Rosacea

[jyb]

I decided to go to the dermatologist and she prescribed me the doxy. I rolled with it...I've been on it for about 2 months now and digestion has been good so far...who knows what the long term affects will be though

It will return once you stop antibiotics. Doctors keep prescribing antibiotics for acne, rosacea, etc but it's a short term band aid only.

 

[MrGilbert]

I tried this and it burned my face, destroyed skin barrier and caused horrible pustules (demodex?) die-off. But seems to work well for some people.

I've had much better results with using a hypochlorous acid spray, very safe and effective for all sorts of skin inflammation. Rosacea likely stems from gut issues causing systemic inflammation, but it can be helpful to use topical anti-inflammatories to break the vicious cycle of skin inflammation. Raw honey, colloidal oatmeal and neem powder/oil has also helped me.

Yes the die-off is to be expected, that's how you know it's working. Once you push through that period, it should be smooth sailing.
How long did you try it for? It's strong stuff, I only used very small amounts.

 

[Korven]

Yes the die-off is to be expected, that's how you know it's working. Once you push through that period, it should be smooth sailing.
How long did you try it for? It's strong stuff, I only used very small amounts.

Only for a few days before I gave up. Yeah it's strong stuff, I felt like I got a chemical burn or something which is why I stopped. It took weeks for my skin barrier to repair. I think they might've changed the formulation to make it more cosmetic, it now has SLS and other irritants.

Anyways I'm doing much better using HOCL spray, it's very gentle and effective. Neem orally/topically also helpful for keeping demodex population in check.

 

[ursidae]

I tried this and it burned my face, destroyed skin barrier and caused horrible pustules (demodex?) die-off. But seems to work well for some people.

I've had much better results with using a hypochlorous acid spray, very safe and effective for all sorts of skin inflammation. Rosacea likely stems from gut issues causing systemic inflammation, but it can be helpful to use topical anti-inflammatories to break the vicious cycle of skin inflammation. Raw honey, colloidal oatmeal and neem powder/oil has also helped me.

do you think hypochlorous acid can be used internally to sterilise the gut
I got myself some of this stuff today and I’m tempted to see what happens

 

[Korven]

do you think hypochlorous acid can be used internally to sterilise the gut
I got myself some of this stuff today and I’m tempted to see what happens

That sounds like a wild idea, I've never seen anyone using it orally. It kills 99,999999% of bacteria so I guess it should do the job. Warning: you will probably smell like a swimming pool.

 

[Korven]

Yes the die-off is to be expected, that's how you know it's working. Once you push through that period, it should be smooth sailing.
How long did you try it for? It's strong stuff, I only used very small amounts.

...Okay, I admit you were right. I stopped using the ZZ cream way too early because off the die-off reaction.

I now made another attempt 1 year later and got the same terrible die-off pustules. I just pushed through it and holy ***t my skin texture. It looks normal now - no more keratin plugs or spikes sticking out of every pore. Those damn Demodex creatures have been the problem all along!!! I am now a ZZ cream believer and will stock up on it and preach the gospel to everyone.

 

[DeadCatBounce]

I know that somebody is probably going to read the ingredients in this and bash the idea of using the product but this cleared up the redness in my face quite well.

Amazon product ASIN B07QM5KGDK

b3 is in the ingredients list. I use niacinamide in my diy serum and it helps with the rosacea. 1 week without it and the rosacea returns full force. Just 2 consecutive days of niacinamide(5%), structured water + 0,5% low density HA and its gone !

 

[KittyKitty]

So happy to see an active thread on this :)

I have the 'spotty' type of rosacea as opposed to the blushing kind. I tick many of the rosacea-prone checkboxes - Female, very fair skinned of Celtic heritage, middle-aged... :) It started in my late 30's. It took a looong time to realize that fat, of any type, is a major trigger for me. I'd love to hear peoples thoughts on why this might be the case? Strongly restricting my fat intake is the only thing I've found so far that clears up an outbreak. Of note perhaps is that I had been eating alot of fat, mostly saturated, in the years prior to the rosacea starting. I do wonder if this threw something out of balance...
I've done alot of reading on Rosacea over the years and fat as an aggravating factor doesn't come up much. If anything, saturated fat & fat soluble vitamins etc are encouraged as curative / protective factors.
My 'fat tolerance' is very low and the fat or its effect seems to accumulate in my system in that, when I'm rosacea free, I can get away with the occasional overindulgence but with regular indulgences, the rosacea comes on fast and strong and takes a long time to clear. I wonder if niacin and its blood lipid lowering effects would help.. But I'm wary of going down the supplementation route, been there done that!! Same with topicals.. Restricting fat has been the only noticeable help. I'd love to figure out whats going on.
I could write forever on this. So I'll stop here for now :) Your thoughts lovely people?

