Acne/rosacea and blepharitis: best facial practices?

[ivy]

Hey,

Female, late 30s, having a really hard time with breakouts in my cheeks for the past months. I never had acne in my teens, nor did my eyelids itch like this. How should I clean and protect my skin daily? Also, just how important is pH? And should I wash my face with acidic drinking water?

Any advice will be much appreciated.

 

[CuriousKay]

I went from near perfect skin to breaking out with huge cysts just days after the second vaccine.

After 6 months on tetracycline and doxycycline they’re telling me in Papulopostulous Rosacea, which is considered a chronic condition.

I’ve been doing everything I know to reduce inflammation in the gut and skin following Peat principles, but I’m just lost as to how to make it go away.

I had/have Hidradenitis Suppurativa, but that’s been in remission for a few years. I’ve struggled with adult acne before, but had finally achieved the best skin of my life when I took the vaccines in May.

Aside from topical Ivermectin that they just prescribed, I would love to know how other people have conquered their Acne/Rosacea/Papulopostulous Rosacea.

 

[Birdie]

I have rosacea and in reading here, it reminded me that I was getting papules for a while but now am not. About 4 years ago, when my eyes, scalp and face were involved, I spent a lot of time reading all over the place.

One thing I found was that there were certain substances in face soaps/cleansers that would feed the mites which were thought to be causative.. I found a website done by-- what..biochemists of some sort. The ingredients to stay away from were listed. The only one I remember at the moment is shea butter. I've made sure to keep that off my face.

That website listed various products and examined them re demodex mites.. I remember putting tea tree oil in my shampoo. I have a big assortment of shampoos that were recommended and I tried.

Yes, I took two or three rounds of Ivermectin. I used the horse paste and never picked up the expensive Rx, Soolantra for $300. I put the IVM into large capsules.

There is an old website done by a guy in Australia which I also read.

 

[aliml]

"According to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), the eyes (face) relate to the internal organs. In Chinese medicine, each part of the eye is associated with a particular element and corresponding zang organ. The iris is represented by the liver zang. The heart zang relates to the corners of the eyes or the canthi, the upper and lower eyelids correspond to the spleen, the conjunctiva the lung, and the pupil the kidney."

Reaching Optimal Eye Health with Chinese Medicine

According to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), the eyes relate to the internal organs. In Chinese medicine, each part of the eye is associated with a

pacificcollege.edu

 

[Korven]

I have rosacea and in reading here, it reminded me that I was getting papules for a while but now am not. About 4 years ago, when my eyes, scalp and face were involved, I spent a lot of time reading all over the place.

One thing I found was that there were certain substances in face soaps/cleansers that would feed the mites which were thought to be causative.. I found a website done by-- what..biochemists of some sort. The ingredients to stay away from were listed. The only one I remember at the moment is shea butter. I've made sure to keep that off my face.

That website listed various products and examined them re demodex mites.. I remember putting tea tree oil in my shampoo. I have a big assortment of shampoos that were recommended and I tried.

Yes, I took two or three rounds of Ivermectin. I used the horse paste and never picked up the expensive Rx, Soolantra for $300. I put the IVM into large capsules.

There is an old website done by a guy in Australia which I also read.

Hi Birdie, so you get relief from your rosacea by using oral/topical ivermectin? And did your eyes also clear up after taking ivermectin?

I suspect I have a stubborn demodex mite problem and the only thing I haven't tried yet is ivermectin. It is difficult for me to get horse paste or pills where I live, do you think it would be a bad idea to take Soolantra orally? I know it has some bad excipients but if I only use it once or twice it shouldn't be that damaging.

 

[Birdie]

Hi Birdie, so you get relief from your rosacea by using oral/topical ivermectin? And didill your eyes also clear up after taking ivermectin?

I suspect I have a stubborn demodex mite problem and the only thing I haven't tried yet is ivermectin. It is difficult for me to get horse paste or pills where I live, do you think it would be a bad idea to take Soolantra orally? I know it has some bad excipients but if I only use it once or twice it shouldn't be that damaging.

