Can I do anything about post steroid Rosacea

[YadaYadaYada]

Lord help me! I didn't realize until this morning just how bad my face looks, pizza face would actually be a compliment. I was on steroids for 10 days for a severe poision ivy rash so now that has cleared up but my face looks terrible.

Normally I have Rosacea on both cheeks to a mild degree and it doesn't bother me but this is just too much. Anyone have a remedy? I just don't want to put something on it that might make it worse you know?

 

[Austina]

Sorry you are suffering @StephanieLynn, I'm no help I'm afraid, but I hope you can find some relief from the roseacea soon.

 

[missy]

Stephanie I am sorry you are dealing with this. Time will help and whatever you do please do not apply any more topical steroids on your face no matter how tempted you are. Verboten from now on ok? Just tough it out and your face will improve. It might not be easy but it will get better.

Treat your face super gently and only apply the minimum necessary moisturizer and cleanse each night with minimal ingredients and in fact thermal spring water and gentle removal with a cotton round might be all you need. I would stay away from makeup till you heal.

Are you dealing with lots of papules/pustules and/or redness? There are other suggestions I could make depending on your exact symptoms. Take heart and hang in there and time and treating your face gently will help you recover.

 

[Calliecake]

Stephanie, I'm sorry you are going thru this. I have nothing to help you but want to give you hugs and hope this improves quickly.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

Stephanie I am sorry you are dealing with this. Time will help and whatever you do please do not apply any more topical steroids on your face no matter how tempted you are. Verboten from now on ok? Just tough it out and your face will improve. It might not be easy but it will get better.

Treat your face super gently and only apply the minimum necessary moisturizer and cleanse each night with minimal ingredients and in fact thermal spring water and gentle removal with a cotton round might be all you need. I would stay away from makeup till you heal.

Are you dealing with lots of papules/pustules and/or redness? There are other suggestions I could make depending on your exact symptoms. Take heart and hang in there and time and treating your face gently will help you recover.

Thanks Missy, they did prescribe me steroid cream for the ivy but I didn't use it, I just took the oral steroid for 10 days. Yes, I have the pustules clustered on both cheeks. I don't wear makeup so I'm good there and I haven't put anything on it at all because I wasn't sure what would help if anything.

 

[missy]

Thanks Missy, they did prescribe me steroid cream for the ivy but I didn't use it, I just took the oral steroid for 10 days. Yes, I have the pustules clustered on both cheeks. I don't wear makeup so I'm good there and I haven't put anything on it at all because I wasn't sure what would help if anything.

OK great that you didn't apply the topical steroid and you are going to be OK! Throw away that topical steroid please so you aren't even tempted.

My recommendation is do the minimum necessary to your face. Don't apply anything harsh on it and only moisturize the minimum you need so you don't start peeling and just be patient. Make sure to protect your face when outside. Hat and/or parasol is best so you don't have to start applying sunscreen but if you need to apply sunscreen make sure it is the zinc oxide/titanium dioxide type and not the chemical type.

You could ask your dermatologist for an Rx for Soolantra. It is a topical and it is pretty gentle IMO. If the pustules don't go away within a few weeks you could ask your dermatologist for an Rx for an oral med- Oracea (40 mg Doxy) which is sub microbial (i.e. no antibacterial side effects as it is below the antibiotic dose and only acts as an anti-inflammatory) and that would help clear the pustules but that takes 6-8 weeks to start being effective and I don't think you need that if you didn't have pustules before the steroid. As hard as I know this is patience and time is the best treatment right now.

If you need me reach out and I am here to help however I can and I truly think you will be just fine Stephanie but it might be a challenging few weeks-months depending on how long it takes you to recover. But you will recover. (((Hugs))).

 

[Slickk]

I don't know much about rosacea but my DD has used Oracea too with great results. Good Luck! Hope you find relief soon!

 

[YadaYadaYada]

Thanks Missy! I will say a few weeks of this is discouraging but I really had no choice with the steroids, my skin was in terrible shape. However it has reminded me why I loathe prescription medication so much!

Thank you for all the advice, I really appreciate it.

 

[DAF]

I second the Soolantra recommendation. It works, but it takes time (a few months).

 

[qubitasaurus]

I would ask the daily help thread on r/AsianBeauty. It is likely they can recommend something which will make it more bearable in the short term, while you are waiting for the heavy duty stuff to work.

 

[DAF]

There is also an Rx med that helps with the redness, too. I can't remember the name right now.

 

[whitewave]

Riversol.com get the free sample pack for 3$ shipping

 

[missy]

StephanieLynn, I would stay away from the above rec for now because it could exacerbate your rosacea. Also anything labeled anti aging usually doesn't agree with our skin but especially now that you are having a flare. Once you are calmed down you could spot test to see if it is something your skin might like but now is not the time for experimentation unless it is with Soolantra or Oracea which are targeted for rosacea issues and have a proven track record for symptoms like yours. My input fwiw.

