I have rosacea
July 5, 2018 | Rosacea | 11 Comments »
I have rosacea.
It’s funny thinking back to just weeks after my son was born. During my pregnancy I broke out very badly. No healthy glowing skin for this mama. Instead my face was often covered in acne some of it cystic. I planned to start Proactiv once I had my son. My husband had ordered it for me so this way I could start the regimen immediately after. So there we were sitting in the pediatrician’s office and she walked in and saw my red face and asked ‘Why is your skin so red? Do you have rosacea?’ I squinted and said that I was starting a new acne treatment to treat the hormonal acne. I left the office feeling so angry. Who even points that stuff out? I eventually shrugged it off. Clearly it was a reaction to my new skin care regimen. The redness will subside. And it did.
Throughout the years I’ve dealt with some redness flare-ups. I had discussed it with my doctors, but they always shrugged it off. I figured if they weren’t worried why should I be? Maybe I just had really sensitive skin?
When I finally had the skin I always wanted you’d think I would have stopped there. Nope. I let people convince me I needed all of the fancy exfoliating tools and was promised if I exfoliated often my skin would thank me for it. Before I knew it my redness was accompanied by a bunch of tiny white bumps. Looking back on some reviews I even mentioned how my skin would freak out whenever I used certain products. Mainly sheet masks. Turns out exfoliating is very very bad for those of us with rosacea. My dermatologist actually got very angry and walked away from me just after she told me to stop with the exfoliating, scrubs, and peels.
I was finally diagnosed just last week. I still don’t have a full understanding of rosacea. It turns out I paid my dermatologist my hard earned money just for her to throw a sheet of paper my way and storm off. How do I know what’s causing my flare-ups? How can I fix this? I turned to Google.
Here is a list of symptoms I currently experience:
- facial redness/puffiness
- clusters of white bumps
- itching
- burning
- redness in chest area
Here is a list of common triggers:
- caffeine
- alcohol
- chocolate
- spicy foods
- extreme heat
- strenuous exercise
- stress
I personally haven’t noticed if any skin care or makeup products are triggers. My face/chest will get red whether I am bare-faced or wearing a full face of makeup. It really doesn’t matter. Exfoliating does worsen things. With the exception of some products. I will list them at a later time.
So how do I go about fixing this? Well, turns out some people have had success with antibiotics and/or topicals. Others not so much. I dug deeper. Then I found that even more people had success with diet and lifestyle change.
Before seeing my dermatologist I had already started working on changing my diet. Obviously I haven’t been strict and often end up at the coffee shop and Panera. That will have to change. As much as I love my coffee and flatbreads, I love my skin more. I don’t think coffee is a trigger for me, but the lattes might be. Rather than doing what I usually do which is make things super complicated for myself, I’m going to take it easy and eliminate the known triggers. I’m confident that eliminating those triggers along with being more gentle with my skin that I will see some changes. I know the redness will always be an issue. Especially since it always has been.
So there you have it. I have once again considered closing Midwest Glam because who is going to want to see looks done on a red bumpy face? But you know what? I started this blog because I love sharing my newest makeup/skin care/hair care finds. I love creating looks even if I’m the only one digging them. I love sharing shiny new things I purchase whether I got it at a super good deal or not. I love sharing the occasional recipe. I love sharing some of my photography. But most of all I love connecting with other people who share these same interests. I’m not going to hide who I am. Just know that when you see photos of me now they may look different. Redness is difficult to even out as it is. But texture is even harder to work with. These past few years I have been suffering with this condition and you’d never know it because I photographed myself on my ‘good’ days. Who doesn’t want to be seen at their best? But these days if you were to see me in person, you’d be looking at a completely different face. I’m just trying to keep it real with y’all.
Here are some photos I snapped with my iPone just before I started my job. This is my skin on ‘good’ days. As you can see it’s a bit red and blotchy, but there’s no texture. There’s even a bit of a healthyish glow going on. I included the close-ups of my husband in the background because it made me laugh. Anyway, I’d give anything to get my skin back to that state. But if I can, I’d like to even it out even more. Right now that is my goal.
Despite the stress that this whole thing is causing me along with starting a new job and driving regularly, I’m determined to get this under control. I’ve joined several support groups on Facebook and have written down a bunch of products to try. I’m going to make a category for rosacea. I’ll try to post under there often. Whenever I find something that works or doesn’t I’ll be sure to share it with you all. I’m not a professional nor do I even fully understand what is going on with my skin right now. I also know that everyone’s skin is different. What works for me might not work for you. But if I can help someone that would be pretty amazing. Rosacea is very frustrating. I constantly wonder why? How? I suppose I can’t dwell on the whys and the hows. So instead I’m going to focus on healing. And maybe learn to love the skin I’m in. Redness, itchy bumps and all.
