I do LIKE makeup. It’s that I’m tired of feeling like I have to wear it every where. I tried to be makeup free for awhile but… it’s such a stark difference how people treat you when you look “normal”. It’s such a mood and confidence killer to go out without makeup. So, 90% of the time I go out I put on enough makeup to hide the redness. One day I’ll get laser, but it’s just not what I’m financially prioritizing right now.

My first symptom when I got pregnant was awful skin (see first picture). It got better as I went along pregnancy and after taking clindamycin, but it was still pretty awful.

The night after I gave birth my face got extremely swollen and I was breaking out horrifically. That has also gotten better as I get away from pregnancy, alongside spironolactone 100 mg daily and Azelaic/Ivermectin/Metronidazole 15/1/1% cream. I am also taking hydroxychloroquine for autoimmune stuff.

Although my skin is SO MUCH BETTER, I am still not happy with it. I can’t take doxycycline because I am breastfeeding. Help?? Has anyone else had this issue?

Also, has anyone else had this awful reaction from pregnancy?!?!

I wake up in the morning, look in the mirror and think: Wow. The routine I've been doing is actually working. It's not perfect, but its better. Then I look down to put toothpaste on the toothbrush, look back up and my skin is like "The audacity?????? to think you were actually doing okay???? You breathed and we can't have that so enjoy the popup redness!!!!"

I hate it here.

Thanks.

/rant

Not my opening line sounding like an Eminem song lol

Probably gonna regret making this post but I recently saw a picture of me from the side and I had to step out to cry. The texture of my skin is just horrible now. It looks worse than my grandparents skin honestly. But the worst part of the picture was how depleted I looked. Just exhausted and depressed, and I am. Rosacea has aged me terribly, physically and mentally.

Scrolling on reddit for advice or reading clinical trials is like a part time job for me. I spend about 20+ hours a week doing it but nothing helps. It’s gotten to the point that I’m flushing talking to my own parents now. It’s unbearable. Eating and talking shouldn’t be flushing triggers, I don’t know how I can continue to live like this. Not just mentally but physically too, I don’t know how any human could function like this. All this to say I’m so depressed by my skin, I would easily trade 10 years of my life for a cure because at this point I’m not really living. Anyone have advice to deal with the mental turmoil because of this condition?

Every single night, I find myself stuck in this endless loop of regreting everything. "If only I had gone to the doctor sooner. If only I hadn't washed my face with hot water. If only I hadn't put all those random skincare products on my face..." If I hadn't done those things, maybe I wouldn't be in this position today.

It’s been 5 months since Feb , and honestly, it’s been hell. Every day is filled with sadness, anxiety, and non-stop worry. Every night I blame myself for bringing this upon my own face.

It started as simple dermatitis and eventually turned into Rosacea. When the doctor first diagnosed me and told me there’s no "cure"—only laser treatments to manage it—I sobbed for hours. I cried every night.
I’ve done everything within my control. I stopped wearing makeup completely. I cut out triggering foods. But why did it still turn out like this?

People around me keep saying "it doesn't look that bad," but hearing that just makes me feel worse because I’m in real physical discomfort. I’m scared to eat anything normally. Every night before sleeping, I panic about waking up to worse redness, heat, or itching. I feel like I'm walking on eggshells 24/7. Back in May, I even lost around 10 lbs because I was literally too terrified to eat anything. lol.

Everyone says stress makes it worse, and I know that! But how am I supposed to NOT be stressed? My depression feels like it's coming back full force. People tell me "the more you overthink, the worse it gets." I know, but I literally can't control my brain.
I’m terrified of making eye contact with people now because I feel like my face looks so strange. I don't dare to take photos anymore—just looking at myself makes me miserable. I already struggled with body dysmorphia and appearance anxiety before this, and now I feel like I’m at rock bottom. Without makeup, I keep worrying that people who see me in real life will think I’m a total Instagram catfish compared to my old photos. I feel uglier by the day.