 

[Tekate]

Try some light zinc. Don't do topical steroid(s) as it will just become rebound.. it will clear up then become worse (I am a 25 year veteran of rosacea). Stay out of the sun, always makes rosacea worse. Stay off red wine. If it doesn't clear up, see your derm.

sorry this happened. Rosacea the bane of the Irish woman (and everybody I suppose).

Lord help me! I didn't realize until this morning just how bad my face looks, pizza face would actually be a compliment. I was on steroids for 10 days for a severe poision ivy rash so now that has cleared up but my face looks terrible.

Normally I have Rosacea on both cheeks to a mild degree and it doesn't bother me but this is just too much. Anyone have a remedy? I just don't want to put something on it that might make it worse you know?

 

[FeFeV]

@StephanieLynn make a Chamomile tea steeped with (dried/tea) Rosehip and Lavender. Add it to a spray bottle with half spring water... spray on your face for relief and calming of inflammation to the skin. Follow up with pure Grape Seed oil as a moisturizer. Your skin will bounce back A1 in no time if you do this daily!

P.S. I buy my high quality loose tea & herbs from Tealyra.com

 

[House Cat]

Tepid water only! No sun! No products! Baby the hell out of it.

Yes, if all else fails, get to the dermatologist.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

Thanks Tekate, I didn't realize Irish women are more prone to this condition, that would explain a lot. Thankfully I am more of a fan of white wine than red!

FeFe, thank you for the suggestions, luckily we have a really good health food store right in town so I'll have to get over there tomorrow.

Thanks Housecat! I am being really careful with it because along with looking awful it also is very sensitive. I am hoping it clears up on its own but if not I will go to a dermatologist for sure.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

Just wanted to give you guys a quick update. My skin was driving me crazy itchy and looked absolutely horrible. On a whim I decided to put some coconut oil on my face, figured what is the worst that could happen.

In the morning and at night I took a clean cotton swab over both cheeks and within two days the texture started getting better! Also one side is noticeably less red (I sleep on the other side). So, I'm going to keep up with the coconut oil because it seems to be helping for now. Just thought I would pass it on in case it might help someone else.

 

[azstonie]

Hi SL, what wonderful pics your avatars have been this week, your sweet kiddos and now your sweet dogs !

Rosacea, lots of dermatologists call it "The Irish Curse."

Mine, a mild to moderate case, came in at menopause, le sigh. I'm proud to say I've beat back redness on my chest ( "poikilederma") by wearing rash guards in the pool. My face ---I get stressed or mad and boom. Ugh.

Good luck with your eruption, it sounds like it's retreating!!!

 

[luv2sparkle]

Stephanie, I don't know a lot about Rosacea, but I can tell you that people on the keto boards have said that eating a ketogenic diet completely cleared up their rosacea. Since it is a non medicine treatment it is worth a try. Basically, you eat moderate protein, very low carb (under 20 grams per day) and no sugar, higher fat content. It goes against everything we have been told about how we should eat. My skin looks better since eating this way and I get compliments on it often. I take them with a grain of salt because they are all from people my age or older but it is still nice to hear. It might be worth a try for you for a couple weeks

I just saw an article about how Halle Berry looks so good at 50 and she swears by a ketogenic diet.

 

[TooPatient]

Coconut oil is a good idea. I'll have to try. My usual is a bit of Neosporin before bed. That helps but can be messy.

Oh, I hate the red! One of the managers walked by last week and came back looking worried. Asked if I was okay. Why? Apparently I was red all over. I had to explain to him that I had been in the sun, had been wearing sunscreen, and was warm. Any of which flare my rosacea...

 

[YadaYadaYada]

Thanks Azstonie, funny thing about the dog picture, it was harder to get them to cooperate than the kids. I guess it doesn't help that there are four of them but it seems holding bacon is the trick to a great pic. It can work for kids too lol.

Like menopause isn't a big enough pain with all the other symptoms! My Rosacea started when I was pregnant with my first son 11 years ago. So it looks like hormones have something to do with this in at least some cases.

Luv2sparkle, it's interesting you mention keto because my skin was fantastic when I was strict Paleo several years ago. I really should get back into it because my weight was also ideal on Paleo as well. And hey my age or older, I'll take any compliment someone wants to throw at me

Toopatient, the coconut oil really works better at night since it is an oil, if you happen to touch your face during the day it can get a bit messy. I just try to keep my hands off my face. Why do people feel the need to comment? Maybe in your managers case it was genuine concern. Last week I asked someone who I'm acquaintances with if my face looked that bad and he came out with "no, you just looking an alcoholic"