scared of laser? me too! so here's plan A

July 22, 2002

i'd like to get rid of rosacea without expensive and iffy laser

treatment.

for what it is worth, after hours of internet research, i believe the

chronic redness i have been experiencing is due to chronic venous

insufficiency. serious circulation problems related to legs run in my

mother's side of the family.

since i'm already on periostat antibiotic (i am just a mess, lol) i

just doubled the dose to get rid of the redness. (40 mg every 12

hrs). i'm sure that's the minimum dose for me because the redness

returns at the 11th hour. i use topical erythromycin at night after

washing my face. i use spf 70 in before going into the daylight.

I use veinish to reduce the visibility of veins that are showing up

now that the redness is gone. it works, but you need to keep using it

so it is not a " permanent cure " .

So, now I've added ginko biloba to my routine to help circulation and

am ordering horse chestnut to replace the ginko biloba asap. i've

read that horse chestnut can help " fix " the circulation problem

causing the redness in the first place. hopefully that means i'll be

able to stop this routine someday.

any comments would be welcome on horse chestnut experience. i've

heard that it is totally without side effects.

i've been clear for a few weeks now, i was very depressed when i

joined this group. it has really helped me to have you to turn to for

advice and comfort. :-)

thanks,

diane

July 22, 2002

i'd like to get rid of rosacea without expensive and iffy laser

treatment.

for what it is worth, after hours of internet research, i believe the

chronic redness i have been experiencing is due to chronic venous

insufficiency. serious circulation problems related to legs run in my

mother's side of the family.

since i'm already on periostat antibiotic (i am just a mess, lol) i

just doubled the dose to get rid of the redness. (40 mg every 12

hrs). i'm sure that's the minimum dose for me because the redness

returns at the 11th hour. i use topical erythromycin at night after

washing my face. i use spf 70 in before going into the daylight.

I use veinish to reduce the visibility of veins that are showing up

now that the redness is gone. it works, but you need to keep using it

so it is not a " permanent cure " .

So, now I've added ginko biloba to my routine to help circulation and

am ordering horse chestnut to replace the ginko biloba asap. i've

read that horse chestnut can help " fix " the circulation problem

causing the redness in the first place. hopefully that means i'll be

able to stop this routine someday.

any comments would be welcome on horse chestnut experience. i've

heard that it is totally without side effects.

i've been clear for a few weeks now, i was very depressed when i

joined this group. it has really helped me to have you to turn to for

advice and comfort. :-)

thanks,

diane

July 22, 2002

> for what it is worth, after hours of internet research, i believe

the

> chronic redness i have been experiencing is due to chronic venous

> insufficiency. ... i've

> read that horse chestnut can help " fix " the circulation problem

> causing the redness in the first place. hopefully that means i'll

be

> able to stop this routine someday.

>

> any comments would be welcome on horse chestnut experience. i've

> heard that it is totally without side effects.

>

Diane, A few of us posted about horse chestnut just a few days ago.

My post contained a link to a really good, in-depth article about

horse chestnut; specifically, " escin " which is the active ingredient

in horse chestnut.

Horse chestnut is not totally without side effects. It apparently

makes some people nauseous, and there is (of course) debate in the

medical community regarding how stringently it has or has not been

tested

Also, and this is something that I forgot to put in my post, it can

interact with other drugs or herbs you might be taking in tandem with

the horse chestnut, so you should consult your physician before

taking this herb with any other medications or herbals (not just oral

meds & herbals, but topicals also.) You could potentially damage your

liver by 'overloading' it with too many herbals and/or meds.

An interesting section of the article documents the results of a

study in which people who were treated with escin or horse chestnut

had their dosages terminated. The improvements in their venous

insufficiency which they had allegedly experienced did not dissipate

despite the lack of exposure to escin, therefore indicating a

potential for long term, if not permanent, improvement in blood

vessel structure and function in connection with this substance.

While I doubt that horse chestnut represents the magical elixer that

we all wish for (especially me!) I hope it does prove to be, at the

very least, a useful tool in helping many of us improve the structure

and functioning of our blood vessels.

Diane, it sounds like you have a good handle on what works for you

(your approach to this disorder and your self-styled routine seem

very well thought out and clear-headed), and that you have done

your 'homework'. Good for you! As you have gleaned, this is an

excellent support group. It has certainly helped me immeasurably!

I will be starting oral (and maybe topical) horse chestnut/escin in

the near future. We need to keep in touch to compare results!

Later,

--Jillian

July 22, 2002