About me:
Go to a dermatologist and get Soolantra. I hope you have insurance as it can be expensive. Everything you mentioned helping you are products that typically fight demodex mites (sulphur, tto). Soolantra will probably not get rid of your redness, but it should take care of the bumps. My skin is similar to yours, except not as broken out.
Your bumps look rosacea related because of 1. they look like there's really no pus inside of them, just inflamed bumps, and 2. people usually don't get acne that close to their eyes (upper cheek). I get rosacea bumps in that area as well.
You might have some underlying Seb Derm, but for the most part, SD doesn't cause bumps. You could have some kind of folliculitis, but THAT is very hard to determine. My best advice is to try the Soolantra for 3 months. It will get better before worse. I was scared as hell of the die off too, but I didn't find it too bad, and I knew it was for positive change. I still get some rosacea bumps, but they heal quick and aren't that big. It is not a cure all.
If it doesn't work for you, you can assume that your problems are not demodex related, and move on to fungal therapies. At least you will have ruled it out.
Thank you for your response. Unfortunately I don't have any way of getting to a derm atm...
Do you know how much it would be without insurance?
is there any treatments you have tried that didn't work, that I should rule out?
Mine is normally not that broken out, that was after trying zinc py shampoo (selsun blue)
What is the Soolantra composed of? Anyway to make something close with OTC stuff?
Also I bought some selsun blue original today instead of the zinc py, have you had any success/no success with that?
The selenium sulfide w/ aloe version?
Thanks for your time.
11 hours ago, fkdface said:Thank you for your response. Unfortunately I don't have any way of getting to a derm atm...
Do you know how much it would be without insurance?
is there any treatments you have tried that didn't work, that I should rule out?
Mine is normally not that broken out, that was after trying zinc py shampoo (selsun blue)
What is the Soolantra composed of? Anyway to make something close with OTC stuff?
Also I bought some selsun blue original today instead of the zinc py, have you had any success/no success with that?
The selenium sulfide w/ aloe version?
Thanks for your time.
It's like $400 without insurance, but you get a coupon for the first time and it lowers it to $25. I'm pretty sure Selsun Blue is Selenium Sulfide. Zinc Py is in head & shoulders.
You flare up could be one of two things: the active ingredient in the shampoo is attacking your fungal infection (SD caused by a yeast known as malasezzia, hence fungal), or, the shampoo is too harsh and is causing irritation to your face. So I'm still not sure if its SD or not, but still, SD should be more of a slighty raised, red, scaly rash, not bumps.
Soolantra's active ingredient is Ivermectin, which is an insecticide. It fights demodex. You can order Ivermectin on amazon, but it's for animals. People have used it on their face though. It's about $50.
Tea Tree oil is also used to fight demodex. I know you said you had a bad experience with it before, but this may be because of the demodex die-off. If you don't treat for demodex, you'll never know if that's your problem.
I suggest dropping the shampoos and washing your face with a gentle cleanser. Tea tree oil is the cheapest method. Use it diluted. You will most likely want to use a 10:1 ratio of carrier oil to tea tree oil. You can google this, as I've never actually done it but have read people's success stories. Or you can try the Ivermectin. You can google other's experiences on that too.
Maybe post some better pics? Go outside and take them in the daytime. If you don't want to show your face, use Paint to black out your eyes.
Thanks again for replying. Ok, I will take a picture outside but right now it's sort of dreary and overcast where I'm at, may wait til it is sunnier.
I've been trying the tto and argan oil wash at night, last night I made a mask out of the sulfur/zinc oxide.
Oddly there seems to be no adverse effect which is nice. Ah, I had heard about the ivermectin, I personally have no problem trying the animal version, already bought Nu Stock lol animal product, so I will try that if this fails. can't really tell if it helped or not.
Stuff is crazy hard to remove though, have to scrub it off and that was irritating in and of itself, so problematic for me. I'm thinking the zinc py was irritating, oddly, the selsun blue original didn't seem to bother it though, strange. Once again thank you for replying, I will try and take some pictures outside today since I'm off. Cheers.
K so just as an update (haven't been able to get new pictures unfortunately)
Started using the Nu-Stock periodically, def seems to be at least partly demodex related because I had crazy ocular symptoms
the morning after I used it, burning red and irritated eyes, watering and itchy.
Now I seem to flush a bit less, still some redness. I have now purchased Ivomec Ivermectin because I don't like making the nu stock masks
as they are really hard to remove.
Some questions:
Has anyone here noticed visible reduction in redness using ivermectin?
If I understand the demodex theory correctly, there are two types, one that sort of are on top of the skin
and one that is in the skin. Does Ivermectin reach the latter type? I notice using the TTO/Argan Oil 50/50 seems to help the skin
pale a bit in the morning. Sulfur seems to help prevent flushing but doesn't seem to help with the redness much.
Wondering if perhaps Ivermectin helps with both?
Couple other questions:
Does anyone have any theories why some people may report food sensitivities, and how would that affect the demodex?
Thanks for your time once again, I appreciate any and all replies so please do not be shy.
Edit: Adding new picture w/ flash, hope it helps
If you read into the demodex theory, it's proven that rosaceans have way more demodex than normal people. Demodex feeds on our facial oils and dead skin and they also die in our pores. The theory is that when they die, people with rosacea react to a type of bacteria that is formed thus the redness and bumps.
I avoid dairy as it contains hormones, and always makes my skin oilier when I consume it on a regular basis. Maybe the excess oil is a better breeding ground for the demodex mites.
I read that you're using TTO and Argan oil mixture, 50-50. Tea tree oil is extremely drying and burns sensitive skin. I know they are effective against demodex, but the high concentration may be too much for rosacea skin.
Try the ivermectin, and look forward to hearing your good results. If it works it proves your rosacea is indeed demodex related.