Health Dept Magazine Health Dept Magazine

18Jan/11Off

Rosacea? Flushing? Red Face? blah blah..help? (VICKS VAPOR RUB?!)?

I have SEVERE facial flushing, which didn't seem to start until after I started a ZIANA(topical acne gel) + DOXYCYCLINE(oral antibiotic) combo to treat acne. It completely got rid of all the little bumps that I had and my skin was clear and woderful. I was SO confident. However, about 2-3 weeks in, I would get randomly flushed and my skin would burn, itch, and get hot. In fact, it even looked swollen at times. I was so embarassed . And ofcourse everyone pointed it out and/or teased me (I even had a grown man in one of my college classes tease me about it infront of my classmates!!!) which made it worse. I began to flush even in anticipation of flushing infront of someone!! I stopped using it and the flushing continued and got worse, it wasn't until the summer that it calmed down (I had begun using it in the spring, so it took a few months) literally EVERYTHING triggered the flush.
At this point, I would lovingly take back all of the acne if someone can get rid of the red. I go out with friends and I keep to myself, I hate meeting new people, avoid pictures, laughing (which triggers it), smiling too much triggers it, when i change my clothes, just pulling my shirt over my head triggers it, exercise, horseplay with my brother, yellling, stress, embarassment, and then all the typical triggers such as extreme heat/cold, spicy food, hot food, sun, showers, etc. My skin has a habit of getting dry and flakey in some areas & oily in others, my skin often feels tight and laughing or smiling or opening my mouth to take a bite of a big sandwhich, makes me feel like my skin is tearing, Even laying my face on my pillow is so irritating.
I just want to laugh and smile and be active and vibrant like my old self, it seems an unnatainable goal at this point. The dermatologist who prescribed the ziana & doxycycline didnt seem phased by my symptoms. She has a huge business and is very quick in/out. She barely looked at me, I had trouble getting her to stay and listen to what I had to say. Finally she said "yeah...you have rosacea, there's nothing you can do, and prescribed ORACEA + FINACEA. I cried ALL the way home. I finally tried the two medicines since they were supposed to help with the rosacea and it was like dejavu. The symptoms were at the same peak as they were last spring when I was irritated by the acne medicine. I hesitantly went back one more time(I shouldn't have let this awful woman have any more of my money!!!) and I complained about my symptoms once more along my frustration with my acne. She prescribed accutane and walked out. I did NOT fill this presctription, I AM NOT going back to her and I DON'T know what to do and i cant seem to find any good dermatologists in my area.
I have read numerous posts on this website and others, but am so afraid to experiment considering what this has done to my face. I did read somthing about using vasodilators (oxymetazoline hydrochloride), such as those found in nasal decongestants like affarin or vicks nasal spray. I am aware you can have rebound congestian after using it for too long, so what about rebound redness?! I have also read that the oils in vicks vapor rub help roasacea if it is eczema related or related to an overgrowth of demodex mites. I would like to get tested for the mites and if I have them, I am hestiant about using the premethin(sp?) or ivermcetin (ITS DEADLY FOR DOGS WHY WOULD I RUB IT ON MY FACE?!). Still, I will not jump the gun. Has anyone tried the vasodilators?? I was also looking into some IPL laser treatments, but the idea of that on my face scares me more than anything.
Thank you anyone who has taken the time to read my rant . Any insight you can give would be greatly appreciated!!
Also, it may help to know that I flush sometimes randomly and it is EVERYWHERE on my face except for my eye sockets and directly around my lips. My mother has rosacea, however, hers started much later in life and she has the classic symptoms, and is red only on her chin nose and the apples of her cheeks and a little on her forehead. She also used to get severe oozing for several days after a bad flare up, where as I have no risidual effects the next day & no oozing or sores, just acme, which includes whiteheads and bumpy skin.

3Dec/10Off

Is it a good idea to get laser treatment for acne scars?

