Guest guest Posted June 26, 2002 Report Share Posted June 26, 2002 Is anyone out there using elidel??? If so, what results? Is it irritating? JE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 1, 2002 Report Share Posted July 1, 2002 I tried it on right cheek for the first time last night. It did not irritate and my right cheek felt a little calmer than the left as I drifted off to sleep. Too soon to tell, but I will update as I continue using it on the right cheek. Patty > Is anyone out there using elidel??? If so, what results? Is it > irritating? > > JE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 1, 2002 Report Share Posted July 1, 2002 I tried it on right cheek for the first time last night. It did not irritate and my right cheek felt a little calmer than the left as I drifted off to sleep. Too soon to tell, but I will update as I continue using it on the right cheek. Patty > Is anyone out there using elidel??? If so, what results? Is it > irritating? > > JE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 3, 2002 Report Share Posted July 3, 2002 I've been using the Elidel on my right cheek for about 3 nights now. My feeling is that it looks a little smoother, but feels warmer. It's hard to describe. I'm going to keep using it and see what else develops. I think the carrier may be too harsh for rosacea, but the active ingredient is helping any reaction. I have a dr. appt tuesday and am going to ask my doc to compound the active ingredient into my noritate and see if that works. Could be a very big help. Patty > > Is anyone out there using elidel??? If so, what results? Is it > > irritating? > > > > JE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 3, 2002 Report Share Posted July 3, 2002 I've been using the Elidel on my right cheek for about 3 nights now. My feeling is that it looks a little smoother, but feels warmer. It's hard to describe. I'm going to keep using it and see what else develops. I think the carrier may be too harsh for rosacea, but the active ingredient is helping any reaction. I have a dr. appt tuesday and am going to ask my doc to compound the active ingredient into my noritate and see if that works. Could be a very big help. Patty > > Is anyone out there using elidel??? If so, what results? Is it > > irritating? > > > > JE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 3, 2002 Report Share Posted July 3, 2002 please keep us updated on elidel,patty. my derm just called in a prescription at my pharmacy for elidel, too. im a little hopeful yet rather concerned since it's a milder form of protopic (which others on this board have said made their face sting/burn even worse than before.. i guess related to that warm feeling that youre talking about?) he warned me that there might be possible increased photosensitivity too..great just what i need. ive been hiding in my airconditioned house rather than going out into the 102 degree NJ weather anyways though. ive been wanting to go to the beach all summer but for now that seems like a permanent nono. even with sunscreen and hat... i also spoke to my derm about laser but he thinks that im not quite ready...he seemed to think it would realy only do any good if i had telangectasia...but i explained to him how people in this group have found relief from flushing/burning/redness with photoderm and vbeam, even if they didnt have visible veins. he sort of gave me the go- ahead to talk to some laser docs at my own recognizance but is wary and doesnt want me to get scars/hyperpigmentation etc. i guess he's just saying that in my best interest but still...... well, back to the elidel.im thinking of trying some on my earlobe first (it flushes too so i figure i might as well),before experimenting on my face. ill let everyone know how it goes. > > > Is anyone out there using elidel??? If so, what results? Is it > > > irritating? > > > > > > JE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 3, 2002 Report Share Posted July 3, 2002 please keep us updated on elidel,patty. my derm just called in a prescription at my pharmacy for elidel, too. im a little hopeful yet rather concerned since it's a milder form of protopic (which others on this board have said made their face sting/burn even worse than before.. i guess related to that warm feeling that youre talking about?) he warned me that there might be possible increased photosensitivity too..great just what i need. ive been hiding in my airconditioned house rather than going out into the 102 degree NJ weather anyways though. ive been wanting to go to the beach all summer but for now that seems like a permanent nono. even with sunscreen and hat... i also spoke to my derm about laser but he thinks that im not quite ready...he seemed to think it would realy only do any good if i had telangectasia...but i explained to him how people in this group have found relief from flushing/burning/redness with photoderm and vbeam, even if they didnt have visible veins. he sort of gave me the go- ahead to talk to some laser docs at my own recognizance but is wary and doesnt want me to get scars/hyperpigmentation etc. i guess he's just saying that in my best interest but still...... well, back to the elidel.im thinking of trying some on my earlobe first (it flushes too so i figure i might as well),before experimenting on my face. ill let everyone know how it goes. > > > Is anyone out there using elidel??? If so, what results? Is it > > > irritating? > > > > > > JE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 3, 2002 Report Share Posted July 3, 2002 has the elidel affected redness in any way, positive or negative? > > > Is anyone out there using elidel??? If so, what results? Is it > > > irritating? > > > > > > JE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 3, 2002 Report Share Posted July 3, 2002 has the elidel affected redness in any way, positive or negative? > > > Is anyone out there using elidel??? If so, what results? Is it > > > irritating? > > > > > > JE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 3, 2002 Report Share Posted July 3, 2002 , as best as I recall you describe your skin as pre-rosacean, not even mild rosacea. You have easy blushing and skin sensitivity, right? So why are you talking about trying treatments for moderate/severe rosacea -- what am I missing? Marjorie Marjorie Lazoff, MD > > > > Is anyone out there using elidel??? If so, what results? Is > it > > > > irritating? > > > > > > > > JE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 3, 2002 Report Share Posted July 3, 2002 , as best as I recall you describe your skin as pre-rosacean, not even mild rosacea. You have easy blushing and skin sensitivity, right? So why are you talking about trying treatments for moderate/severe rosacea -- what am I missing? Marjorie Marjorie Lazoff, MD > > > > Is anyone out there using elidel??? If so, what results? Is > it > > > > irritating? > > > > > > > > JE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 3, 2002 Report Share Posted July 3, 2002 Hi marjorie, (sorry,everyoen else can skip this cuz i'm sure youve heard it all before!) Nope i'm not prerosacea..i used to be (always was an easy blusher)and had sensitive skin but last summer when i got a chemical peel (20% salicylic acid...ahhh) for some acne on my forehead (yes stupid stupid stupid,but no one told me what seroius consequences it could have!) it propelled me into real rosacea. prior to that i never even flushed from cold or hot (well, once in awhile if i was dancing in a 100 degree room ,yes maybe) but according to dr. nase;s " stages " , i would describe myself as mild but getting increasingly moderate now, because i have an overall flourescent pink cast to my entire face all the time no matter what but is redder in certain spots (And gets much redder when flushing). i'd describe my flushing as moderate though,since i wake up flushed, go to sleep flushed, and throb/pulse throughout the day with every so often burning sensations for no reason. walking in 60 degree weather with moderate sun (wearing zinco and visor) will make me flush after 5 minutes. grr. i flush to everything, and my forehead,nose,cheeks, ears,all flush by themselves spontaneously at any given time of day. or else the entire face, and many times in the day. throw in a bit of mild ocular rosacea too. anyways, during the school year i did have papules, but change of diet, more sleep,( and possibly sulfacet) got rid of them. anyhow, i WISH i coudl say i was prerosacea but im really not.. but when you say " trying treatments for moderate/severe rosacea " ...doesnt dr nase recommend getting laser in the milder stages anyway,in order to nip it in the bud before even more damage occurs? > > > > > Is anyone out there using elidel??? If so, what results? Is > > it > > > > > irritating? > > > > > > > > > > JE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 3, 2002 Report Share Posted July 3, 2002 Hi marjorie, (sorry,everyoen else can skip this cuz i'm sure youve heard it all before!) Nope i'm not prerosacea..i used to be (always was an easy blusher)and had sensitive skin but last summer when i got a chemical peel (20% salicylic acid...ahhh) for some acne on my forehead (yes stupid stupid stupid,but no one told me what seroius consequences it could have!) it propelled me into real rosacea. prior to that i never even flushed from cold or hot (well, once in awhile if i was dancing in a 100 degree room ,yes maybe) but according to dr. nase;s " stages " , i would describe myself as mild but getting increasingly moderate now, because i have an overall flourescent pink cast to my entire face all the time no matter what but is redder in certain spots (And gets much redder when flushing). i'd describe my flushing as moderate though,since i wake up flushed, go to sleep flushed, and throb/pulse throughout the day with every so often burning sensations for no reason. walking in 60 degree weather with moderate sun (wearing zinco and visor) will make me flush after 5 minutes. grr. i flush to everything, and my forehead,nose,cheeks, ears,all flush by themselves spontaneously at any given time of day. or else the entire face, and many times in the day. throw in a bit of mild ocular rosacea too. anyways, during the school year i did have papules, but change of diet, more sleep,( and possibly sulfacet) got rid of them. anyhow, i WISH i coudl say i was prerosacea but im really not.. but when you say " trying treatments for moderate/severe rosacea " ...doesnt dr nase recommend getting laser in the milder stages anyway,in order to nip it in the bud before even more damage occurs? > > > > > Is anyone out there using elidel??? If so, what results? Is > > it > > > > > irritating? > > > > > > > > > > JE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 4, 2002 Report Share Posted July 4, 2002 , 20% salicylic acid could certainly worsen skin sensitivity and result in a significant irritative contact dermatitis, but that should ultimately resolve. I don't see a relationship between the vascular/flushing changes in rosacea (which reside in the dermal layer) and a chemical peel (which involves only the uppermost portions of the epidermal layer). Of course, your pre-rosacea may be advancing independent of the chemical peel, and you well may be at Stage I -- your dermatologist can tell you. One thought: are you absolutely certain that the pinkishness with red areas