I have been putting off writing this for months. Frankly it’s because I feel embarrassed that my face had such awful redness and acne as an adult. I really feel that we present to the world with our face - it’s how we are recognised, it says a lot about who we are, and research says attractiveness influences social consequences.
I was diagnosed with rosacea in my early 30’s. It started as a permanent flush on my left cheek (facial erythema), pictured left.
My doctor and two different dermatologists I went to all said the same thing, ‘Oh count yourself lucky, its unusual that you only have it on one cheek – most people have it on both cheeks’.
I was prescribed creams and antibiotics to help it go away. It didn’t.
In fact, over the next few years it progressed to both cheeks followed by an increasing number of papules, pustules, and scaly flaky skin. (Scroll down for more pictures of my personal rosacea affliction).
Through experience, I worked out that no matter how careful I was with the products I put on my face, I determined it had to be what was going on inside me, not on the outside.
I signed up to study Naturopathy, and my instincts were confirmed.
Acne Rosacea is a chronic, inflammatory skin disorder. There are 4 subtypes:
Flushing and persistent redness, visible blood vessels and a stinging or burning sensation on the face
Occurring with the above; papules, pustules, scaly red patches (plaques)
Rhinophyma; on the nose, chin, forehead, ears, eyelids is a thickening and irregular surface of the skin, visible blood vessels appear more dilated and spider-like. This occurs more often in men than women.
Ocular rosacea; this may range from minor irritation to sensation of a foreign body, dryness/wateriness, bloodshot appearance, blurry vision, ocular surface disruption and inflammation.There may also be eyelid thickening, crusts and scales, corneal ulcers and scars.
Rosacea affects the cheeks, nose, chin and forehead with all or any of the above appearances and has the potential to cause disfigurement. It is known for it to lead to embarrassment, low self-esteem, and social phobia.
There may be many underlying causes of adult acne or acne rosacea. It may be related to:
· genetic factors
· auto-immune conditions
· nervous system dysregulation
· food intolerance
· medications
· hormonal influences
· Helicobacter-pylori infection
· low stomach acid
· chronic illness
· leaky gut … and more.
There may also be certain triggers for your facial flushing – this can differ from person to person, but there are some common triggers like temperature changes, spicy foods, hot drinks, and anxiety.
If you have rosacea, you are more than likely experiencing more than one of the causes listed above. We can investigate what is causing your rosacea and treat these underlying causes to clear up your acne and/or rosacea and ‘get your face back’, just like I did!
I suffered with acne rosacea for far too many years, however, you don’t have to. Naturopathic treatment takes a gentle pathway to healing. Make an appointment with me and find out what is influencing your facial flushing and acne, and you too will be able to say that you healed your face yourself. It won’t happen overnight, but it will change your life.
REFERENCES:
Hu, X.-M., Li, Z.-X., Zhang, D.-Y., Yang, Y.-C., Zheng, S.-Y., Zhang, Q., Wan, X.-X., Li, J., Yang, R.-H., & Xiong, K. (2022). Current research and clinical trends in rosacea pathogenesis. Heliyon, 8(10), e10874. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e10874
Human and Non-Human Primate Preferences for Faces and Facial Attractiveness. (2011). http://hdl.handle.net/1893/3677
Jay, R., & Rodger, J. (2022). Resolution of rosacea-associated persistent facial edema with osteopathic manipulative treatment. JAAD Case Reports, 28, 83–86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdcr.2022.07.014
KAR, B., KAR, A. K., Majumdar, S., & Mahanti, B. (2020). A clinical overview on acuteness of rosacea. The Pharma Journal, 9(6), 45–51.
Pizzorno, J. E., & Murray, M. T. (2021). Textbook of Natural Medicine, Fifth edition (Fifth). Elsevier.
Yang, X. (2018). Relationship between Helicobacter pylori and Rosacea: Review and discussion. BMC Infectious Diseases, 18(1), 318. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-018-3232-4
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