Hello,
My name is Dawn. I am a 46 yr old Mom of 6. I do have rosacea and just yuck skin.
The only way to explain it is that my face always simply HURTS.
I have been searching the internet for weeks and cannot find anything about this new issue.
Here is the dealio! During my last flare up of overall painful skin...
I was picking at one area and felt my fingernail hit something hard.
I got it out and it was a rock. I do not mean a very hard dried up oil like pimple.
I mean literally a ROCK! This is so nasty to admit but out of curiousity I tested it with my teeth.
I would have broken my tooth first if I continued to try and break this thing.
I dropped the damn thing...that was 2 weeks ago.
Lastnight...in another area of my face, there was yet another one.
This time I got it into a plastic baggie.
Has anyone else had this???
I have not been to the dermatoligist since I was diagnosed with rosacea.
Well....cuz the guy is a complete DUD!
You didn't say how long ago this happened- a week? a few days?
I would have gone to the hospital if I pulled a rock out of my face... it would have scared the life out of me.
just trying to help you out! doesn't sound like standard acne, my only advice is to go to a medical professional. today, or as soon as you can
The first time was 2 weeks ago.
The second time was Sunday night.
Last night I was picking at another area and I felt a 3rd one in there.
Couldnt get it out though. I do not want to scar myself.
I know the dermatologist will scold me for picking.
I do not want to panic and my skin has been so strange for so long.
I was relieved to get this 'rock' out so hopefully there will be a proper diagnosis.
I will start searching for another dermatologist.
The man that I did meet I was less than impressed with.
He was very disregarding of what I was explaining my problem to be.
He just looked at me and said my face was not that bad.
Did not even look under a magnifing glass or anything.
Which is why I am so glad that I have this 'debris' in a baggie to prove it.
Because you would have to see it to believe it.
When I get flare ups of rosacea that is one thing.
Otherwise I can feel several bumps beneath my skin.
So when a bump apears, it gets red and I if I pinch...all that ever comes out is a little drip of clear oil.
No whitehead or blackhead matter...just oil. And redness.
I was wondering if anybody on the forum knows of any kind of sebaceous gland disorder
that would explain this. The reason I suspect the actual gland is because these came from pretty deep under the skin.
just how big was this thing? Color? It sounds to me like this was just a hard sebum plug that may have been there for years and was coming to the surface when you first felt it. Ive had some really hard shit come outta my pores too but mine are just deep deep blackheads; thankfully it didnt turn into a cyst. You've caught my curiosity...
The first one was about the size of a half a grain of rice. I dropped that one.
Color is off white and they are round in shape. not oblong.
Here is a pic of the second one. Significantly smaller than the first one was.
I will try to post a better photo when my daughter comes home with the camera. oh gosh, i think goodz19 was probably right about the sebum plug idea. i was thinking it was way bigger. I would still get checked out but try not to worry too much. and also, don't mess with dermatologists anymore. the 2 times i've gotten the nerve to go to one, they barely even check me out and i leave all hopeless. Try to go to a general doctor maybe?
I do want to have it checked out.
I am going to have to do some checking into my current insurance coverage.
And yes, my experience with 1 dermatologist was a complete waste of my time.
No, I have never had any silicone or any form of cosmetic surgery.
It is fascinating and scary that sebum could harden to rock form.
I use baking soda to exfoliate my skin. It really tightens my face.
Then I use Metrogel for my rosacea. That is all. Any other products that I have tried are an epic fail.
My face turns beat red! I mean beat red. I am asked often if I am sunburn or why am I blushing.
I am wondering if the baking soda being so alkaline has been sealing the top layer of my skin
and healing it over the top of the pores that need to be cleansed???
After reading other people stories and suggestions. I went to Walgreen's.
1) Aloe facial bar for cleansing.
2) Witch Hazel for a toner.
3) Apply Metrogel
4) Aloe Vera Gel
5) Aveeno Daily Moisturizer...Epic Fail...the smell is HORRID!
5) Neutrogena Sensitive Moisturizer...Epic Fail...my face BURNED!
5) Aloe Vesta Skin Conditioner...Ding Ding Ding...WINNER!
ETA: I wait 5-10 minutes between these applications. Which I never knew you were supposed to do.
The Aloe Vesta was given to my husband while he was in the hospital.
The third ingredient is Glycerin. It is also 3% Dimethicone.
Today my face feels so nice and soft and pliable.
Oh an Witch Hazel feels like Jesus on my skin!
Oh I am so excited...
I just googled Aloe Vesta. It is made by ConvaTec.
They have an entire line up of skin care products.
I love Amazon.com!
I am feeling the urge to go SHOPPING.
ETA: OMG! Super Excited! This stuff is super cheap in comparison to anything I saw at Walgreen's!
ETA: OMFG! The 3-n-1 Cleansing Foam is pH balanced! I am having a little party over here all by myself!
Yeah - it's not anything to worry about if it is a sebum plug, most people with acne seem to get them - and they can be very hard and "stone" like. People with a tendency towards acne seem to have thicker or stickier sebum than normal, which increases the chance that dead skin cells will stick to it and not shed like they normally would. These plugs are a mixture of dead skin cells and sticky sebum that gets trapped in your pores. Usually these plugs are very small (microcomedones) but sometimes they can be big, like in your case, and these are called, you guessed it - MACROcomedones. The presence of macrocomedones does not indicate anything unusual besides the acne itself, as far as I know. A gentle exfoliater might help.
hello! i know this is from.. YEARS ago but I'm kind of wondering if anybody found out what it was because im having this problem now and idk if that's a good thing, being 14 and all- lmao so- I've actually had one on my left THIGH a few months ago and one on my back right shoulder blade just this Saturday we didn't get it checked out at first because we thought i had fallen and got one in my thigh, but it was UNDER my skin, because it had grown over it by the time we noticedand actually had to use a literal scalpel to get it out- it hurt- lol but uh- sincewe found this second one in my back I'm now actually concerned- so did anybody find out what it is and what to do about it...?