Rosacea, rosacea, bother this rosacea.: Week 3 and the demodex fight back!

Friday 16 January 2015

Week 3 and the demodex fight back!

My skin, which was looking less inflamed into week 2, is now a battlefield of raised red bumps and surface whiteheads. I am being woken around 2am by a sense of the mites moving over my face and brows and have been reapplying the Ivomec. My pores seem to have enlarged again with the increase in activity over the past three days.

I had read in the Galderma trail results that there is a surge of activity at the week three mark and I'm certainly noticing it. The fact that I am experiencing this using the Ivomec gives me hope that it is working in the same way as the SooLantra and am looking forward to a turnaround in week 4 and continued improvements onward from that point.

I am continuing the daily cleansing of my face with the TTO foaming facewash and the nightly application of Ivomec when the mites are moving from the pores in search of a breeding partner.

Two weeks to go until I see my dermatologist.

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About Kate

Firstly, I am in no way affiliated with any of the products I mention in my posts.

I'm a long term rosacea sufferer but wasn't diagnosed until around 4 years ago (aged 46).

Having had reactions to Minocycline 50mg and Erythromycin 400mg, my dermatologist then recommended that I try a course of low dose Roaccutane. I wanted to explore other options before I made that commitment.

This is a photographic journal which I shared with my dermatologist.

My advice to anyone who has found my page:

Ignore my earlier posts and go straight to using a dedicated scabies treatment - either Lyclear or Quellada. Use it every evening and eventually the demodex mites will be eradicated.

If you can afford to, use SooLantra. I would imagine the preparation is very gentle on the skin although I have not had the opportunity to try a sample.

Only once the mites have been eradicated will it be worth assessing the damage to your skin and determining a course of repair as in IPL (Intense Pulsed Light).

The science is here to support it and dermatologists the world over now agree that the pimple and pustule rosacea is caused by demodex mite infestation (or over-colonization) so don't be afraid to broach this subject with a dermatologist. It is interesting to note that ophthalmologists came to this conclusion a lot earlier linking blepharitis and occular rosacea to demodex mites.

Don't fall prey to companies (or individuals) with outlandish claims of a magic cure. There are a lot of people making a lot of money because of rosacea. If it sounds too good to be true, avoid it! When I was experimenting in my earlier posts, I was enticed to try a bit of pseudo-science (apple cider vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, undiluted tea tree oil etc) and I am the first to admit that the feeling of desperation can override usually good common sense.

Finally, be kind to yourself and be gentle on your skin. Don't be sad about the damage, the skin has a remarkable ability to repair if you gently (and patiently) help it along.