you described is vascular and not irritation from something you're applying on your skin? I'm convinced that Less is More for sensitive skins like ours. In fact, I was amazed what happens to my face when I recently went 24-36 hours without putting anything on my face -- no cleanser, no sunblock, no water, nothing -- how what I was certain was permanent redness just faded away, how smooth my skin became. Yes, Dr. Nase does talk about early laser therapy. ly, I don't know what to say about that. In his book he didn't offer any independent evidence that laser therapy of any kind favorably affects blood flow or vessels in any stage of rosacea (other than zapping spiders), and I couldn't find any on my own -- that's what several of us have been talking about, that all of his evidence comes from practitioners who have a clear bias in favor of treatment. From a medical perspective that's fine -- except that it defines laser therapy for flushing as an experimental procedure, it's all theory and conjecture at this point, awaiting independent verification. Many excellent therapies were first identified this way, but more commonly the initial results do not hold up to unbiased testing. At least, future studies will provide us with more information on risks vs benefits, who is likely to do well or poorly. It sounds like you're already doing the low-risk things that are likely to provide the greatest long term benefit: insure that you avoid anything that irritates your skin, avoid your flushing triggers as best you can -- you're not going to be able to do much, no one can, but avoid what you can -- and use sunblock all the time. There may not be anything more that you can do. (I didn't do any of those things at your age, I just started in my mid-forties, so you're doing well! <g>) It sounds like you're most concerned about your flushing. I wouldn't think that biofeedback can interrupt the automatic control of blood vessel dilation or blood flow, but keep us posted on what you learn. Alternatively, you may do well with medications that help with flushing -- there's different classes of medications. Have you tried any of them? But MOST important: are you absolutely certain that your crying and feelings of insecurity aren't part of a depression making you feel more miserable about blushing/flushing than is appropriate? The greatest sin is to ignore a treatable depression. (Of course, the second greatest sin is overdiagnosing a depression when it's just young person's angst. <g>) Seriously, whatever is going on, I don't want to lose sight of the important stuff -- you -- amidst all this less important stuff about your showerhead or Elidel or skin care products or Dr. Nase or biofeedback. Take care. Marjorie Marjorie Lazoff, MD > > > > > > Is anyone out there using elidel??? If so, what results? > Is > > > it > > > > > > irritating? > > > > > > > > > > > > JE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 4, 2002 Report Share Posted July 4, 2002 , 20% salicylic acid could certainly worsen skin sensitivity and result in a significant irritative contact dermatitis, but that should ultimately resolve. I don't see a relationship between the vascular/flushing changes in rosacea (which reside in the dermal layer) and a chemical peel (which involves only the uppermost portions of the epidermal layer). Of course, your pre-rosacea may be advancing independent of the chemical peel, and you well may be at Stage I -- your dermatologist can tell you. One thought: are you absolutely certain that the pinkishness with red areas you described is vascular and not irritation from something you're applying on your skin? I'm convinced that Less is More for sensitive skins like ours. In fact, I was amazed what happens to my face when I recently went 24-36 hours without putting anything on my face -- no cleanser, no sunblock, no water, nothing -- how what I was certain was permanent redness just faded away, how smooth my skin became. Yes, Dr. Nase does talk about early laser therapy. ly, I don't know what to say about that. In his book he didn't offer any independent evidence that laser therapy of any kind favorably affects blood flow or vessels in any stage of rosacea (other than zapping spiders), and I couldn't find any on my own -- that's what several of us have been talking about, that all of his evidence comes from practitioners who have a clear bias in favor of treatment. From a medical perspective that's fine -- except that it defines laser therapy for flushing as an experimental procedure, it's all theory and conjecture at this point, awaiting independent verification. Many excellent therapies were first identified this way, but more commonly the initial results do not hold up to unbiased testing. At least, future studies will provide us with more information on risks vs benefits, who is likely to do well or poorly. It sounds like you're already doing the low-risk things that are likely to provide the greatest long term benefit: insure that you avoid anything that irritates your skin, avoid your flushing triggers as best you can -- you're not going to be able to do much, no one can, but avoid what you can -- and use sunblock all the time. There may not be anything more that you can do. (I didn't do any of those things at your age, I just started in my mid-forties, so you're doing well! <g>) It sounds like you're most concerned about your flushing. I wouldn't think that biofeedback can interrupt the automatic control of blood vessel dilation or blood flow, but keep us posted on what you learn. Alternatively, you may do well with medications that help with flushing -- there's different classes of medications. Have you tried any of them? But