Dealing with skin issues - acne, rosacea
Hi guys, I'm 21 and have been dealing with acne since my teens and more recently in the past year have developed rosacea another skin condition which is rare to get at my age and is incurable, it involves constant facial redness, inflammation, bumps, pimples and swelling. A lot of people don't really know about it and think that the person has been sun burnt or has a fever or really flustered/ embarrassed. Stress is a common trigger and is definitely one for me! It is really frustrating to have as it has made me really self conscious and have low self-esteem, when I talk to people I always think they're looking at my skin which then makes my skin flare up a little and I don't go out much to bars or parties as I used to as my skin has been so sensitive to makeup lately so I can't just simply cover it up and I don't want to constantly think about it the whole night! It has made me very anxious and depressed at times, it is so tiring to live like this!
I would like to hear other people's experiences of living with skin problems, how it affected your confidence in socialising, dating, relationships, work, etc because I know I'm not alone in this it would just be reassuring for me to hear.
I would also really like to know if theres any other young people who have rosacea, what treatment and products have worked for you?
Cheers
Acne and rosacea are two very common skin conditions that can cause a lot of frustration. If you're dealing with either one of these, you know how difficult it can be to find the right treatment. There are a lot of different options out there for Neurodermitis heilen, so it's important to do your research and find what works best for you. Acne can be caused by a number of different things, so it's important to figure out what's triggering your breakouts. Once you know what's causing your acne, you can start to look for treatments that will help clear up your skin.
It sounds you have an issue with demodex mites that caused acne in your teenage years and is now causing rosacea. Wipe these little blighhters out and you will cure your rosacea. That's what I did. Got a cream sent over form London of all places (proskin rosacea) and it did what they said it would. I was entirely skeptickal at first because I've heard it all before but to my shock and surprise it cleared away all of my redness and pimples and even softened the leathery patches of skin and gave me a fresh face. Not saying it will work for everyone but its got to be worth a shot!
Well, problems with the skin on the face occur in every girl, just some are curable, and some are not treatable In your case, you are out of luck and this problem occurs due to several factors. Firstly, it is hereditary, perhaps in your family some of its member's similar problems, and you inherited the same ailment. Secondly, the use of low-quality cosmetics caused allergies, as well as an unhealthy lifestyle, nutrition, and other factors that affect the skin of your face. My friend had similar symptoms and immediately decided to see a dermatologist This clinic is considered one of the best in my city and specializes in skin problems. My friend has prescribed a course of treatment and at the moment she is much better!
I was diagnosed with rosacea. Didnt even know it existed until i had it. I had the 'butterfly effect' on my face and only 2 things worked for me. Medication - Prednisone as per my doctors prescription. It made me absolutely flawless. I topical applied 'rosex gel' to my face every single day. When i left the prednisone i had an initial flare up but i just ignored and continued the rosex and all is going well
Hi @Jasperswim welcome to ReachOut and thank you for sharing. I can relate as I use to get acne and also eczema, my acne flared up more when I was in a really stressful job. It definitely effected my confidence and self-esteem at the time. Have you seen a dermatologist regarding your skin condition? I ended up seeing my GP who prescribed some cream for my Eczema and it thankfully went away. I would recommend seeing a dermatologist or your gp for any specific recommendations 
In terms of how it effected my socialising or relationships, I just did my best not to focus on it and enjoy my time with family and friends. At the end of the day I knew they loved me for me and not for my appearance and I'm sure the same applies for you 
Yes I saw a dermatologist last year when I went through a bad flare up but she didn't help much, the antibiotics just made me feel sick and the creams I tried just broke me out. She told me that theres not much I can do about the rosacea, just avoid the usual triggers and follow a simple skin care routine, which is a bummer to hear but because everyone doesn't fully know the root causes to this skin condition I believe there are ways to treat this that dermatologists don't usually recommend. I've read on the online forum rosacea.org how some people have tried supplements, topical creams, natural therapies, probiotics and anti-inflammatory foods to improve their rosacea. A lot of people end up finding things themselves. I am aware that not all of these will help for me and I have checked with my GP about the safety of adding supplements to my diet. I know that stress and a bad stomach trigger my flare ups. Taking linseeds, omega-3 and a strong course of probiotics everyday has really helped with my IBS as well as some inflammation on my skin but I still got to give it a few more months to really see a significant improvement. I am also taking low dose antidepressants for my stress as my GP reckons that will help with the flare ups and it has every now and then so far. My GP said that if I don't see much improvement I could try a low dose of roaccutane. So I have quite a few options so far.
