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I read this awhile ago and only now came back after realizing I have accutane-induced rosacea (ended course 2 years ago) The flushing only seemed to start the last half year but I probably just never noticed as i didnt know what it was. I suffer from severe form and have begun with rhinomphyma. Many papules and pustules plagued me for a few months but got on tetracycline and metro gel and those have ended however the flushing seems harder and longer than ever before and Im freaking breaking down mentally. I've never been able to deal with acne or then the small bumps that formed on my nose(rhinophyma - which I only figured out recently was caused by rosacea) and now having to deal with something that is so sporadic and lifelong is mindnumbing. Not only that but my nose has swelled up seemingly in the last month and my whole face is transformed and I'll never look normal again. And plus it will likely just get worse and worse with time and im still flushing even while on these meds.
I would do anything to not have taken the accutane. It's ruined my life and I can never be the person I was ever again. I can never even be normal looking. Im scared and I'm sick of all of this.
I too have recently been suffering post-accutane nose flushing. Derm first tried me on minocycline- made things worse. Then trief me on Rosex gel- not really any change. Then has me on Roxythromycin antibiotics- can't tell if working yet (week 2) but apparenly an anti-inflammatory (similar to actions to tetracyclines). Only thing that currently helping my nose flushes and stopping swelling is immediately when flush comes on- getting ice and putting it just inside the nostrils. Do this for about 20mins and helps keep inflammation down. Aloe vera gel put indide nostrils also seems to keep things a little cooler so as to help prevent flushing of nose. To make things worse- he also said i have developed Seborrheic dermatitis where oil is comming back on the nose... ahhhhh. So also on antifungal meds Sporanox, and topical cream metroconizole. All these problems stem from Accutane/Isotane - i've never had so many skins issues in my life!! - and of course- Derm thinks can't be related like so many others. Oh how they are so wrong....
JT, Lamarr, Halfpipe,
Do any of you suffer from flushing/swelling in the hands and feet? Sometimes when I am walking or in the shower my feet and hands swell like my skin feels really tight especially in my shoes. I thought maybe it is Raynauds...but after reading about it, not sure, as Raynauds does not really have warmth and swelling but rather cool or coldness and just fingers not whole hands.
This happened about a month or two after I finished accutane 2 years ago. It's a pain in the arse. Also my knee and ankle joints are stiff really bad especially when I have them in a position for a long time like when I am sitting at the computer or with my feet up watching tv or in bed, then get up to walk and they are sore, stiff, a little swollen. The mepacrine helps some but not a lot for both the hands and joints. This is worse in the winter months. Mepacrine is still helping with the flushing so I'm pretty happy with it. I still flush but not nearly as bad or as much. I usually do 8 weeks then take a 4 week break for my liver and skin/avoid yellowing.
Let me know your thoughts. What could help if anything. Hope you are all well.
Well I look to you all for some form of help.
After 6 months of taking Accutane (1 cycle) my face cleared up really well, worked excellent. About 4 months in my face started to get red during the day, I asked my dermatologist and she said it was a side effect and it would go away.
So I finished my 6 months, and still had redness. Nothing too bad, would get red during workouts and sometimes at school.
Now Im 4 months off Accutane and I still flare up, and now its bascially all day at school, whenever I workout or drink, or when Im at work. The only time It doesn't flare up is when Im relaxing at home. So I went into my dermatologist last week, she asked if my family had any past history of rosacea, I said no, she said I have this rosacea or whatever. I just kept nodding and saying yes, but I forgot to mention that I only had this since Ive been taking Accutane. Im 100% positive I've nevr had it before as I used to play sports in the summer and never got red.
So I've tried looking through threads here and trying to find a way to get rid of this flushing. I think what may help is that usually when I get it, It feels like I'm having a 'hot flash' and then I go red, and this is most of the time.
The redness is on my cheeks the worst, my forehead, and oddly enough my forearms.
I have started tanning (I know the effects, I do it safely) to try and think maybe if I get a good tan, the redness would be less noticeable, but I really want some help, because if I'm like this forever, I'll be crushed, as its almost at bad as having acne.
Thanks,
Cory.
Well I look to you all for some form of help.
After 6 months of taking Accutane (1 cycle) my face cleared up really well, worked excellent. About 4 months in my face started to get red during the day, I asked my dermatologist and she said it was a side effect and it would go away.
So I finished my 6 months, and still had redness. Nothing too bad, would get red during workouts and sometimes at school.