MOST important: are you absolutely certain that your crying and feelings of insecurity aren't part of a depression making you feel more miserable about blushing/flushing than is appropriate? The greatest sin is to ignore a treatable depression. (Of course, the second greatest sin is overdiagnosing a depression when it's just young person's angst. <g>) Seriously, whatever is going on, I don't want to lose sight of the important stuff -- you -- amidst all this less important stuff about your showerhead or Elidel or skin care products or Dr. Nase or biofeedback. Take care. Marjorie Marjorie Lazoff, MD > > > > > > Is anyone out there using elidel??? If so, what results? > Is > > > it > > > > > > irritating? > > > > > > > > > > > > JE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 4, 2002 Report Share Posted July 4, 2002 Hi Marjorie, i appreciate your looking out for my best interests (mental state, etc.) but I am positive the pinkness isnt contact dermatitis because if anything, places such as my forehead were not even permanently pink at all until many bouts of isolated forehead flushing caused by who knows what. somethign also causes my nose to swell when i am even slightly hot. as far as the chemical peel,mine was called a beta lift, and the aesthetician told me it would go into the deepest layers of my skin and " change the structure of my skin " so that i would be less pimple-prone (at the time i had clear skin on every part of my face but my forehead and sometimes chin, i will never forgive that derm for recommending that facial!) anyhow, during the peel i was suppsoed to feel a " fire " going down into my pores and o,fire i felt. like someone was burning my skin,and the nerves underneath. dr. nase warns that chemical peels CAN permanently change the microvessel structure underneath the skin . and then flushing will add to the damage as well as growth of inflammatory shunt vessels, etc. i also received an email from other member of the group whose tendency to blush turned into full-blown rosacea after a chemical peel. and youre right, the 2 red areas that i had on top of the overall pinkness of my face were probably contact dermatitis from an enzyme peel i got (this was what ultimately precipitated the direct onset of rosacea, after the damage of the beta lift had been done) . they diminished with time (a few months) . but if anything, the overall pinkness is growing as i flush more an dmore. i cant explain why my ears are always pink now, since the peel did not affect that area,but i guess there's a whole bunch of things going on under my skin that we cant see or explain. you also said " But MOST important: are you absolutely certain that your crying and > feelings of insecurity aren't part of a depression making you feel > more miserable about blushing/flushing than is appropriate? The > greatest sin is to ignore a treatable depression. " as pink as i am, i may be feeling worse about it than i should be, but thats one of the reasons why im seeing a therapist now in the first place. i think its also sort of expected...i feel like my lifestyle has made a complete 180.i really cannot participate in any sort of physical activitiy at all without becoming flushed. (even doing 2 situps or yoga..which i used to do in the beginnign stages of my rosacea for stress relief, when i didnt flush to everything and anything). ive given up the beach, dancing, occassional clubbing/drinking with my friends , swimming, being in the sun,and many other activities i enjoy because my primary goal is not to exacerbate my condition. but mainly, those activities cause me great physical discomfort in my face. i shouldnt be letting rosacea control my life but unfortunately it is. im assuming tahts the main reason you were concerned about me. the only activities i feel i can really participate in nowadays are working, studying, reading, watching movies/tv ,and talking. not much huh.all with an airconditioner on full blast or a fan in front of my face. i'm sure i would be perfectly satisfied with this if i were my mother's age (coming from a rather physically inactive family this is fine for us, i dont know about you active folks!) but its really hard abstaining from all my favorite activities and knowing my friends are out having a good time without me. sometimes i feel guilty for caring so much, i mean a great deal of it is probably vanity, but i think about people in the 1700s who had rosacea and most likely didnt think twice about it because a) they probably worked 15 hours in afactory all day and their main focus was to make enough money to survive b)didnt have access to mirrors everywhere, and c)didnt have much leisure time to give up in the first place. oh and d) werent attacked from all sides with magazines and billboards and movie star photos! i feel if i had kids or a really demanding job, then i would have something other to focus my time on rather than me personally. i guess im just selfish! but unfortunately, im not married.i dont have a " significant other " . its especially hard havng rosacea at a time when you are judged solely and utterly by your looks by a vast majority of your peers. its also hard looking like a freak among my race. in the asian community, where everyoen else is yellow i am bright pink, that garners me strange looks, which obviously i am really insecure about. i dont know if you know this,but most asians HATE having any pink at all in their faces. not a single one of my asian friends would ever consider even wearing blush. i can honestly say, self-esteemwise, this condition wouldnt bother me half as much if i were caucasian, simply because there are tons of peachy or pink-undertoned people in the