 

[Herbie]

...Okay, I admit you were right. I stopped using the ZZ cream way too early because off the die-off reaction.

I now made another attempt 1 year later and got the same terrible die-off pustules. I just pushed through it and holy ***t my skin texture. It looks normal now - no more keratin plugs or spikes sticking out of every pore. Those damn Demodex creatures have been the problem all along!!! I am now a ZZ cream believer and will stock up on it and preach the gospel to everyone.

Thanks for updating, how long did it take for your skin to become nice?

 

[Vins7]

In addition to what has already been recommended here, a non fermentative diet helps greatly
Ivermectin = acari
Metronidazole = Giardia, Blastocystis
B2 = helps all types

Do you mean a low fodmap diet?

 

[Zsazsa]

Do you mean a low fodmap diet?

That is an interesting question, because although it could be helpful, it doesn't account fo allergies, serotonin triggers nor glycemic load/index. For instance, even though bananas are low FODMAPs, they used to be a huge trigger for me.

I know someone who only has a clear skin as long as she takes prednisone. I think rosacea is autoimmune.

IME topical potions only helped superficially (pun intended). It's all about gut and hormonal health.

 

[Vins7]

That is an interesting question, because although it could be helpful, it doesn't account fo allergies, serotonin triggers nor glycemic load/index. For instance, even though bananas are low FODMAPs, they used to be a huge trigger for me.

I know someone who only has a clear skin as long as she takes prednisone. I think rosacea is autoimmune.

IME topical potions only helped superficially (pun intended). It's all about gut and hormonal health.

So, do you mean a low carb diet? Or what sources of carbs?

 

[Zsazsa]

So, do you mean a low carb diet? Or what sources of carbs?

A low carb diet was part of my healing process, followed by supplementation for gut healing (glutamine, collagen, zinc, vit D - B2 also helped at some point).

Allergies are involved, so it requares observation and a individualized approach.

I needed hormone replacement as well (T3, T4, estradiol).

Before healing the skin on my face got to a point just like this blogger's:

How I reversed Hashimoto's disease with diet and detox.

My doctor said I couldn't reverse Hashimoto's disease – I'm here to tell you it's possible. Here are some of the steps I took.

deliciouslyorganic.net

 

[Vins7]

A low carb diet was part of my healing process, followed by supplementation for gut healing (glutamine, collagen, zinc, vit D - B2 also helped at some point).

Allergies are involved, so it requares observation and a individualized approach.

I needed hormone replacement as well (T3, T4, estradiol).

Before healing the skin on my face got to a point just like this blogger's:

How I reversed Hashimoto's disease with diet and detox.

My doctor said I couldn't reverse Hashimoto's disease – I'm here to tell you it's possible. Here are some of the steps I took.

deliciouslyorganic.net

Interesting. What were your main foods you ate while you were healing? if you don't mind me asking

 

[Zsazsa]

Interesting. What were your main foods you ate while you were healing? if you don't mind me asking

I did try to go the very low carb route with a severe detrimental impact on adrenals and exaggerated weight loss. At this point my skin got perfect though! (Then I found this forum).

Then I went on a paleo-like diet targetting 100g carbs daily, with only occasional starch (mostly potatoes and other roots). Staples were eggs, meat, fresh fruit, coffee, dark chocolate, vegetables (except for crucifers) pretty much like nowadays, but now I eat starchy foods more frequently and raised my daily carb intake to about 200g. I also eat beans 1-2x weekly.

I would suggest ginger as an effective antibiotic against hyperfermentative gut microbes. At first it caused me a lot of brainfog, but small doses of B-complex solved it. But I only tried it after my skin cleared. I wonder if it could have been a good shortcut...