I have a lot of red and purple acne scars and i was wondering if it was a good idea to get the laser treatment that is available for those sort of things. Ive tried everything, proactive, bye bye blemish, doxycycline, vitamin e, lemon juice, zapzyt, clean and clear, and a bunch of other things but nothing seems to work. So if anybody knows if the laser treatment actually works i would greatly appreciate your input. Thanks!

1Nov/10Off

Best treatment for acne?

I am 21 years old and have had acne since i was about 15. Nothing has worked permanantly. Ive tried doxycycline and minocycline (they work but it returns right when im done) tazorac, and just about everything else my dermatologist prescribed. Is there anything else i can try? I would love to try accutane but it recently went off the market. whats the 2nd best option? please help! i am miserable!!!!

23Oct/10Off

Does minocycline work if I have taken doxycycline previously?

Hi I'm a 20 years old girl suffering from pastular acne and I have been taking oral antibiotics since 2001. I took doxycline until 2005 before my acne flares up again. My doctor then prescribed me erythromycin which worked for a few months before I started breaking out again and it was back to doxycycline for me. Now my doctor has prescribed me minocycline, will it worked since it is the same class as doxycycline or should I try other acne treatments such as oral contraceptives?

7Oct/10Off

Has anyone ever used the Murad system for acne? Does it work?

I did not have an acne problem until I was 21. All through my teenage years I would have a pimple every now and then but it wasn't a regular thing. In the summer of 2004 I began breaking out on the sides of my face and it soon moved to my chin and all over. I had very bad acne, where clear skin once was, and it happened so fast! I had all kinds of pimples, cystic, white heads, blackheads. I went to a dermotogist and he had me on doxycycline which caused me to have ulcers and didn't do anything for my acne. I stopped taking that and got on birth control. That helped, but I can't be on it now because of insurance. I used Clinique and that helped some, but I still always had a few pimples. I recently tried proactive for 3 months and it cleared me up some, I still have pimples and now my skin is severly dry and I have develped dermatitis around my nose! I think its the benzoyl peroxide. So I just ordered murad, it claims to not dry out your skin so bad. Anyone use it before?
I also want to add I wash my face regularly, every morning and night, I also drink at least 6 glasses of water a day, and I also eat healthy.

6Oct/10Off

Help getting rid of acne?

Hell, i am 16 years old and I have had acne since i was 13, but it started getting worse from 14-16. The acne is mostly on the sides of my cheeks next to my side burns and on my arms and a little on my back.I tried proactiv but i found out i am allergic to benzoly peroxide. I tried acne face wash with Salicylic acid and spot treatment with Salicylic acid but they have not helped much. I drink 12 8 oz glasses of water every day, i don't eat greasy foods, i workout at the gym 6 days a week, wash my face 4 times a day and shower everyday. I talked to my doctor about my acne and she prescribed me with a oral medication called Doxycycline. I have been taking Doxycycline for 5 months and have not noticed any improvement. So what am i doing wrong or is it just my age, thats what alot of people tell me. Thanks in advance.

23Sep/10Off

What are some good extreme treatments for acne?

I am interested in what kinds of things I can do to cure acne. I tried proactiv, every OTC product active ingreedient, homemade salacylic acid cream (which I synthesized myself), tricholoroacetic acid which I synthesized myself but was afraid to use, accutane, surgery, acyclovir, ciprofloxacin, dynacin, doxycycline, minocycline, phenolated vaseline, an all-apple diet, and even lye soap

Nothing works. I am 21 years old and in professional school. Accutane worked for a while, but not long term. What is the next last-resort therapy that is "guaranteed" to work?

Keep in mind that I have become resistant to many bacterial organisms, and have almost died three times due to complications from these various therapies.

What is the next step?
I want to add that this is a case of resistant cystic acne. This is very dangerous and can even lead to morbidity and mortality. This is not something to joke about. This is a serious disease - not "zits" - this is a disease I want you to keep that in mind when answering this question.