world. then again the physical discomfort of the flushing will always be there. but nevertheless, the reasons i described above are all why i sought out a therapist. and thanks for recommending medications such as clonodine...i have yet to speak to my doctor about them but as i remember from reading in the archives, they only work for nerve-mediated flushing (which i have control of as long as i keep my emotions in check), and didnt work for people's nose flushing and many other spontaneous flushings. (my main problem) thanks for caring majorie, > > > > > > > Is anyone out there using elidel??? If so, what > results? > > Is > > > > it > > > > > > > irritating? > > > > > > > > > > > > > > JE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 4, 2002 Report Share Posted July 4, 2002 Hi Marjorie, i appreciate your looking out for my best interests (mental state, etc.) but I am positive the pinkness isnt contact dermatitis because if anything, places such as my forehead were not even permanently pink at all until many bouts of isolated forehead flushing caused by who knows what. somethign also causes my nose to swell when i am even slightly hot. as far as the chemical peel,mine was called a beta lift, and the aesthetician told me it would go into the deepest layers of my skin and " change the structure of my skin " so that i would be less pimple-prone (at the time i had clear skin on every part of my face but my forehead and sometimes chin, i will never forgive that derm for recommending that facial!) anyhow, during the peel i was suppsoed to feel a " fire " going down into my pores and o,fire i felt. like someone was burning my skin,and the nerves underneath. dr. nase warns that chemical peels CAN permanently change the microvessel structure underneath the skin . and then flushing will add to the damage as well as growth of inflammatory shunt vessels, etc. i also received an email from other member of the group whose tendency to blush turned into full-blown rosacea after a chemical peel. and youre right, the 2 red areas that i had on top of the overall pinkness of my face were probably contact dermatitis from an enzyme peel i got (this was what ultimately precipitated the direct onset of rosacea, after the damage of the beta lift had been done) . they diminished with time (a few months) . but if anything, the overall pinkness is growing as i flush more an dmore. i cant explain why my ears are always pink now, since the peel did not affect that area,but i guess there's a whole bunch of things going on under my skin that we cant see or explain. you also said " But MOST important: are you absolutely certain that your crying and > feelings of insecurity aren't part of a depression making you feel > more miserable about blushing/flushing than is appropriate? The > greatest sin is to ignore a treatable depression. " as pink as i am, i may be feeling worse about it than i should be, but thats one of the reasons why im seeing a therapist now in the first place. i think its also sort of expected...i feel like my lifestyle has made a complete 180.i really cannot participate in any sort of physical activitiy at all without becoming flushed. (even doing 2 situps or yoga..which i used to do in the beginnign stages of my rosacea for stress relief, when i didnt flush to everything and anything). ive given up the beach, dancing, occassional clubbing/drinking with my friends , swimming, being in the sun,and many other activities i enjoy because my primary goal is not to exacerbate my condition. but mainly, those activities cause me great physical discomfort in my face. i shouldnt be letting rosacea control my life but unfortunately it is. im assuming tahts the main reason you were concerned about me. the only activities i feel i can really participate in nowadays are working, studying, reading, watching movies/tv ,and talking. not much huh.all with an airconditioner on full blast or a fan in front of my face. i'm sure i would be perfectly satisfied with this if i were my mother's age (coming from a rather physically inactive family this is fine for us, i dont know about you active folks!) but its really hard abstaining from all my favorite activities and knowing my friends are out having a good time without me. sometimes i feel guilty for caring so much, i mean a great deal of it is probably vanity, but i think about people in the 1700s who had rosacea and most likely didnt think twice about it because a) they probably worked 15 hours in afactory all day and their main focus was to make enough money to survive b)didnt have access to mirrors everywhere, and c)didnt have much leisure time to give up in the first place. oh and d) werent attacked from all sides with magazines and billboards and movie star photos! i feel if i had kids or a really demanding job, then i would have something other to focus my time on rather than me personally. i guess im just selfish! but unfortunately, im not married.i dont have a " significant other " . its especially hard havng rosacea at a time when you are judged solely and utterly by your looks by a vast majority of your peers. its also hard looking like a freak among my race. in the asian community, where everyoen else is yellow i am bright pink, that garners me strange looks, which obviously i am really insecure about. i dont know if you know this,but most asians HATE having any pink at all in their faces. not a single one of my asian friends would ever consider even wearing blush. i can honestly say, self-esteemwise, this condition wouldnt bother me half as much if i were caucasian, simply because there are tons of peachy or pink-undertoned people in the world. then again the physical discomfort