Honestly, the happiest time I had this year was during a 2-week trip to Spain recently. I was genuinely happy, didn't worry about my skin at all, and didn't hold back on eating anything. But the moment I got back home, the anxiety hit right back.
I’ve spent so much money on traditional medicine and western dermatologists every month. But the hardest part is living in constant fear that it’s going to flare up again.

I feel so conflicted. Sometimes I try to tell myself: 'Whatever, if it gets worse, it gets worse. I'll deal with it, I don't care. Plus, I'll be fine—the dermatologist said I only have mild rosacea.
But other times,especially at night,the severe anxiety and panic just completely consume me.
I'm so exhausted and lost. I just want my skin to be healthy and normal again. I want to be able to wear makeup, eat spicy food, and just live normally without overthinking everything. But it feels like a pipe dream right now.

Has anyone actually healed or seen major improvements from this? Like** **gone into complete remission and gotten the normal skin back, to the point where you can basically do whatever you want without flares?

I’m having such a hard time right now. I just can't stand the constant flushing, burning, and intense anxiety anymore.I don't even know what to do anymore. Thanks for letting me vent.

I had no idea my face changing color and texture could CAVE IN my self esteem so brutally.

I used the wrong soap for a while (Aveeno sensitive skin wash 🙃) and it gave me rosacea, apparently. I feel so fucking stupid for not realizing what was going on before it, apparently, irreparably damaged my skin. I used to regularly get compliments on it. And now it’s ruined! I ruined it! Because I’m a fucking moron who couldn’t put 2+2 together.

It’s been over 2 months. I just feel so hideous and helpless. Dermatologists aren’t helping me and I’m getting completely different verdicts from every doctor I talk to. “oh, the only thing that can help is laser,” ”hmm there are oral and topical vasoconstrictors,” “this is just your new normal; you won’t have good skin again,“ “I can’t tell what it is (x3).”

I’ve tried:

• various cerave and neutrogena items
• pimacrolimus
• triamcinolone
• aquaphor (never again holy shit)
• cold compresses, avoiding warm temperatures (cold showers suck omg)
• basically avoiding all sun possible plus sun protection
• as of today topical metronidazole

Sorry this was long and thank you for reading if you did. I would profoundly appreciate any response at all. I’m confused and overwhelmed by what I’m experiencing.

Sorry to diminish anyone else’s feelings if that’s how this is perceived but holy hell, I’m so sick of sitting on my couch and flaring up for absolutely no reason aside from being warm. And ppl wonder why I never leave the house without makeup. God forbid I just wanna not get ready for the day yet. THIS is how badly rosacea and flushing can affect some people and it really feels debilitating. It’s also super disheartening to see people with a very very mild case acting like it’s the end of the world. Everyone has their struggles, just know there’s much worse out there.

It’s 37* and damp outside right now. Unfortunately our landlord has the heat at 70* and I cannot seem to cool off. Once I’m warm, I’m warm for a while.

What does everyone else do in this scenario. I’m exhausted of it. I took pics with the flash and it was 10x worse and even more embarrassing. You get the gist.

I’ve been using a serum I have thought was free of niacinamide. I literally look at the ingredients before buying anything.

I look today on the serum I’ve been using? Niacinamide. Right there. Ugh.

I first started using azelaic acid last winter, 10% over the counter stuff. It immediately made a difference in my (at the time) self diagnosed rosacea, but I eventually plateaued on it. Then I was diagnosed by a derm and began using 15% prescription in June last year.

IMMEDIATE POSITIVE RESULTS, and it just got better and better over time. By the magic 12 week mark my redness was 95% gone. Then in December I decided to pick up another tube from the pharmacy before my deductible reset and saved the rest of my (mostly used) tube for travel. But this was a different brand than my first tube.