I don't know for sure about Soolantra orally Korven. First I'd search the internet. There must be people who've tried that. Have you looked at that Australian guy's website. A lot of people commented there. Would be hard to get the dose figured out.

I use doxycycline 50mg 3 times a week for fibromyalgia so that could help too. I wash my eyelids (facecloth + warm water, soak, massage) and still wash my pillowslip every other day. So, mine's not cleared up just become mild but requires too much attention!

 

[Korven]

I don't know for sure about Soolantra orally Korven. First I'd search the internet. There must be people who've tried that. Have you looked at that Australian guy's website. A lot of people commented there. Would be hard to get the dose figured out.

I use doxycycline 50mg 3 times a week for fibromyalgia so that could help too. I wash my eyelids (facecloth + warm water, soak, massage) and still wash my pillowslip every other day. So, mine's not cleared up just become mild but requires too much attention!

Thanks for your advice. I did not find any information on oral Soolantra except that it's dangerous and should be avoided LOL. Could you link the Australian guy's website? I must have missed it.

Anyways I found the dosage protocol for rosacea which is 200 micrograms ivermectin per kilogram body weight - so I did the calculations, measured out 1.4 g of Soolantra which equals 14 mg ivermectin and took it with a meal.

And thanks I will try the warm compress and eyelid massage. I am so tired of having dry, red eyes!

 

[Birdie]

Thanks for your advice. I did not find any information on oral Soolantra except that it's dangerous and should be avoided LOL. Could you link the Australian guy's website? I must have missed it.

Anyways I found the dosage protocol for rosacea which is 200 micrograms ivermectin per kilogram body weight - so I did the calculations, measured out 1.4 g of Soolantra which equals 14 mg ivermectin and took it with a meal.

And thanks I will try the warm compress and eyelid massage. I am so tired of having dry, red eyes!

I don't have the link. I ran into his site again maybe a month ago and read a little then.

Yeah about the eyes. Gentle massage, then clean edge of lid. It's taken away the itch enough to go to bed. In the morning I skip the massage and just use heat + cleaning the edge with warm washcloth/terry one...

 

[LadyRae]

Thanks for your advice. I did not find any information on oral Soolantra except that it's dangerous and should be avoided LOL. Could you link the Australian guy's website? I must have missed it.

Anyways I found the dosage protocol for rosacea which is 200 micrograms ivermectin per kilogram body weight - so I did the calculations, measured out 1.4 g of Soolantra which equals 14 mg ivermectin and took it with a meal.

And thanks I will try the warm compress and eyelid massage. I am so tired of having dry, red eyes!

Hi @Korven ! Have you experienced relief from your rosacea since december? I'm just wondering how you are doing?

 

[Korven]

Hi @Korven ! Have you experienced relief from your rosacea since december? I'm just wondering how you are doing?

Hey @LadyRae, thanks for asking!

Yes things are so much better now. My skin has been on a rollercoaster these past couple years and I feel like I'm finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. To be fair I have never gotten properly diagnosed with rosacea by a derm, it's self-diagnosed, though I have been able to get prescription medicines like Soolantra for treating rosacea through online doctors as they agreed it might help.

The most bothersome symptoms have been constant rosacea pustules or "adult acne", redness, itchiness, inflammation, and acne looking cysts (which I believe are larger rosacea breakouts). A.k.a "rosacea subtype 2" or papulopustular rosacea. Oh and not to mention the DRY RED EYES.

Earlier this year I was focused on killing Demodex mites on my face. As I mentioned earlier in this thread, I was so desperate that I decided to eat Soolantra cream LOL. Didn't really help though. Then I used ivermectin/Soolantra topically which didn't give me any sustained relief either. Then I tried the Chinese ZZ cream for 3-4 months and while some things improved, my skin still wasn't looking healthy or normal. Now in hindsight I realize that I have probably been dealing with a bad case of seborrheic dermatitis as well, and the ZZ cream contains bad ingredients that feed malassezia yeast and seb derm.