of the flushing will always be there. but nevertheless, the reasons i described above are all why i sought out a therapist. and thanks for recommending medications such as clonodine...i have yet to speak to my doctor about them but as i remember from reading in the archives, they only work for nerve-mediated flushing (which i have control of as long as i keep my emotions in check), and didnt work for people's nose flushing and many other spontaneous flushings. (my main problem) thanks for caring majorie, > > > > > > > Is anyone out there using elidel??? If so, what > results? > > Is > > > > it > > > > > > > irritating? > > > > > > > > > > > > > > JE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 5, 2002 Report Share Posted July 5, 2002 , you haven't described anything to me that rules out the pinkness as inflammatory. (Note that irritative contact dermatitis is not the same thing as contact dermatitis). If your pinkness isn't inflammatory, then why is your doctor prescribing Eidel? You aren't describing any other inflammatory component, and Eidel isn't used for the vascular components of rosacea. You were not given accurate information if you were told that a beta peel would permanently change the structure of your skin. The basal (innermost) layer of the epidemis does increase turnover of new skin cells when the corneal (uppermost) layer of the epidemis is destroyed, as with a peel. But that's only temporary; it's permanent only if one continually uses an exfoliating product, which we rosaceans aren't likely to do and may well not be a good thing for anyone anyway. > i shouldnt be letting rosacea control my life but unfortunately it > is...(and the paragraph that follows) It can be painful to recognize that rosacea is controlling your life, but it's actually a very hopeful kind of insight. See if you can stop there, at that insight, and avoid the slippery slope, the tumbling down into the abyss of feeling guilty about it, feeling you are selfish, feeling like you should be doing or not doing something that you are or aren't doing. Also, think about whether curing rosacea will deal with the issues and feelings that makes rosacea so important in your life. If you find the miracle cure, will those same issues and feelings still be there within you? I appreciate your perspective as an Asian with rosacea. Doesn't sound like the reverse of caucasians " turning japanese " which for us is a positive phrase. <g> Seriously, there's nothing any of us can do about other people's prejudices, unless a part of us secretly shares the same prejudice, which causes harsh self-judgment on top of everything else. Ultimately, each of us is our own person, and our skin color -- natural or the result of a medical condition -- is our own. At some point, consider talking with your primary care physician about a number of different medications to help you with flushing, some of which may also help your social phobia and possible depression. I wouldn't be so concerned about mechanism of actions or what kinds of flushing you feel you can or can't control. Talk it all over with your medical doctor, since there are several options. Best of luck to you, and keep us posted as the summer progresses. Marjorie Marjorie Lazoff, MD > Hi Marjorie, > > i appreciate your looking out for my best interests (mental state, > etc.) but I am positive the pinkness isnt contact dermatitis because > if anything, places such as my forehead were not even permanently > pink at all until many bouts of isolated forehead flushing caused by > who knows what. somethign also causes my nose to swell when i am even > slightly hot. as far as the chemical peel,mine was called a beta > lift, and the aesthetician told me it would go into the deepest > layers of my skin and " change the structure of my skin " so that i > would be less pimple-prone (at the time i had clear skin on every > part of my face but my forehead and sometimes chin, i will never > forgive that derm for recommending that facial!) anyhow, during the > peel i was suppsoed to feel a " fire " going down into my pores and > o,fire i felt. like someone was burning my skin,and the nerves > underneath. dr. nase warns that chemical peels CAN permanently > change the microvessel structure underneath the skin . and then > flushing will add to the damage as well as growth of inflammatory > shunt vessels, etc. i also received an email from other member of > the group whose tendency to blush turned into full-blown rosacea > after a chemical peel. and youre right, the 2 red areas that i had on > top of the overall pinkness of my face were probably contact > dermatitis from an enzyme peel i got (this was what ultimately > precipitated the direct onset of rosacea, after the damage of the > beta lift had been done) . they diminished with time (a few months) . > but if anything, the overall pinkness is growing as i flush more an > dmore. i cant explain why my ears are always pink now, since the peel > did not affect that area,but i guess there's a whole bunch of things > going on under my skin that we cant see or explain. > > you also said " But MOST important: are you absolutely certain that > your crying and > > feelings of insecurity aren't part of a depression making you feel > > more miserable about blushing/flushing than is appropriate? The > > greatest sin is to ignore a treatable depression. " > > as pink as i am, i may be feeling worse about it than i should be, > but thats one of the reasons why im seeing a therapist now in the > first place. i think its also sort of expected...i feel like my > lifestyle has made a complete 180.i really cannot participate in any > sort of physical activitiy at all without