My Rosacea, Part II: The Verdict

In the previous episode of my rosacea saga, I was waiting to see the dermatologist to see if my suspicions were correct. I had to wait an excruciating amount of time for my appointment, but when I finally went, I got the verdict.

Masks were still required at the derm’s office, so in the exam room, I babbled to him about why I thought I might have rosacea and when I began noticing it with my mask firmly on my face. The dermatologist asked me to take the mask off, and before I could even get it halfway down my face, he blurted out, “Oh yeah, you have rosacea.” I was at once relieved and … slightly offended? Was it really THAT obvious? Do my friends call me Rosacea Girl behind my back?! Am I just a scary, red, raspberry-face person and I didn’t even know it?!

But no. It wasn’t that bad, he said. He could prescribe me some things to treat it, but the annoying thing is, it isn’t curable. It will never go away. I’ll just have to keep treating it and treating it and treating it until I die. Which, honestly, it could be so much worse, so I can’t complain about it too much. I was just happy have some hope of taming it.

He prescribed a clear gel called metronidazole and an antibiotic I forgot the name of. He said that the antibiotic would likely clear the rosacea up the most effectively, but it came with potential side effects, and the rosacea would just come right back after I stopped using it. Having had a doctor grandfather who was really cautious about antibiotics, I chose not to take it. Instead, I’ve been on the metronidazole train, and it’s going … okay. I still have some redness, but it’s noticeably better than before I started using the gel, so that’s a win.

I’ve also been reading up on other factors that can cause rosacea flareups, including smoking, drinking red wine, and staying out in the sun too long, all three of which I was partaking in. I’ve cut back on the red wine and been more careful about being in the sun, and as of a few days ago, I quit smoking, which has needed to happen for a very long time, rosacea or no rosacea.

Another thing I’ve been trying is skin cycling, which involves rotating use of skin care products, rather than using them all every day. (If you want to go deeper on skin cycling, read this article!) Giving my skin a break between treatments has been really nice, and it keeps my skin from getting overwhelmed.

So, for now, my rosacea journey ends here, with using my metronidazole and reducing other factors that cause flare-ups. It still bums me out that there’s no real cure for it, but if this is the worst health problem in my life right now, then I’m a pretty lucky gal.