Now Im 4 months off Accutane and I still flare up, and now its bascially all day at school, whenever I workout or drink, or when Im at work. The only time It doesn't flare up is when Im relaxing at home. So I went into my dermatologist last week, she asked if my family had any past history of rosacea, I said no, she said I have this rosacea or whatever. I just kept nodding and saying yes, but I forgot to mention that I only had this since Ive been taking Accutane. Im 100% positive I've nevr had it before as I used to play sports in the summer and never got red.
So I've tried looking through threads here and trying to find a way to get rid of this flushing. I think what may help is that usually when I get it, It feels like I'm having a 'hot flash' and then I go red, and this is most of the time.
The redness is on my cheeks the worst, my forehead, and oddly enough my forearms.
I have started tanning (I know the effects, I do it safely) to try and think maybe if I get a good tan, the redness would be less noticeable, but I really want some help, because if I'm like this forever, I'll be crushed, as its almost at bad as having acne.
Thanks,
Cory.
Hey!
I am almost 6 months past my last pill, and we experiencing the exact same thing. After what i have read, and believe me; I have read tons, all you can do at this point is 2 give it time. If our situation still haven`t improved after one year, then it might be serious. Like it already isn't right? 
I am now more conscious about it, and I think that makes it more of a problem. It seems the thought that I might flush has gotten worse than the flushing itself. It is kinda making me anxious and stuff. It totally ruins your life right..
But like I said, there are ppl who have experienced this in the past, and 4 many of them it faded around 8-14 months, and there are ppl wich didnt get ride of it.
Your Derm seems like shit. After four months several ppl still struggles with harsh redness. If it doesnt get better there are lasers, Vbam(?) and stuff that might help.
Does this seem like you?:
"Hello,
I've been off of accutane for 2 months now. My problem is my constant facial redness. At first I would only flush if I woked out for an hour. When heavy lifting I would flush normal then go back to normal skin color. Even on accutane it wasen't too bad. When I would wake up in the morning my face was not red at all. Now anything heat, touching my face, anything for sensitive skin, shaving, nervous, just looking in a mirror to see if my face is red (it will turn red right before my eyes) and I'm beet red. I do any exercise i'll be red for many hours.
I've tryed Metrogel... seemed to work at first with facial redness ( people would be like you need to get some sun your so white) then it stopped... Then I tried Clondine (I asked my doctor for it) it seemed to work then it stopped. I went back again got every blood test you can imagine and everything is perfect or better. Doctor says there is nothing he can do and I might just have to live with it. I told him after I took the accutane it happened and he said he has prescribed lots of accutane and never seen this. He says if it persists for another month he will send me to another derm. I've read alot about this topic. My condition seems to get better then worse to the point it look like I'm always red. Anyone have any luck with anything? I'm open to suggestion."
I`ve been in touch with this guy, and for him it faded.
All you can do is give it time, no mater how hard it sucks.
Yeah I guess....I kinda wished my dermatologist told me ahead of time, so that when it just started I could have stopped, as by the time I started to flush, most of my acne was gone.
I dont know, I really hope this tanning thing im trying works out, and Ill post if it helped me at all, because right now, it sucks ass when Im out drinking, and I'm as red as a stop sign.
Hey!
I am almost 6 months past my last pill, and we experiencing the exact same thing. After what i have read, and believe me; I have read tons, all you can do at this point is 2 give it time. If our situation still haven`t improved after one year, then it might be serious. Like it already isn't right?
I am now more conscious about it, and I think that makes it more of a problem. It seems the thought that I might flush has gotten worse than the flushing itself. It is kinda making me anxious and stuff. It totally ruins your life right..
But like I said, there are ppl who have experienced this in the past, and 4 many of them it faded around 8-14 months, and there are ppl wich didnt get ride of it.
Your Derm seems like shit. After four months several ppl still struggles with harsh redness. If it doesnt get better there are lasers, Vbam(?) and stuff that might help.
Does this seem like you?:
"Hello,
I've been off of accutane for 2 months now. My problem is my constant facial redness. At first I would only flush if I woked out for an hour. When heavy lifting I would flush normal then go back to normal skin color. Even on accutane it wasen't too bad. When I would wake up in the morning my face was not red at all. Now anything heat, touching my face, anything for sensitive skin, shaving, nervous, just looking in a mirror to see if my face is red (it will turn red right before my eyes) and I'm beet red. I do any exercise i'll be red for many hours.
I've tryed Metrogel... seemed to work at first with facial redness ( people would be like you need to get some sun your so white) then it stopped... Then I tried Clondine (I asked my doctor for it) it seemed to work then it stopped. I went back again got every blood test you can imagine and everything is perfect or better. Doctor says there is nothing he can do and I might just have to live with it. I told him after I took the accutane it happened and he said he has prescribed lots of accutane and never seen this. He says if it persists for another month he will send me to another derm. I've read alot about this topic. My condition seems to get better then worse to the point it look like I'm always red. Anyone have any luck with anything? I'm open to suggestion."
