I have the same problem I think but have not been diagnosed. My skin is very red, oily, itchy and I break out in hives a lot. The ONLY thing that has helped me is staying away from products with chemicals. That's pretty funny what that girl's dermatologist said about s**t being natural but think about it...people want to sell products and the FDA doesn't regulate what goes into them. The more toxins and chemicals you put on your skin the worse you will get. Sorry, but not even Mary Kay or Neutrogena are chemical free! Drink LOTS of pure water, stay out of the sun (but don't use sunblock unless you are going to be out for hours, and then use a natural one), and use natural skin care products. I know they are more expensive but it's a good investment. I gave up some other things I knew I didn't need so I could buy better food and healthcare products. I absolutely LOVE Dr. Hauschka products. They are wonderful and work like a charm. They have great rosacea products. My favorite item is the Normalizing Day Oil. I couldn't believe the clerk told me to PUT oil on my face, but it actually made me less oily, red, and sensitive. They have great make-up too, and items for hypersensitive skin. Good luck! Here is a link that might be useful: Dr. Hauschka's Roseaca line

I don't know, Nicole; I never questioned it, had never been told it was life-long, either. I'm 62 now with no redness, but I still get a huge pimple or two or three in clusters that put me in panic mode every couple months. My doctor warned me that menopause might cause a recurrence, but fortunately it didn't - but I didn't have hot flashes, either, or need any hormone replacement therapy. I was 55 when menopause began, 57 when done. As I said in my first post, I was unable to use anything to hide or control it. I had a hideous pizza face (and neck) that I was terribly conscious of for eight years. I had an official diagnosis from a dermatologist because my doctor (who is still my dr and aware of my history) sent me to the derm because I was pregnant, hoping the derm's expertise might be useful. He had nothing in his arsenal for a pregnant woman with rosacea at the time, but that was way back in the early 80s. My 34 yo son and 41 yo dtr had major bouts of acne in their teens and twenties. The same dermatologist who couldn't help my rosacea helped their acne tremendously. My dtr remains clear skinned at 41, but my poor son still has bouts of acne now and then, and pock marks, but he does not have rosacea according to his derm. He is treated for adult acne. Sherry

Yes, I was diagnosed with rosacea, during a visit with a dermatologist for something else entirely about 20 years ago. In my case, all that was visible was a "thumbprint" on each cheek that was slightly darker than the rest of my face and a few non-colored bumps on my nose. I was as stunned as you seem to be. After a round of antibiotics, I was prescribed a cream, then years later Metrogel, and told to use it whether or not I was having an episode, as a preventative. Several years ago, my dermatologist said there was no sign of the rosacea, but I continued to use the gel anyway. This past year my dermatologist said to discontinue the gel and I've had no return of symptoms. Try to avoid anything that makes you flush. For me, this includes heat (yeah, sun's bad, but the heat itself can be a problem), extreme cold, alcohol, and certain foods, especially spicy ones. Be careful what you use on your skin and avoid cosmetics with fragrance or certain other ingredients (you'll have to figure out which ones cause a reaction in you; I avoid silicone/dimethicone, etc). Baby your skin. Clean your eye make-up off religiously and follow with a warm, not hot, wet washrag, with a little baby shampoo if you want. Assuming you do have it -- did you ask the dermatologist in so many words? -- you're lucky it was caught early. Mine never progressed beyond what the doctor first saw, aside from occasional flare-ups. My nose bumps went away -- what a relief, since I had visions of ending up like W. C. Field! Are you very fair? There is one theory that fair people get it more often, another that it is simply more easily diagnosed on them, like rouge on Casper the Friendly Ghost.

My DH had Rosacea for years. It was so bad I wouldn't let him wear red, even at Christmas. It just brought out the red in his face even more. He tried antibiotics and the Metro-gel and limited his drinking, spicy foods and time in the sun. Nothing worked. About 12 years ago we vacationed in Hawaii on the big island. We were walking around an outdoor market when we hear a woman say "I can help you sir" ... there was no one else around so she must have been talking to us so we walked over to her and asked her what she was talking about. She points to my DH and says, I can make the red go away. We were *really* skeptical but decided to take a look at what she was selling. It was a product made in Hawaii called Kukui Nut Oil and she was selling several different sizes. We bought a small bottle of it for $7 and figured it was worth a try. When get got back home DH started using it and after years of Rosacea, it cleared up completely. He only used it for about a year and it's stayed away except when he drinks a little too much. It's tough for him to stay out of the sun as he's a tennis coach so even that really hasn't brought it back on. Of course I doubt it would do anything for ocular rosacea but it's certainly worth a try for the face. You can buy it on Amazon and other places online or if you have a Hilo Hattie's Hawaiian store in your area, they carry it. Jodi-