becoming flushed. (even > doing 2 situps or yoga..which i used to do in the beginnign stages of > my rosacea for stress relief, when i didnt flush to everything and > anything). ive given up the beach, dancing, occassional > clubbing/drinking with my friends , swimming, being in the sun,and > many other activities i enjoy because my primary goal is not to > exacerbate my condition. but mainly, those activities cause me great > physical discomfort in my face. i shouldnt be letting rosacea control > my life but unfortunately it is. im assuming tahts the main reason > you were concerned about me. the only activities i feel i can really > participate in nowadays are working, studying, reading, watching > movies/tv ,and talking. not much huh.all with an airconditioner on > full blast or a fan in front of my face. i'm sure i would be > perfectly satisfied with this if i were my mother's age (coming from > a rather physically inactive family this is fine for us, i dont know > about you active folks!) but its really hard abstaining from all my > favorite activities and knowing my friends are out having a good time > without me. sometimes i feel guilty for caring so much, i mean a > great deal of it is probably vanity, but i think about people in the > 1700s who had rosacea and most likely didnt think twice about it > because a) they probably worked 15 hours in afactory all day and > their main focus was to make enough money to survive b)didnt have > access to mirrors everywhere, and c)didnt have much leisure time to > give up in the first place. oh and d) werent attacked from all sides > with magazines and billboards and movie star photos! i feel if i had > kids or a really demanding job, then i would have something other to > focus my time on rather than me personally. i guess im just selfish! > but unfortunately, im not married.i dont have a " significant other " . > its especially hard havng rosacea at a time when you are judged > solely and utterly by your looks by a vast majority of your peers. > its also hard looking like a freak among my race. in the asian > community, where everyoen else is yellow i am bright pink, that > garners me strange looks, which obviously i am really insecure about. > i dont know if you know this,but most asians HATE having any pink at > all in their faces. not a single one of my asian friends would ever > consider even wearing blush. > i can honestly say, self-esteemwise, this condition wouldnt bother me > half as much if i were caucasian, simply because there are tons of > peachy or pink-undertoned people in the world. then again the > physical discomfort of the flushing will always be there. but > nevertheless, the reasons i described above are all why i sought out > a therapist. > > and thanks for recommending medications such as clonodine...i have > yet to speak to my doctor about them but as i remember from reading > in the archives, they only work for nerve-mediated flushing (which i > have control of as long as i keep my emotions in check), and didnt > work for people's nose flushing and many other spontaneous flushings. > (my main problem) > > thanks for caring majorie, > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 5, 2002 Report Share Posted July 5, 2002 , you haven't described anything to me that rules out the pinkness as inflammatory. (Note that irritative contact dermatitis is not the same thing as contact dermatitis). If your pinkness isn't inflammatory, then why is your doctor prescribing Eidel? You aren't describing any other inflammatory component, and Eidel isn't used for the vascular components of rosacea. You were not given accurate information if you were told that a beta peel would permanently change the structure of your skin. The basal (innermost) layer of the epidemis does increase turnover of new skin cells when the corneal (uppermost) layer of the epidemis is destroyed, as with a peel. But that's only temporary; it's permanent only if one continually uses an exfoliating product, which we rosaceans aren't likely to do and may well not be a good thing for anyone anyway. > i shouldnt be letting rosacea control my life but unfortunately it > is...(and the paragraph that follows) It can be painful to recognize that rosacea is controlling your life, but it's actually a very hopeful kind of insight. See if you can stop there, at that insight, and avoid the slippery slope, the tumbling down into the abyss of feeling guilty about it, feeling you are selfish, feeling like you should be doing or not doing something that you are or aren't doing. Also, think about whether curing rosacea will deal with the issues and feelings that makes rosacea so important in your life. If you find the miracle cure, will those same issues and feelings still be there within you? I appreciate your perspective as an Asian with rosacea. Doesn't sound like the reverse of caucasians " turning japanese " which for us is a positive phrase. <g> Seriously, there's nothing any of us can do about other people's prejudices, unless a part of us secretly shares the same prejudice, which causes harsh self-judgment on top of everything else. Ultimately, each of us is our own person, and our skin color -- natural or the result of a medical condition -- is our own. At some point, consider talking with your primary care physician about a number of different medications to help you with flushing, some of which may also help your social phobia and possible depression. I wouldn't be so concerned about mechanism of actions or what kinds of flushing you feel you can or can't control. Talk it all over with your medical doctor, since there are several options. Best of luck to you, and keep us posted as the