Anyways... I have made the most amount progress from focusing on gut health. Specifically, I started looked into the H. pylori connection to rosacea as they seem to be intimately linked. I also had some other symptoms indicating that I had been dealing with chronic H.pylori infection (possibly got H. pylori from drinking raw milk a couple years ago). Since starting an anti-H. pylori protocol consisting of home-made kefir, mastic gum and vitamin C I have gotten great results. I can tell because not only has my skin improved, but my dry red eyes have gotten a lot better as well, which I am thrilled about! I am afraid there may be some semi-permanent vascularization from years of dry eyes but hopefully it will get better over time.

I have found that managing serotonin/endotoxin through diet is also important (...H.pylori produces endotoxins!). For me this means eating easily digestible foods, no grains and no starch, having some safe fiber in the diet to carry out bacterial toxins/metabolic waste, taking extra vitamin C every day, activated charcoal a few times per week, etc. When I overdo starches and grains my skin and overall health starts deteriorating so I generally avoid those.

Topically I have found that a benzoyl peroxide gel helps the most with rosacea pustules, but would still have flareups when my gut health was bad.

Hope this is helpful for anyone with rosacea, adult acne or other mystery skin issues!

 

[Korven]

More reading on H.pylori - rosacea/blepharitis/dry eyes:

Helicobacter pylori infection but not small intestinal bacterial overgrowth may play a pathogenic role in rosacea - PubMed

Prevalence of H. pylori infection was significantly higher in patients with rosacea than control group, whereas SIBO prevalence was comparable between the two groups. Eradication of H. pylori infection led to a significant improvement of skin symptoms in rosacea patients.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

"Prevalence of H. pylori infection was significantly higher in patients with rosacea than control group, whereas SIBO prevalence was comparable between the two groups. Eradication of H. pylori infection led to a significant improvement of skin symptoms in rosacea patients."

Relationship between Helicobacter pylori and Rosacea: review and discussion - PubMed

It is confirmed that H. pylori infection is involved in the development of rosacea. It is suggested that rosacea patients should be tested for H. pylori infection, the H. pylori-positive rosacea patients should be treated with eradication of H. pylori, so as to enhance the therapeutic effect of...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Prevalence and Treatment of Helicobacter pylori in Patients with Blepharitis | IOVS | ARVO Journals

iovs.arvojournals.org

Helicobacter pylori Infection and Eye Diseases: A Systematic Review

The connection between Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection and eye diseases has been increasingly reported in the literature and in active research. The implication of this bacterium in chronic eye diseases, such as blepharitis, glaucoma, central serous ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[aniciete]

having some safe fiber in the diet to carry out bacterial toxins/metabolic waste

What type of fiber do you tolerate the best? I started eating a bunch of melons and my intestines feel like they are turning. My stools started floating and smell terrible so I think there’s some sort of fermentation occurring. I’m still confusing about this whole fiber thing. I see some minimize it while others eating ***t loads of beans to bind to bile. Every time I try increasing soluble fiber it ends badly. The worst offender is potatoes.

 

[ivy]

What type of fiber do you tolerate the best? I started eating a bunch of melons and my intestines feel like they are turning. My stools started floating and smell terrible so I think there’s some sort of fermentation occurring. I’m still confusing about this whole fiber thing. I see some minimize it while others eating ***t loads of beans to bind to bile. Every time I try increasing soluble fiber it ends badly. The worst offender is potatoes.

Check out FODMAPS, reaction to melons is to be expected...

 

[aniciete]

Check out FODMAPS, reaction to melons is to be expected...

I’ll check it out, thanks! Did you have any success following FODMAPS?

 

[Korven]

What type of fiber do you tolerate the best? I started eating a bunch of melons and my intestines feel like they are turning. My stools started floating and smell terrible so I think there’s some sort of fermentation occurring. I’m still confusing about this whole fiber thing. I see some minimize it while others eating ***t loads of beans to bind to bile. Every time I try increasing soluble fiber it ends badly. The worst offender is potatoes.

I have great, easy-to-pass poops eating 1 cup of blueberries per day, and +-1 raw carrot. Sometimes I eat white rice. And the trace amount of fiber in 1 cup coffee.