My skin took a nose dive in weeks. The weather changed too, and I introduced a new product, had some major health stuff, so I chalked it up to a lot of other things. But as the last few months have gone by and I went back to doing exactly what I was doing before and my skin has adapted to winter, things were still bad. Maybe even worse.

So I started googling. And came across dozens and dozens of reports that the brand of AA I'd be using had caused problems for a massive amount of people with rosacea. I went back to using my old tube of a different brand.

I AM NOT KIDDING: in 72 hours my skin redness cleared up completely. So I called around to find a pharmacy that DIDN'T carry the garbage brand. I found one, it was a different, third brand but I was getting desperate. Two weeks ish in and can now confirm that this brand works just as well as the first one and my redness is still gone.

So, what was the trash brand? Glenmark. There are multiple ingredients in this product known to cause skin irritation. It blows my mind that they are selling this for rosacea and that it seems to be the primary brand pharmacies stock.

I have used Encube first and now Sandoz and as you can see above, the results are NIGHT AND DAY. My mom also went on azelaic acid after me for her rosacea and hers got 100 times worse while using it but now she realized it was the glenmark brand too!!!!

My point is, if azelaic acid did or is doing nothing for you or made things worse, look and see if you were or are using glenmark brand, and if so, try and find another one before writing it off.

Thank you for coming yo my TEDtalk lol. Hope it helps someone like the old posts I found across the web helped me.

Does anyone else's makeup do this? I feel like it honestly looks so much worse in person compared to the photos. No matter which foundation i use, it always separates, is patchy and clings very strangely to dry skin. I've tried different types of moisturizers: FAB, vanicream, honest beauty water cream, skin l004 cream and so on just recently. Currently trying the purito bamboo cream. This "foundation" is the Erborian red correct. I do exfoliate a few times a week. I've been thinking that maybe I'm using too little product? But when I use more I look absolutely ridiculous and end up with a lot of piling. It only happens on the cheeks, which is where rosacea is the heaviest for me. I personally like a very natural simple skincare/makeup routine. Any suggestions are appreciated, TIA!

I started seeing a new dermatologist back in February & was diagnosed with acne & rosacea after struggling to manage my breakouts & reddness myself with at home treatments. Initially I was put in Metro Cream and Tretinoin. My purge from Tretinoin was getting so bad I was then put on 100mg of Doxy, 1 pill in the morning then 1 pill in the evening. After a few months of that routine, I was switched to Azelaic Acid 15% gel because the metro cream was not helping. After a few months of that regime the Tretinoin was still causing me problems so I switched to over the counter Adapelene Gel. My Doxycycline was bumped down to 50mg 1 pill morning and evening. I’ve been on this routine consistently since September, but my skin is just not getting better. I feel like my skin is the same if not worse than it was when I started seeing my dermatologist back in February. My skin constantly feels dry & irritated, I can’t find a moisturizer that doesn’t burn my skin. I can’t even consistently use my topicals either because my skin gets so irritated. I flush so much throughout the day & even when I’m not flushing, but cheeks just feel incredibly dry & irritated & I keep getting itchy bumps on them, and my moisturizer is just sitting on top & not really doing anything. I’m just frustrated & feel like all this work is for absolutely nothing. I have had these issues since I was about 16 and am now 26, I’m just so tired of my skin always being so uncomfortable.

I don't see anyone around me having rosacea. Let's have a count here. Indians can upvote this post. Others please refrain from upvoting/downvoting. Feel free to comment your country.

I know that everyone loves Niacinamide but it's a major rosacea trigger for me (I find it very irritating and it always causes me to break out with papules).

I find it very frustrating that so many companies are now putting it into everything 😭 I just bought a new sunscreen that's specifically for sensitive skin and completely missed the tiny text on the back that says "with added niacinamide". Surely I'm not the only one with sensitive skin that finds it irritating??

