acne rosacea/homeopathy?

melancholly

there was a suggestion of a herbal supplement on another thread that was meant to help.... more for monthly hormonal acne than anything else. i'm on the pill so can't take it and therefore can't remember the name!! i'll try and dig up the thread.

EDIT - can't find the post i'm afraid. maybe it was removed as medical advice.... i'm sure it was available in health food shops so maybe trawl the shelves there for something that may help? sorry

Toothsmith

Dill wrote: »

Thanks for your replies and for the information.

I wasn't seeking to spark off a debate about conventional medicine vs. alternatives. (I was just wondering if anyone had tried it before.)

I have no expectations, but am willing to give so called 'alternative' medicine a go. (If the Smarties help my condition so be it :rotfl: If not, then not to worry!)

Too many things get lumped in with 'alternative' medicine.

Some are good and effective - some are complete billhooks.

It is good to look into everything - conventional or alternative - and ask the question 'is this right for me'?

septemberblues

jeannieblue wrote: »

I don't have a cure.......

But I suffer badly, but since using mineral make up - I use Elemental Beauty, cos they do a healing foundation, have found my skin has calmed beautifully (well almost), still get the odd flare up, but nothing like I used to.

There are a couple of threads on here. Sheer Cover one, a mineral make up one and one I started about Allantoin. (I've also been using comfrey rich in this Allantoin and this has helped too.)

Good luck - know the pain, hassle and embarrassment of this complaint

How do you choose the colour of your foundation? I've looked on their web page but don't know what colour to get.

belfastgirl23

Just wondering, for those using metrogel, do you stop using it when your flare up is over or do you keep using it? Gonna take advice from the pharmacist as well obviously but would be interested to hear what others are doing...

annie2005

Dill wrote: »

I was just wondering if anyone has used any herbal or homeopathic (or indeed any ‘alternative’) remedies for acne-rosacea, and if they have, how effective was it? (I’m just using Metrogel at the moment.)

Low dose antibiotics are as I understand the standard treatment for acne rosacea now. There was some scientific discovery about how it was caused? Anyway I got first something to put on my face but then when that didn't produce results that Doc prescribed tablets for nearly ten months. It totally did the trick the horrid spots never having returned like they were in what is now nearly five years. I won't pretend that I never get a spot or two but nothing ever again like it was.

If like me you have an infection causing the rosacea then nothing over the counter will treat the underlying cause. Well worth your while getting the doc to take a look even if just to save your money.

belfastgirl23

annie2005 wrote: »

Low dose antibiotics are as I understand the standard treatment for acne rosacea now. There was some scientific discovery about how it was caused? Anyway I got first something to put on my face but then when that didn't produce results that Doc prescribed tablets for nearly ten months. It totally did the trick the horrid spots never having returned like they were in what is now nearly five years. I won't pretend that I never get a spot or two but nothing ever again like it was.

If like me you have an infection causing the rosacea then nothing over the counter will treat the underlying cause. Well worth your while getting the doc to take a look even if just to save your money.

Can you tell us what your underlying cause was and how you got it diagnosed? Not being nosy, just I've never heard this before about Rosacea and I'm wondering whether that might be the case for me as well...feel free to ignore if you want.

annie2005

I had a whole long history of mouth and dental problems. Including recurrent infections for which there was no obvious explanation. The acne I thought was down to being continually recovering from more and more dental work.

So actually, it was being run down and generally below par that I was at the doctor's for. The diagnosis of it being acne rosacea came as a result of that. The Doc swabbed my mouth, nose and skin and sent the swabs off for testing. First she tried a liquid which went on the skin. Only that didn't work for me, so it was low dose antibiotic tablets for ten months. I would see her every six weeks and she'd review how things were going. The ten months were how long it took to clear.

However once it did, the condition never ever came back. Touch wood, five years later it's never ever recurred. Now it's just an occasional isolated spot just like everyone else. The swabs were to rule out a staphylococci infection and to match the antibiotic with what the acne was going to respond to.

The liquid was something benz...? Some kind of peroxide if I remember correctly. The tablets have to be matched to what your body will respond to. She mentioned to me that there had been a change in the guidance to Doctor's just previously and the idea was that a long low dosage of antibiotics for the required time was less harmful than allowing the infection to continue to build. Now remember that this was five years ago so there's probably much more up to date information out there now.

I hope that this is helpful.