I`ve been in touch with this guy, and for him it faded.
All you can do is give it time, no mater how hard it sucks.
Can you elaborate on what the guy said? Like how long did it take for the flushing to fade?
I've heard alot about Clondine, does it work? Is it worth trying?
When I talked 2 the dude he had been off it for approx one year. He still flushed a little bit when he was wearing a helmet riding a bike, and when he worked out, but it was not nearly as bad as it used 2 be. He didnt say much more than that. When it comes 2 medicines 2 combat it I really dont know much.
Hi Soul 78,
I wake up with the swollen looking, wrinkly, old toes (and on my genitalia). Its a sign of dehydration. Ive been off accutane for well i guess about two years and it doesn't improve unless you eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Maybe a few glasses of water in the morning. I was talking hyaluronic acid,but am not sure if this would help the swelling. I used to take hyl acid for joint problems and its why i am on the posts. Good luck. Any more questions post them to the "post accutane joint pain" boards and ill probably see it there. Thats where I post cause im still in pain everywhere, 2 yrs post accutane.
Hi Soul 78,
I wake up with the swollen looking, wrinkly, old toes (and on my genitalia). Its a sign of dehydration. Ive been off accutane for well i guess about two years and it doesn't improve unless you eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Maybe a few glasses of water in the morning. I was talking hyaluronic acid,but am not sure if this would help the swelling. I used to take hyl acid for joint problems and its why i am on the posts. Good luck. Any more questions post them to the "post accutane joint pain" boards and ill probably see it there. Thats where I post cause im still in pain everywhere, 2 yrs post accutane.
im seeing my derm tomorrow and I'm going to ask about Plaquenil again.
my skin bothers me enough that I think I'm gonna go ahead and give it a try if my derm thinks its ok to do so.
im sure others here have a dryness problem, too, so I'll share a random thing im experimenting with. i decided to stop washing my face with water completely. instead, i just use extra exfoliating cream (lac hydrin and or urea) and let it sit for a few minutes then wipe it off with a cloth. i find this doesn't dry my skin up as much as water. yet the creams and wiping allows me to exfoliate the dead skin. my skin still gets irritated when/if i wipe to hard, but hopefully the plaquenil can help relieve that a little...
oh, also, im randomly meeting with an attorney.
it just sort of happened...it's someone my dad knew of through a family friend. i do not expect anything to happen, but im hoping i can just get a little more educated on exactly why there's nothing i can do about it and why the world suck, etc. hopefully work towards closure.
any advice for preparing for this meeting?
Ive been tanning for 2 weeks now.
Pros:
Any scars (i got some on my back) are fading excellently, almost non existant.
Drys up back good
Starting to see small improvement with the darker skin hiding the flushing.
Cons:
After getting out of bed, face flares up pretty bad for about an hour or two after
Im going to start using lotion with bronzer and ill post results. I think this will help a bit.
Ive been tanning for 2 weeks now.
Pros:
Any scars (i got some on my back) are fading excellently, almost non existant.
Drys up back good
Starting to see small improvement with the darker skin hiding the flushing.
Cons:
After getting out of bed, face flares up pretty bad for about an hour or two after
Im going to start using lotion with bronzer and ill post results. I think this will help a bit.
Nice! I am also considering 2 do a little tanning. I think it might hide the redness and flushing a bit, but my concern is whether it would make my flushing worse... I really dont want 2 do anything 2 irritate my flushing and redness.
What do you guys think? Like Lamarr and Seattle, do you think it possibly can lessen my chances of ever recover from the flushing/redness?
Well, Im 3 weeks in, and I'll say its actually improving.
My face is still red at times, but its now insted of red, its more tan with red. Its starting to slowly somewhat.....make the redness less noticeable.
nice, how much do you tan? how many days a week, and how long.