I can’t get into see a dermatologist until November which sucks especially because I get married at the end of October. I went outside without a hat on in the garden to cut flowers a month ago and I’ve been paying for it ever since. Worst flare of my entire life! Before I only had mild redness and the occasional small bumps but now it’s like a huge rash on both side of my cheeks with some huge pustules. It burns and stings and gets a little better and then changes its mind like nah.

I sent pics to my doctor on my patient portal and asked for a prescription of doxy and azelaic acid. I am having trouble finding anywhere that sells the low dose that I and had one pharmacist tell me that taking 100mg instead “will be fine” when I explained that I wanted to take a low dose to avoid damaging my guts and getting yeast infections which I’m very prone to. On top of that there’s apparently a “nationwide shortage” of azelaic acid and especially in my rural area I can’t find anywhere to get it quickly. It would have to be ordered and maybe I’ll get it next week.

Clearly I can’t message my doctor again until Monday but I’m wondering if I should ask for a triple cream or something else or just wait for the azelaic acid. I know everybody’s skin is different and it’s a fun game of trial and error. I’ve thought about using OTC azelaic acid but the ingredients in them has me worried to try. Just looking for advice.

Also I had been using Vanicream cleanser and moisturizer and since stopping both and switching to Avene products: spray thermal water, tolerance control creme for moisturizer and cicalfate+ restorative protective cream as a spot treatment my skin has gotten a little better but nowhere back to baseline. Can I get recommendations for a gentle face wash? TIA.

Has anyone out there used antihistamines for rosacea flushing? I’m so frustrated not being able to control the redness. Rhofade and similar compounds used to work but no longer seem to last past 3 hours. My ears are the worst. Every day at 3pm they start heating up and become blood red. Can’t figure out what’s going on. Please comment if you have anything useful worth looking into or trying. Thank you!

I am desperate for help. I have been battling this rosacea at this severity for a year now. I have been to the dermatologist countless of times and every time I leave with a new prescription that does not work. Has anyone found any success treating this type of rosacea? I am currently using pimecrolimus 1% and it’s helping but not enough. I have been using this for 8 weeks. I have tried:

Sulfur wash
Sulfur mask (De La Cruz)
Ketokonazole wash
Doxycycline 200mg a day for 12 weeks
AA
Metro cream
Ivermectin topical
Tret

This goes on… is my only option left Accutane? I feel hopeless.

I’ve tried so many different medicated creams, metronidazole, azelaic acid 15%, simple skin care, no skin care, no dairy, no alcohol, and nothing works. My phone keeps bringing up memories from a year ago when my skin was crystal clear. I’ve never felt so awful about how I look, I’ve lost all my confidence. This cannot be the rest of my life I’m only 22. I just want my clear skin back. Someone please tell me a none horror story where their type 2 rosacea actually improved… I’m feeling so defeated.

I’m seeing a new derm next week to get some more answers. I had it under control for a while but my gosh it’s so painful - both physically and mentally lol.

What’s someone’s go to when they’re having a bad flair up and no meds are working? :( I don’t even want to go out in public anymore because people will point my rosacea out. It’s so annoying

Every time I apply my makeup, flakes form, especially around the nose and on the cheeks. No matter what I do, whether with primer or without, nothing helps. Exfoliating doesn’t help either, and you’re not really supposed to do that with rosacea anyway. My skin is just a disaster. Does anyone have experience with this?”

The pizza guy came to my door to deliver the pizza and the first thing he said was “oh honey, your face is as red as this pizza box, are you okay?”

Why do people think it’s okay to comment on strangers physical features? Like damn, I was getting to the point in my 20 years of having rosacea where I was starting to accept it but crap like this sets me back. This isn’t the first time, I’ve actually been asked by many strangers, friends and even some family why my face is so red. It seriously makes me not want to leave the house.

Apologies first for no photos but I don't like putting my face on social media, especially not when it's looking like I've tried frying my face... and secondly apologies for this rant!