9Sep/10Off

Need help with my acne on what I should do?

Ok so Im 18, and im starting college in a few days. Im a guy btw, and I didnt get acne until about a year ago. Before that I had a few pimples, but besides that everyone told me that I had really good skin. Now I've used benzoyl peroxide for 2 years, and Ive been on minocine for almost a year, but i still have acne. Even when on minocine my acne never completely went away, and now Im just sick of it. I want to grow up and out of it, but I dont know how. I've done laser treatments, cortisone shots, ive used demotoligist reccomended duac gel, ice. It seems like Ive done everything, yet it still hasnt gone away like i expected. Now my doctor has prescribed me some doxycycline, but I really dont want to take any more antibiotics, because i hate having to take it on an empty stomach, and i hate having to go home and wash my face during the night so i dont break out in the morning. I just want to have a normal college life and be able to stay out late with friends and sleep over at other peoples dorms without having to worry about a nightly procedure. Now I have mentioned acutane to my doctor and he said that i didnt think i needed it, and now im not so sure if i should take it because i hear it has a lot of side effects, (like depression), and my mom took acctane when she was older and now she has depression, so i really dont know if i want to take the risk.

anyway i guess what i am asking is what advice can you guys give me? I just hate having acne because its really been cutting into my social life lately. none of my friends have acne anymore and its hard to go out and be myself knowing im the only kid with it. thanks for the help, it feels good to express myself. =]

8Sep/10Off

what should I do about my frustrating acne problem?

I've recently finished a 3 month treatment of both Tretinion .5 mg and Doxycylcline and my acne is just as bad, if not worse.

It's beyond frustrating when I've had acne since I was ten years old (I'm turning 19 in september). I've stressed it to every Dermatologist I've seen that I've been on every treatment minus birth control and accutane since then but it seems like they think it's just a superficial problem. My physicians who I've been with since I was born have prescribed me everything they can and have told me it's more than just a bacterial problem but it seems that these dermatologist think otherwise.

I've tried;

Benzoyl peroxide cream (twice)
tretinion .5 mg
tretinion 1.5 mg
Doxycylcline 125 mg (4 3 month treatments that only worked the first time but for some odd reason they keep giving it to me anyway)
benzoyl peroxide washes

I've had it with all of these treatments that don't work and yet I'm supposed to "have faith in them".

I've done my research and I've heard that birth control is an affective solution because I break out the most when I'm menstruating and my doctors said that they refuse to negotiate with my medical insurance to cover them.

Today they gave me ANOTHER treatment of tretinion cream with doxycycline with a benzoyl gel and I almost blew a gasket.

Would you agree with me when I say that I should find another dermatologist, even if my medical insurance doesn't cover it? I honestly don't care anymore, I don't wanna spend another year with the same treatments and the same acne anymore.
yeah let's all use an exacto cutter and create infectious wounds on our face. nice loser
my physician and the other dermatologist said accutane is good too but I am against using it due to it's side affects. but today for some odd reason another showed up rather than the one I had when I was first referred to the office.
I've also tried almost all over the counter treatments out of curiosity and it was just like splashing water on my face, it was pointless.
Kirsh; I know it's an internal issue and I have changed my diet, wash with gentle washes, change clothes various times a day to prevent bacteria to saturate my skin. I know my solution is birth control, but my doctors don't want to ask the insurance company to cover it even though in this case, they would.

3Sep/10Off

how to permanently clear acne?

I don't have severe acne. But I have little pimples scattered all over my face. I have tried EVERYTHING. I use Duac, Retin-A, and Doxycycline all prescribed by my dermatologist. Sometime my skin will get clearer but there is ALWAYS something. It is NEVER clear. I have also tried numerous cleansers and over the counter spot treatments. NOTHING works! It really affects my self esteem and I want to get rid of it so badly. Can you tell me any products that worked for you? If you tried everything like I have was there one that finally got rid of your acne for good?

Powered by Yahoo! Answers