My GP has referred me to another dermatologist who also specialises in allergies as Ive recently had bad allergic reactions on my skin so hopefully it'll work out better than the last dermatologist.
I definitely agree with your statement about friends and family loving you for who you are, they always tell me that when I tell them my skin struggles, I know I just gotta stop worrying about it all the time but thats easier said than done sometimes but talking to people has really helped for me 🙂
Hi @Jasperswim wow sounds like you've tried a whole range of things, hopefully the new dermatologist will be able to better assist it's a hard one as we all respond and react to things differently health wise so it's definitely about finding what works best for you. It's great your friends and family are loving and supportive I know trying not to worry about it is easier said than done at times but all we can do is try our best. Hope you've had a great weekend 
Hey @Jasperswim, while I don't have the same skin conditions as you do (I have eczema), I did experience a similar situation to you in terms of my experience with skin problems. Like you, stress is a trigger for my eczema as I got diagnosed with it around my year 12 exams (I know, perfect timing haha). Also like you, I did become really self-conscious about it because it caused a lot of hyperpigmentation, especially around my legs (it kinda looked like I got severe scarring), and as a result I wore jeans like all the time to cover this up. Eventually I realised this was not feasible in the hot summer, and so I made the bold decision to go back to wearing dresses, shorts, etc. that showed off my legs. Weirdly enough, despite myself thinking that everyone would notice my eczema, hardly anyone did. I was so surprised! And if people did notice, I would explain to them that it was my eczema and that would be the end of it. My point is, if people did somewhat criticise you for having it, then that's their problem, not yours. After all, it's not our fault we have these skin problems! I totally agree with you that stop worrying about it is easier said than done, it's going to take some time to accept this but you'll definitely get there eventually. Having your friends and family supporting you through this will help you achieve that. Now, I don't get self-conscious about it anymore and just accepted it for what it is :).
By the way, how did your new dermatologist go? I also visited an allergy specialist a year and a half ago and I found it really helpful in determining whether my eczema was caused by any allergens.
Apologies for the long post! I hope you find this helpful and let me know if you have any questions about this! 😄
Thank you for sharing your story and yeh I kinda have a similar experience with people not caring that much like theres always some people who wonder why my face just randomly flares up and why I can't just put some cream on but its not that easy I wish it was!! But most people like my friends aren't fussed about it and tell me it really isn't that bad. I just wish it wasn't on my face, a body part that people always look at first you know. Honestly I feel kinda jealous that your skin condition was on your legs not your face, I wouldn't worry so much, I hope that doesn't sound ignorant though I know that it will still impact you mentally and the uncomfortable feelings with flare ups that you can't always control!
I haven't seen my new dermatologist yet I really hope it goes well and Im not wasting my time and money! Did you do a patch test where they put the patches on your back? Did you find out if you were allergic to certain substances?
Thanks
To answer your questions... I haven't done a patch test before but I did do the skin prick test (the patch test sounds a bit less painful though! haha). While they didn't find that my eczema wasn't caused by any allergens, I still didn't think it was a waste of time and money as now I know it is not caused by any allergens.