I definitely think you should keep blogging and share your experience because so many people suffer with this and will be intrigued to find what works for you. I think a change in diet will definitely help and you will probably notice improvements in your overall health if inflammation is reduced! xx
Siobhán recently posted…Get radiant, plump and bright skin with Image skincare!
Thank you so much, Siobhán! I’m really trying hard with reducing inflammation. For me to give up coffee shops you know I mean business lol. It’s my only weakness.
I am sorry about it but I seriously believe taking good care of your skin and staying away from things which might trigger it will help recover your skin. I really hate the way your dermatologist behaved though. C’mon if you knew it, then why would you even go to her!! And finally, I honestly don’t want you to stop blogging, and I am sure people like me who love your blog wouldn’t want that too! Take care love
P.S I am still laughing seeing your hubbys expression there :D
Husna recently posted…MAX FACTOR MIRACLE CONTOURING PALETTE
I sure do hope so! It’s definitely a process. I don’t have unrealistic expectations. I’m not trying to ‘cure’ anything. But relief would be nice. And yes exactly! She could have spent more than 2 minutes with me. She seriously threw a sheet of paper my way and left. No bye or hey hope you get better. She just rolled her eyes and stormed out. I don’t doubt exfoliating works wonders for healthy skin. But I honestly didn’t know I had rosacea. It’s frustrating because I’m so tempted to exfoliate. At this point it feels weird not to lol.
My husband sure does crack me up. He helps take my mind off a lot of it. :) And thank you so much! <3
The good thing is atleast you know that for sure that you have rosacea… However I feel your dermatologist should have responded in a better way by explaining the symptoms or triggers or possibly soothing treatments because that is what she studied and getting paid for…If we knew all information then we would have been Fermat’s… Anyways take care dear 😘
Awww thank you! I agree. She really should have. Thankfully I’ve found a great support group on Facebook that has provided me with so much info. I feel like I’m on the right track. :)
Lisa, I totally understand where you are coming from as I am dealing with something similar. Keep going and take it one day at a time. You are beautiful no matter what. Share your journey about what worked and what did not. It will help a lot of women.
Thank you so much! I’m so sorry to hear that you are dealing with something similar. It really does get to me at times so I feel for you. I totally plan to share everything that is/isn’t working for me.
You should definitely keep blogging and not be afraid to show the real you! Rosacea is such a common problem but not many people want to talk about it. We’re all here pretending that our skin is great but it’s not true. I have rosacea too. The worst trigger for me is exercise. But I’m not going to stop working out because it makes me turn red! The exercise is so good for my body and my mood, so if kids point at me and laugh at the grocery store when I go shopping after a spin class, so be it. Yeah, I get red, like tomato red, and it stays like that for 2-3 hours. Even fitness instructors freak out the first time they have me in a class. But I don’t care, that’s who I am and those who have a problem with who I am can go… you know.
I haven’t used a scrub on my face since 2010, but I don’t really have a problem with chemical exfoliants. In fact BHA is supposed to help because it has an anti-inflammatory effect. I listened to the hype and bought a Clarisonic a few years ago, that was a mistake. It does make me red immediately! I’ll be curious to know if you find things that help. I know IPL is supposed to help by getting rid of broken capillaries, but I didn’t see any effect on my redness after 2 sessions, it might take more time (it worked great on dark spots though).
Anyways, I’ll be here reading your rosacea journey, know you are not alone!
Lulle recently posted…Hair Remedie: The Frizz Eliminating Towels
Lulle, thank you so much for this! I never knew you had rosacea! Then again I never knew I did either lol. Do you know what subtype you have? I used to have subtype 1 for as long as I can remember. But after using the Clarisonic it progressed to subtype 2. My skin really freaked out after using that thing. I’m used to the redness. The bumps? So not used to all of that. It was awful.
I honestly didn’t know it was so common. Maybe more people should talk about it? I wasn’t sure how to even bring it up on my blog, but I knew that I had to after some people complimented me saying my skin was flawless. It’s anything but. I guess I just wanted to be upfront and let everyone know that in the past I waited to post on my good days. But I’m not going to be waiting anymore. If I’m experiencing a flareup and I feel like sharing something I will. No more hiding. Even though sometimes that’s all I want to do.
I’ve heard a lot about IPL, but I’m not sure it’s for me. At least not yet. At the moment I’m focusing on gentle cleansing, being more gentle with my skin overall, and I’m using a topical. I’m going to start using azelaic acid because I’ve heard that it works wonders for rosacea. Do you have any experience with it?
There are some great makeup foundations that can cover rosacea. Try one that has full coverage and is non-comodogenic.
Lina recently posted…7 Best Makeup Foundations For Rosacea