Rosacea: I think the game plan working.
Mar. 30th, 2012 02:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
icarusThe rosacea treatment plan seems to be working. I'm seeing a difference in a matter of a couple of weeks, and a dramatic change after the vitamin K arrived this week.
Vitamin K to ease and erase the inflammation
I'm washing my face twice a day and then using Vitamin K cream. It feels cool and soothing. From the moment I started it, the hot sensitivity began to ease. The windburn-like redness on my cheeks appears to be evaporating, though my nose is still red and sensitive.
Sulfur soap to dissolve the spots
For the bad pustules and flaking, when they form, I use sulfur soap--sparingly, just wetting a fingertip, dabbing it on the sulfur bar, and then dotting the sulfur soap directly on the spots. The results are immediate. But I have to be careful: sulfur soap thins the skin, and can, if I use it too much, cause the blood vessels to show through. So that's for extreme use only. Someone has suggested pine tar soap, so I have to look into that.
Hylaronic acid to both moisturize scaling and dissolve the spots
Usually, if the pustules and roughness on my nose aren't terribly bad, I use hylaronic acid, spreading a dot of it over the worst areas before moisturizing at night while I watch TV. It has the texture of fresh-from-the-plant aloe and forms a tight moisturizing layer. Seems to have the same effect as the sulfur but less dramatic, more gentle.
Jojoba oil to heal the surface of my dry, irritated skin, bring back elasticity
As a wonderful night cream, I'm putting on jojoba oil. It's smoothing my dry, tight skin, restores elasticity within half an hour (no kidding!). Amazing, actually. Aside from the natural sagginess where my age is starting to show (sighs at 44) it feels like I'm getting back the skin I had in my 20s, super soft, super pliable.
Vitamins to feed my skin
I'm also taking the actual Vitamin K2, along with Vitamin E and Zinc. I notice when I don't take the vitamins in the am, my skin feels hot and tight, so they're important. I'm eating more fruit (organic apples, mangoes) and more veggies (red leaf lettuce, broccoli). I'd like to buy more foods high in antioxidants, pick up some white tea. I'm trying to drink more water as well. I still need to get Udo's oil. That will make a difference.
Stopping bad habits that affect my skin
I'm getting more conscientious about sunscreen. And no more McDonald's--that's actually the worst for my skin, I break out the very next day. Chocolate in general is not bad, but it has to be expensive chocolate in moderate amounts (dark is best). Cheap chocolate, especially combined with ice cream or cream, is bad. I'm slowly reducing my (rather high) sugar intake. I've always known it's bad for me but that's a hard one.
In particular, the vitamin K and jojoba oil are both astonishingly effective.
Vitamin K to ease and erase the inflammation
I'm washing my face twice a day and then using Vitamin K cream. It feels cool and soothing. From the moment I started it, the hot sensitivity began to ease. The windburn-like redness on my cheeks appears to be evaporating, though my nose is still red and sensitive.
Sulfur soap to dissolve the spots
For the bad pustules and flaking, when they form, I use sulfur soap--sparingly, just wetting a fingertip, dabbing it on the sulfur bar, and then dotting the sulfur soap directly on the spots. The results are immediate. But I have to be careful: sulfur soap thins the skin, and can, if I use it too much, cause the blood vessels to show through. So that's for extreme use only. Someone has suggested pine tar soap, so I have to look into that.
Hylaronic acid to both moisturize scaling and dissolve the spots
Usually, if the pustules and roughness on my nose aren't terribly bad, I use hylaronic acid, spreading a dot of it over the worst areas before moisturizing at night while I watch TV. It has the texture of fresh-from-the-plant aloe and forms a tight moisturizing layer. Seems to have the same effect as the sulfur but less dramatic, more gentle.
Jojoba oil to heal the surface of my dry, irritated skin, bring back elasticity
As a wonderful night cream, I'm putting on jojoba oil. It's smoothing my dry, tight skin, restores elasticity within half an hour (no kidding!). Amazing, actually. Aside from the natural sagginess where my age is starting to show (sighs at 44) it feels like I'm getting back the skin I had in my 20s, super soft, super pliable.
Vitamins to feed my skin
I'm also taking the actual Vitamin K2, along with Vitamin E and Zinc. I notice when I don't take the vitamins in the am, my skin feels hot and tight, so they're important. I'm eating more fruit (organic apples, mangoes) and more veggies (red leaf lettuce, broccoli). I'd like to buy more foods high in antioxidants, pick up some white tea. I'm trying to drink more water as well. I still need to get Udo's oil. That will make a difference.
Stopping bad habits that affect my skin
I'm getting more conscientious about sunscreen. And no more McDonald's--that's actually the worst for my skin, I break out the very next day. Chocolate in general is not bad, but it has to be expensive chocolate in moderate amounts (dark is best). Cheap chocolate, especially combined with ice cream or cream, is bad. I'm slowly reducing my (rather high) sugar intake. I've always known it's bad for me but that's a hard one.
In particular, the vitamin K and jojoba oil are both astonishingly effective.
no subject
Date: 2012-03-31 03:51 pm (UTC)My saviour has been raw chocolate. It tends to be sweetned with a natural sweetener like Agave nectar or even just vanilla and raw chocolate is so dense and rich that you genuinely can stop at one of two pieces. It really hits all the buttons for those times when only chocolate will so the trick!
Thanks for the Jojoba oil reccomendation. I will try that.