Hey guys have not been around in a while but want to update
I had my first Rheumatologist visit today and honestly it was the best thing i have done since having these problems,I went it with a open mind and she was totally different then a dermatologist
She spent 30-45 mins with me and all my blood work that was sent to her was normal but she asked me a bunch of questions told her my symptoms with flushing and stiff hand joints
She honestly was the best doctor I have ever been too,she has been doing this for over 40 years,really cares about her patients
I went in there with a mindset of I am not going to ask for plaquenil as I just want to tell her whats been going on with me and see what she thinks
i can't write everything but key things in the visit that stood out was how she grabbed my hands at one point and said there changing while we are talking (flushing was happening at the time so my hands always go spotty) she noticed the stiffness
I told her about mepacrine and she seemed alarmed saying "who gave you that" so i thought man shes not gonna give me anything lol but we had a long conversation even relating to her schooling and how she went to school for 17 years
she said I can do alot more then your family doctor and I told her how its so hard living with these symptoms and I said I find it weird how I have symptoms of lupus but have a negative test
and she said the thing about that though is,just because its negative does not mean anything is wrong
we talked and talked and more in office joint,heart,breathing tests and one key thing was how she said your tests came back normal but clearly there is something wrong with your from your symptoms and I see that and most doctors you see would be like your normal and let you walk away but I am different,there is something wrong with you and it has got so worse with the fever's and stiffness in your hands to your hands changing color that its not gonna get any worse in time but I cannot let your suffer this anymore,I am not gonna let you just live like this and not help you
She prescribed me plaquenil (200mg 2 times daily) and a perscription anti-inflammatory,now I must remind you I never asked her for plaquenil as I wanted her to judge me and see whats needed.
she said plaquenil will be alot safer then mepacrine and said concerning the eye side effects its so rare that 1 in 25,000 get it and that the problem with alot of drug companies from when she started to now is that they warn you about everything and it scares alot of people,she also said eye problems are completely reversible too but reminded me its so so rare thats its just there to cover them.
And another thing is during the visit she asked me if I ever get canker sores/ulcers and I was like thats so weird you asked I just got one a couple days ago and that was another key thing during the visit as alot of ppl with lupus and lupus symptoms get them
she said even if a test comes back negative if you have 4-5 lupus symptoms its something to look at
her dad was a Rheumatologist too and he was a teacher at a university for it and so is she during her off time
the main thing again as how she told me "well most doctors see normal tests and say ur normal but there is something wrong here and what can we do..let you suffer from now on...NO WE CAN'T"
don't waste your time with ur family doctors/or derms over stuff like this guys,unless you have known rocasea/eczema but in my case I believe its not just rosacea
what an amazing visit I had and it really showed me that some doctors are so inspirational and really care
Ive been tanning for 2 weeks now.
Pros:
Any scars (i got some on my back) are fading excellently, almost non existant.
Drys up back good
Starting to see small improvement with the darker skin hiding the flushing.
Cons:
After getting out of bed, face flares up pretty bad for about an hour or two after
Im going to start using lotion with bronzer and ill post results. I think this will help a bit.
Nice! I am also considering 2 do a little tanning. I think it might hide the redness and flushing a bit, but my concern is whether it would make my flushing worse... I really dont want 2 do anything 2 irritate my flushing and redness.
What do you guys think? Like Lamarr and Seattle, do you think it possibly can lessen my chances of ever recover from the flushing/redness?
I would cover your face with lotion, but other than that I don't see it as being a problem (in moderation)
Hey halfpipe I'm glad to hear that. I hope everything works out for you.
Hi all
Has anyone with Post Accutane-induced Rosacea symptons of flushing and redness / inflammation been prescribed Doxycycline by their Derm??
Earlier in the year had bad severe flushing reaction to Minocycline (suposed to be an anti-inflammatory), and I know Doxycycline is part of the 'tetracycline antimalarial/anti-inflammatory drug family'... but haven't reacted to Doxy (suprisingly) as yet so that is good news. ** Anyone from this group have any experiences with Doxycycline? he said it would take 6 weeks of low-dose 50mg before I see results, but having tried so many things over last 3 months post tane i'm hesitant anything will work at this point and have been researching other posts re plaquenil, remeron and clonodine.
JT Seattle- Have read some of your earlier posts and can say that i think we had a similar reaction to minocycline. I Also sometimes I flush on only one side of my face (randomly, most of the time it is both sides though).
Shantelle
seattle r u still on plaquenil..how did it work for you never head updates
and I was on doxy for 3 months and it did not do anything positive for redness/flushing for me
Halfpipe- Thanks for your response on Doxy. If anyone else has had any experience with this med please let me know 
)
seattle r u still on plaquenil..how did it work for you never head updates
and I was on doxy for 3 months and it did not do anything positive for redness/flushing for me
Halfpipe- Thanks for your response on Doxy. If anyone else has had any experience with this med please let me know
Did nothing for my flushing, I acutally was given it for the chronic bleperhitis that accutane caused, so I thought maybe it would help the flushing in conjuction but it didn't.
If all you have is flushing then it might be worth a shot, but I wouldn't stay on it tooo long and make sure you take a probotic since it is a antibotic.