summer progresses. Marjorie Marjorie Lazoff, MD > Hi Marjorie, > > i appreciate your looking out for my best interests (mental state, > etc.) but I am positive the pinkness isnt contact dermatitis because > if anything, places such as my forehead were not even permanently > pink at all until many bouts of isolated forehead flushing caused by > who knows what. somethign also causes my nose to swell when i am even > slightly hot. as far as the chemical peel,mine was called a beta > lift, and the aesthetician told me it would go into the deepest > layers of my skin and " change the structure of my skin " so that i > would be less pimple-prone (at the time i had clear skin on every > part of my face but my forehead and sometimes chin, i will never > forgive that derm for recommending that facial!) anyhow, during the > peel i was suppsoed to feel a " fire " going down into my pores and > o,fire i felt. like someone was burning my skin,and the nerves > underneath. dr. nase warns that chemical peels CAN permanently > change the microvessel structure underneath the skin . and then > flushing will add to the damage as well as growth of inflammatory > shunt vessels, etc. i also received an email from other member of > the group whose tendency to blush turned into full-blown rosacea > after a chemical peel. and youre right, the 2 red areas that i had on > top of the overall pinkness of my face were probably contact > dermatitis from an enzyme peel i got (this was what ultimately > precipitated the direct onset of rosacea, after the damage of the > beta lift had been done) . they diminished with time (a few months) . > but if anything, the overall pinkness is growing as i flush more an > dmore. i cant explain why my ears are always pink now, since the peel > did not affect that area,but i guess there's a whole bunch of things > going on under my skin that we cant see or explain. > > you also said " But MOST important: are you absolutely certain that > your crying and > > feelings of insecurity aren't part of a depression making you feel > > more miserable about blushing/flushing than is appropriate? The > > greatest sin is to ignore a treatable depression. " > > as pink as i am, i may be feeling worse about it than i should be, > but thats one of the reasons why im seeing a therapist now in the > first place. i think its also sort of expected...i feel like my > lifestyle has made a complete 180.i really cannot participate in any > sort of physical activitiy at all without becoming flushed. (even > doing 2 situps or yoga..which i used to do in the beginnign stages of > my rosacea for stress relief, when i didnt flush to everything and > anything). ive given up the beach, dancing, occassional > clubbing/drinking with my friends , swimming, being in the sun,and > many other activities i enjoy because my primary goal is not to > exacerbate my condition. but mainly, those activities cause me great > physical discomfort in my face. i shouldnt be letting rosacea control > my life but unfortunately it is. im assuming tahts the main reason > you were concerned about me. the only activities i feel i can really > participate in nowadays are working, studying, reading, watching > movies/tv ,and talking. not much huh.all with an airconditioner on > full blast or a fan in front of my face. i'm sure i would be > perfectly satisfied with this if i were my mother's age (coming from > a rather physically inactive family this is fine for us, i dont know > about you active folks!) but its really hard abstaining from all my > favorite activities and knowing my friends are out having a good time > without me. sometimes i feel guilty for caring so much, i mean a > great deal of it is probably vanity, but i think about people in the > 1700s who had rosacea and most likely didnt think twice about it > because a) they probably worked 15 hours in afactory all day and > their main focus was to make enough money to survive b)didnt have > access to mirrors everywhere, and c)didnt have much leisure time to > give up in the first place. oh and d) werent attacked from all sides > with magazines and billboards and movie star photos! i feel if i had > kids or a really demanding job, then i would have something other to > focus my time on rather than me personally. i guess im just selfish! > but unfortunately, im not married.i dont have a " significant other " . > its especially hard havng rosacea at a time when you are judged > solely and utterly by your looks by a vast majority of your peers. > its also hard looking like a freak among my race. in the asian > community, where everyoen else is yellow i am bright pink, that > garners me strange looks, which obviously i am really insecure about. > i dont know if you know this,but most asians HATE having any pink at > all in their faces. not a single one of my asian friends would ever > consider even wearing blush. > i can honestly say, self-esteemwise, this condition wouldnt bother me > half as much if i were caucasian, simply because there are tons of > peachy or pink-undertoned people in the world. then again the > physical discomfort of the flushing will always be there. but > nevertheless, the reasons i described above are all why i sought out > a therapist. > > and thanks for recommending medications such as clonodine...i have > yet to speak to my doctor about them but as i remember from reading > in the archives, they only work for nerve-mediated flushing (which i > have control of as long as i keep my emotions in check), and didnt > work for people's nose flushing and many other spontaneous flushings. > (my main problem) > > thanks for caring majorie, > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.