped clear up my face considerably. However, I

still break out about once a year in the winter time. Also, my face

is no longer just red. I have acquired a few, small,

seemingly-permanent purple areas on my nose and cheeks. I also flare

frequently. I can't seem to figure out all my triggers, let alone

avoid them. It's time to do something serious.

I've read Dr. Nase's book and found it helpful. I'm very interested

in the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor. Dr. Nase said it was also

effective on psoriasis, a condition with which I am also intimately

acquainted. But, as I understand it, this treatment is not currently

available.

I'm thinking of trying Photofacial but I had no luck with light

treatments for my psoriasis, in fact I think they made me worse, so

I'm a little bit hesitant. But if anyone can recommend a good

Photofacial/Photoderm practitioner in Denver, CO, I would be grateful.

Now, to my questions. Recently I have noticed that, for unknown

reasons, my nose will go stone cold. Stranger still, sometimes it's

only one side of my nose. Has anyone else experienced this? Any idea

what causes this? Also, from time to time, I experience highly

localized flushing, usually in a small, dime-sized area over one of my

cheekbones. The spot will be fire-red and hot while the rest of my

face is relatively calm. This spot will eventually become a papule,

or worse. I'm curious, is this common? I've never read about it.

Thanks for your attention,

Dorothy