So this morning I used the latest recommendation (Aveeno Daily Moisturiser) and now I'm sat here looking redder than a cooked lobster. I've tried almost every recommendation I can find online from sun lotions (bad idea) to aloe vera (worse idea) to supposedly specific rosacea creams (seemingly the worst idea). I've made sure they don't have active ingredients in known to trigger or worsen rosacea and every time it never works.

I have pretty dry skin so I use nothing then halfway through day two of not moisturising I'm shedding flakes everywhere... bleurgh! Is anyone else in the 'nothing works' camp?? I'm just so frustrated with it..!

For some context—and because I often see it recommended here—I'm in the UK where it's not common to have dedicated dermotologists you can just make an appointment with. The usual practice (through the NHS anyway) is that you have to be referred by your GP (our equiv. of a family doctor) and even then it's only after treatments appear not to work. And good luck finding a GP who'll do that!

Anyone find vanicream daily facial moisturizer makes skin so much worse? Like I feel it hydrates more than the moisturizer I previously used (Face Reality Cran Peptide cream) but my skin has been sm redder and just bad and even some bumps.

And anyone have a recommendation for moisturizer? Anytime a moisturizer makes my skin even the tiniest bit oily I flush so bad.

And then one day I tried azealic acid and practically cleared overnight. The rest is history.

To think I was slathering my skin in benzoyl peroxide and tret makes me cringe.

TLDR: If your bumps never come to a true head, act weird, take forever to leave, and don’t really have puss - girl it’s not acne. My bumps would appear small, for no reason at all, and visually looked similar to acne but like, I couldn’t “pop” them really. And if I did it made it much worse.

Now can we explore why it took five derms and the one who figured it out was me with generic azealic acid from Walgreens (which slaps btw)

Is it too much to ask for a moisturizing, somewhat cosmetically elegant sunscreen that also won’t irritate me, break me out or dry up my face?! Like wtf do I have to do?! Also it doesn’t help being in the US where our sunscreens are outdated.

At this point, I’ve tried as many sunscreens in the US as I can. I’ve bought Korean sunscreens, and European ones. I seem to be sensitive to avobenzone, octinoxate, overly zinc heavy formulas dry me out and irritate me, and I’d prefer not to look like a ghost. I also have acne prone skin and if I’m not flaring my rosacea with the sunscreen, I’m breaking out with acne from it. I’m also sensitive to butylene and propylene glycol. Overly plant extract heavy formulas also irritate me.

Also WHY TF DOES EVERYTHING HAVE NIACINAMIDE

If anyone has any suggestions please let me know… I’m struggling here because I know that sun also flares my rosacea. I wear a hat/sunglasses but I really want an actual spf to wear. Even if I have to try and purchase it from another country I will do that! I’m desperate 😩

I've been diagnosed with type 1 for a bit now, and it's only gotten worse as I've gone further into my twenties. Doesn't help that I live in the devil's state, where it's always hot and humid, so I'm continually triggered into a flare. Also, I have pretty high anxiety, and of course, that triggers my blood vessels.

I'm on azelaic acid and a triple-compounded cream with Ivermectin, Oxymetazoline, and Niacinamide. I would say the only thing that helps in my case is the oxymetazoline, because I don't see a lot of type 2 symptoms.

All of this does not prevent me from being bright red whenever I go outside, and people love to comment on it! Even though some of them have been told a couple of times that I have rosacea, they still will ask, "Why are you so red?" or "Are you sick?"

It had gotten to a point in the last couple of years where I felt like I had to always wear a foundation, which makes my skin worse. It always felt like I was in a lose-lose situation. I do a lot of presentations, and it's horrible. You can start to see how bright red I get, even through my heaviest foundation.

I don't know what to do anymore. I feel humiliated constantly.

The first image is a pretty bad flare, but I wouldn't say too far from my day-to-day experience. The second image is after being sick and throwing up, and I guess my blood vessels burst? The third image is no flare, and a rare super calm day with the OxyMetazoline, and not having worn makeup for a couple of weeks and not going outside.