Mainly at work I get comments about my flare ups as working at a register in a cold dry grocery store triggers my rosacea as well as the busyness and difficult customers. Some of my coworkers have asked me if I've had an allergic reaction or whats wrong with my face but because I've told them about my condition they're more understanding now. Back at school some kids and my siblings would ask why I'm so red it was so embarrassing at the time and made me confused why I go red suddenly (I didn't know I had rosacea at the time). I can tell sometimes as well that customers would notice my face is different but they don't say anything to not be rude.
I've heard about the skin prick test but my allergic reactions have been caused by topical products so I've been recommended a patch test, even though I've had one done and found negative results, but my next patch test is supposed to test different ingredients and more of them. Yeah its good to just know if I am or not allergic to anything as I had a colonoscopy done and the doctor checked if I had any intolerances or allergies to anything but luckily I don't so it has made some things more clear.
Hey @Jasperswim how are you feeling now around all of this? Have you heard of the podcast "Two Sugars"? They have an episode on physicality's that frustrate us and can bring us down, I found it very enlightening for myself. How are you feeling about the next patch test? Look forward to hearing from you soon
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Hey Bree-RO, never heard of 'Two Sugars' but I love podcasts so I'll definitely check that out thanks! I have mixed feelings about the next patch test as it is really expensive, I hope I get some answers out of it and not be left in a mystery if they come out negative again but then it would be good to not have allergies to the substances tested, maybe the dermatologist would think I have some weird autoimmune condition or something else.
I've been really lucky in my life and haven't really had to deal with skin issues. I'm piping in here more as an outsiders perspective.
One of my best friends has so so so many skin issues. Constant pimples, acne, redness, dryness and oiliness at the same time, scabs. Everything. I know it's been her face and arms, and I think it's been other parts of her body too.
The only reason I know any of this is because she is very very public about it. Legit her entire chin could be pimples and scabs, and most of the time I (and I would confidently guess everyone else) wouldn't notice until she would complain about them.
My mother had a lot of skin discolourations, and I know other members in my family do too. I know it bothered her, but most of the time I would completely not notice. I don't think any of my siblings are aware of it.
I know these are quite different to what you're dealing with. I just think sometimes it's important to remember that other people aren't focusing on, or possibly even noticing, the things that you think are the most obvious issues.
Thank you Birdeye for your sincere comment, its great to hear an outsider's perspective on this as even though you haven't dealt with these kinds of skin issues you still have an understanding of the uncomfortable and frustrating experiences that people who do have it go through. It makes me a bit more comfortable to hear how people like you don't notice it a lot and really most of the time people are mostly thinking about their own personal lives and issues, I just gotta keep telling myself that. Maybe I should try out cognitive behavioural therapy heard it can help with that kind of stuff
I am like @Birdeye as well, I haven't had any serious skin conditions either. I was also about to write something similar in that I think we focus on the small details of our appearance a lot more than other people would focus on.
Cognitive behavioural therapy can be helpful for a whole lot of things. Do you know anyone around you who you could book an appointment with?
Yeah I hate to have my health left in a mystery I just want some answers already! My GP can probably refer me to see a psychologist or therapist, which would help but they are expensive, I'm trying to save my money for my dermatologist appointments, treatments for my skin and travelling. There are probably sites online or books or apps on cognitive behavioural therapy I can look at instead and train myself.
I don’t doubt your amazing skills although it can be really hard to remain objective if you are training yourself and that’s where it can be great to have some outside support. Just something to keep in mind 😃
Yeah I've heard about that process I'm sure my GP can probably plan something like that for me and yeah training by yourself isn't the best thing sometimes, I used to meditate everyday for a while which was really good but not so much nowadays due to distractions of a busy life which can make it harder to use my mental energy to focus. I am getting back into using guided meditations, maybe theres a guided audio for cognitive behavioural therapy out there?
Either way theres lots of options out there to explore.
That's awesome that you used to do meditation a lot - it can be so challenging to fit it into a busy schedule but it sounds like it worked well for you in the past. I'm not sure about a guided audio for cognitive behavioural therapy specifically but I've also recently gotten back into meditation and am using an app called 'headspace', have you tried it? 🙂