I think the confusion stems from the fact that some people do well on certain fibers and some do not. This tolerance for certain fibers depends on many factors, e.g gut microbiome and specific bacteria in the colon. I did the "bean protocol" for 6 months because "beans are awesome", but for me beans were a disaster. My opinion is that you don't need tons of soluble fiber to detox. You just gotta find the foods that give the most and take the least. No point in pushing through with foods that causes excessove bacterial fermentation/gas/bloating. In your case it could be fructose malabsorption or specific FODMAPS in melons causing digestive distress. Try to find 1-2 sources of fiber that you tolerate well, or just avoid it all together.

 

[aniciete]

I have great, easy-to-pass poops eating 1 cup of blueberries per day, and +-1 raw carrot. Sometimes I eat white rice. And the trace amount of fiber in 1 cup coffee.

I think the confusion stems from the fact that some people do well on certain fibers and some do not. This tolerance for certain fibers depends on many factors, e.g gut microbiome and specific bacteria in the colon. I did the "bean protocol" for 6 months because "beans are awesome", but for me beans were a disaster. My opinion is that you don't need tons of soluble fiber to detox. You just gotta find the foods that give the most and take the least. No point in pushing through with foods that causes excessove bacterial fermentation/gas/bloating. In your case it could be fructose malabsorption or specific FODMAPS in melons causing digestive distress. Try to find 1-2 sources of fiber that you tolerate well, or just avoid it all together.

Great, thanks for the info. I’ll try cutting back on the fiber and see if it gets better. I’ll try some juice first to rule out fructose malabsorption and determine whether it’s the fiber or not. Do you eat any other starch? If not what other kind of carbs do you eat?

 

[ivy]

I’ll check it out, thanks! Did you have any success following FODMAPS

I've had a much better understanding of why and how much of certain foods will cause bloating, gas or pain, yes. Even seemingly related foods can have dissimilar effects!

 

[ivy]

Going back to the original topic, my rosacea was confirmed by a dermatologist. Demodex mites are involved and mask wearing hasn't helped (mandatory in public transport at least til the end of August).

I'm washing with cold water only and a very mild soap with no fat. Every morning, for the next 6 months, I'll be applying Soolantra; at night, for the next 2 months, I'll be applying Akne-Mycin. Sunscreen is mandatory at all times. Heat, drastic temperature changes, sun exposure and spicy foods/vasodilating elements are off limits. It's been a week since I started using these products; pimples are gone and the redness seems milder as well. Having to wear a hat or staying in the shade is what I hate the most, though.

 

[Korven]

Great, thanks for the info. I’ll try cutting back on the fiber and see if it gets better. I’ll try some juice first to rule out fructose malabsorption and determine whether it’s the fiber or not. Do you eat any other starch? If not what other kind of carbs do you eat?

Not really no, I don't do well with starch. Occasionally I can handle it but not as a staple in my diet. I drink a lot of milk for carbs as high fructose doesn't really sit well with me either.

 

[Korven]

Going back to the original topic, my rosacea was confirmed by a dermatologist. Demodex mites are involved and mask wearing hasn't helped (mandatory in public transport at least til the end of August).

I'm washing with cold water only and a very mild soap with no fat. Every morning, for the next 6 months, I'll be applying Soolantra; at night, for the next 2 months, I'll be applying Akne-Mycin. Sunscreen is mandatory at all times. Heat, drastic temperature changes, sun exposure and spicy foods/vasodilating elements are off limits. It's been a week since I started using these products; pimples are gone and the redness seems milder as well. Having to wear a hat or staying in the shade is what I hate the most, though.

Hi @ivy , how are you getting on with using Soolantra? Did it fix your demodex mite/rosacea problem?

I still occasionally get some rosacea flareups and the skin on my nose has a typical rough "demodex texture" which I don't like. I have a tube of unused Soolanta so I was thinking of hopping back on the juice... I am hesitant though because I tried it for 1 month before with no results (and I used ZZ cream for 3 months) but from what I read it can take up to 6-12 months for full effects.