Hi, I wanted to start a personal log, mainly for 2 reasons.

1. to connect with others who are in a similar situation as myself. Hoping to gain, and maybe even distribute a bit of help along the way.

2. to ultimately keep track of my progress with various teatments, diets etc. You cant cheat/kid yourself if you record your progress online

So a background into my situation:

I'm 32, and suffered with moderate acne throughout my teenage years. I stupidly never went to the doctors with it as i was young and foolish! I just decided to suffer into my 20's.

throughout my 20's my skin was relatively clear. i had the odd spot (usually a monster) but my skin was decent.

Now ive hit my 30's, my skin has decided to take a massive leap backwards.

I originally started with some redness around both sides of my face and under my eyes, and the bridge of my nose. Then i started getting big papules in random spots on my face, not just in the redness zone. This is when i went to my doctors for the first time ever in my life regarding my skin. She quickly diagnosed Rosacea without much of an examination, and prescribed me Metrogel.

I applied the metrogel religeously every evening, excited that the advice from my doctor was going to clear my skin once more. Of course this didnt happen.

After a month, there had been no change, the redness was still the same and although there was a slight reduction in the spots, it certainly wasnt much better.

So i went to the surgery again, and saw a different GP who specialises in dermatology. He said that i had not just a slight bout of rosacea, but also foliculitis! This would make sense, as the majority of the spots, are in the beard area and around the chin. As am one of the least hairy people i know and only shave twice a week at the most, this was quite a surprise.

So he prescribed me Duac and Lymecycline. After 2 months, there has been a slow improvement. I have less spots, but i'm still not clear. A lot of the marks on my face are now the aftermath of the spots. Or pink lumps where spots used to be which dont seem to want to go down in size at all. I get probably 1 new spot a week, but because of the reminder of the previous spots are still on my skin, this makes it look a lot worse.

The point of my log, is to document the progress of my skin, regarding prescription treatments, home remedies, diet etc.

A quick background on what i do right now.

Morning

Wash face with water

vitamins (c, d, b complex, e, omega 3)

Lymecycline

Sunscreen

During the day applying aloe vera gel to red marks and odd active spot. Luckily i work in an office full of old ladies, so they dont seem to notice.

Evening

Duac gel before dinner

Shower and wash face with clean and clear face wash

moisturise

apply calamine lotion to scars overnight (i think im stopping this, it sooths but ultimately isnt making much of a difference)

Diet

Porridge for breakfast every day

Soup for lunch every day (on a bit of a health kick too!)

Tea, usually a type of meat with veg. Omlette. Pasta. Fish and veg etc.

The odd take away as a treat

Drink alcohol on an average of once a week, never in too much excess. (usually the missus' fault. she's very persuasive)

So my diet isnt exactly bad. It does have the odd floor, but i do try to eat foods that are supposedly rich in things good for your skin!

I've dabbled with certain things at home.

Sulphur soap, dried up my skin and broke me out more.

Honey did absolutely nothing apart from make a mess.

Calamine at night (as noted before)

toothpaste on spots (didnt do a right lot apart from dry up the skin)

lemon on red marks (no imporvement)

Home Glycolic peel. (only did a couple, no real improvement and only spot treated spots, didnt want to worsen my rosacea)

Various skin products all of which promised more than i got.

I will post pictures of my current situation, when my first post gets approved. I'd like to point out that, im aware that compared to others i'm very lucky when it comes to my skin. However for me, it is bad enough to leave me depressed, avoiding certain social situations, and even feeling insecure around my amazing girlfriend who loves me very much.

Any feedback is greatly appreciated, and any help i can give about my experiences so far i will gladly dish out.

On a side note, as my username suggests. im a golfer with rosacea. These two things dont mix, as you are exposed to the elements a lot. I wear sunscreen and a cap everytime im out on the course, but my rosacea still flares up. Any tips on this would be greatfully appreciated.

Also the fact that i only shave twice a week at the most. is this hurting my foliculitis?

Thanks for listening