Milk and most fresh dairy products are out of the game for me (my sister get problems from them as well: ugly pimples). Now I eat mostly yellow cheeses and small amounts of mozzarella. I have banned milk and most grains for good (except for the occasional rice).

 

[Korven]

Thanks for updating, how long did it take for your skin to become nice?

Week 1: Horrible, inflamed skin with LOTS of die-off pustules. This is where most people give up and quit (prematurely).
Week 2: Still getting some die-off reactions. Skin is starting to visibly improve and skin tone is more healthy looking. Keratin plugs or 'rice grains' in pores (dead decomposed demodex?) are about 70% reduced on my chin.
Week 3: Pustules and papules pretty much gone. Skin is looking amazing now, no more redness, no rough/weird texture and keratin plugs are GONE on my chin. I had forgotten this is what skin is supposed to look like. Skin not as reactive to eating bad foods.

Demodex mites have a lifecycle of 19-23 days so I expect there to be some more flareups in the coming weeks, but overall I'm SO stoked with my progress so far. My nose seems to be heavily infested so it might take some more time for that area to become smooth and normal looking again.

I think anyone with rosacea or adult acne should try the ZZ cream or ivermectin (Soolantra cream) and stick with it for a couple of weeks.

 

[Herbie]

Week 1: Horrible, inflamed skin with LOTS of die-off pustules. This is where most people give up and quit (prematurely).
Week 2: Still getting some die-off reactions. Skin is starting to visibly improve and skin tone is more healthy looking. Keratin plugs or 'rice grains' in pores (dead decomposed demodex?) are about 70% reduced on my chin.
Week 3: Pustules and papules pretty much gone. Skin is looking amazing now, no more redness, no rough/weird texture and keratin plugs are GONE on my chin. I had forgotten this is what skin is supposed to look like. Skin not as reactive to eating bad foods.

Demodex mites have a lifecycle of 19-23 days so I expect there to be some more flareups in the coming weeks, but overall I'm SO stoked with my progress so far. My nose seems to be heavily infested so it might take some more time for that area to become smooth and normal looking again.

I think anyone with rosacea or adult acne should try the ZZ cream or ivermectin (Soolantra cream) and stick with it for a couple of weeks.

Thank you Korven for the detailed reply. I did find that it’s easy to get soolantra cream online and same price as ZZ cream. Do you have a preference?

 

[Korven]

Thank you Korven for the detailed reply. I did find that it’s easy to get soolantra cream online and same price as ZZ cream. Do you have a preference?

You're welcome!

From my research the ZZ cream does seem to have a slight edge over Soolantra. However there are many individuals that have fixed their Demodex problem using Soolantra (and there's also a bunch of randomized trials done using Soolantra for rosacea) so I would try it out for 12 weeks and see what happens!

Remember: it may get worse before it gets better and sometimes it takes weeks to see an improvement. Just gotta hang in there!

 

[ursidae]

Week 1: Horrible, inflamed skin with LOTS of die-off pustules. This is where most people give up and quit (prematurely).
Week 2: Still getting some die-off reactions. Skin is starting to visibly improve and skin tone is more healthy looking. Keratin plugs or 'rice grains' in pores (dead decomposed demodex?) are about 70% reduced on my chin.
Week 3: Pustules and papules pretty much gone. Skin is looking amazing now, no more redness, no rough/weird texture and keratin plugs are GONE on my chin. I had forgotten this is what skin is supposed to look like. Skin not as reactive to eating bad foods.

Demodex mites have a lifecycle of 19-23 days so I expect there to be some more flareups in the coming weeks, but overall I'm SO stoked with my progress so far. My nose seems to be heavily infested so it might take some more time for that area to become smooth and normal looking again.

I think anyone with rosacea or adult acne should try the ZZ cream or ivermectin (Soolantra cream) and stick with it for a couple of weeks.

what about hypochlorous acid, did it lose effectiveness? I got some back when you mentioned it and it worked even for acne for a while then I suddenly became intolerant and now it breaks me out

 

[Peating Force]

I have slight rosacea that I got from acne on my nose, just bought ZZ cream after reading this thread. I'll provide feedback.