Ive posted on this site on a few separate occasions. Today I went in to the dermatologist because I wanted to have a rash on my neck checked out. Turned out that it was excema which Ive always suffered from in one way or another. While there she noticed my redness on my face which has progressively been getting worse. I figured that it was simply the weather change and didn't pay too much attention to it. The redness usually is at its worse when Im hot or out of a shower. In the past it would go away after a while. She diagnosed me with Rosacea (first time ever in my life) and prescribed me with Finacea topical foam15%. After that I also informed her of my bacne situation which Ive struggled with my whole life and she prescribed me with Epiduo topical gel.
This will be the first time Ive used either of these. I tried clydomiacin in the past and my bacne got much worse. My body simply could not handle the medication. So now to be prescribed with more medication is worrying to me. I just have a couple of questions because maybe out of shock or just typical nervousness from being in the dermatologist office, I couldn't get everything off my chest that I wanted to ask.
Should I expect a purging period with Epiduo? and is it more effective then clydomiacin. I just can't mentally take the thought of it actually getting worse. Is this considered a strong and heavy acne medication because Im scared at the thought of taking heavy medications. Never have.
Is Finacea effective in dealing with the redness of Rocasea? I don't want to take a chance that my skin reacts badly to it and I suddenly break out on my face. My face over the years has been the one place where I HAVENT had to worry much about acne. Its everywhere else where its bad lol. Ive seen that Finacea is used for treatment of acne and all I really want to tackle is the redness and blotches on my face. Should I be taking this medication for that because Ive read that people use it to fight cysts and so on. Thats not the case with me. Also should I be worried about the whole "it getting worse before it gets better" statement with this medication as well. Like I said, facial acne hasn't been too much of an issue for me. Ive been fortunate so I don't want to take the risk of me suddenly having a huge break out. That being said, the redness on my face has gotten progressively worse over time.
I'll try to post any pic later on to show the redness Im talking about on my face. Its pretty much centered on the typical rosacea spots so Im sure thats what it is.
God Im so irritated at the moment. 30 years old and occasional acne on chest and face my whole life. Nothing severe at all. The severe acne for me has always been on my back. Now it seems like my face felt out of place and wants to join in because here comes Rosacea.
Anyway thank you for the time...I just needed to vent and hopefully get some advice on this medications because Im so scared at the moment.
Epiduo is a combination drug with benzoyl peroxide and adapalene. It is pretty good on moderate acne, but it also bleaches hair, clothing, and sheets because it is applied and left on. I personally think it's not the best choice. The most effective treatment for body acne is accutane, followed by 10% benzoyl peroxide wash and oral antibiotics if it's severe inflammatory acne. Thirty years old is pretty late in life for persistent acne. If you can handle it and your doctor is willing. Accutane might be the best treatment for you. It would also help the rosacea
i hope that helps
I'm glad to hear that. I had very severe back acne and you don't want it. Like I said before epiduo is useful for facial acne because it contains a retinoid which unclogs your pores and 2.5% benzoyl peroxide cream which dries the skin and kills bacteria pretty good.azelaic acid is also drying and anti microbial.
In my opinion benzoyl peroxide wash is better because it cover a large area like your back, shoulders and chest. It does a far better job drying the skin. Plus it's dirt cheap compared to those brand name drugs.
If you end up using it I suggest getting the stronger concentration 7.5 or 10% Apply it 5 or 10 minutes before you shower. Make sure you rinse thoroughly otherwise you will stain towels and bedsheets. You may want to start using white towels and sheets anyways.
I'm afraid I don't know a whole lot about rosacea
I messed around with a cyst just now and that's why it's so inflamed in that picture. So Pissed of at myself for doing it. Hope it's not infected. Dermatologist says my back isn't severe enough for Accutane but when I look at it...it obviously feels like the worst case of bacne. Just worried that epiduo would make it worse.
I wouldn't worry about cortisone. The damage is done, and the swelling will go down if you don't touch it anymore. Just wash it like normal and cover it with a large bandage during the day until the swelling goes down. One thing worth mentioning is that all body acne is worsened by irritating clothing and behavior. Wear loose fitting cotton shirts when you can and avoid synthetic materials like polyester. Wearing a backpack and driving for extended periods of time will also bother it.
Epiduo wont make it worse, but I personally think that it's a brand new, overpriced, hyped up drug that was designed for lazy teenagers that can't be bothered to use two separate treatments, so they combined them to improve compliance.
Benzoyl peroxide wash is easier to apply over the (very large) entire affected area (chest, back, and shoulders) than a cream which is hard to get on the small of your back.
Its far less expensive than epiduo, so it's better for long term maintenance therapy.
Btw, I know how frustrating it is to hear someone say "it's not that bad"
If it's any consolation, mine was far worse and I eventually cleared up. Over time,I think you'll be okay
good luck
Thank you for the advice and kind words. Means alot. I've tried a bodywash in the past called panoxyl for a little under a month and it didn't seem to help much. Maybe I wasn't using it effectively. It contained benzoyl peroxide but don't believe it was 10%....I'm worried that would be too harsh for my skin
Epiduo may help. It's a pain to apply since you're doing it to your entire back but it is effective on acne for many people. In regards to accutane. It's not the wonder drug that many people paint it to be so i would exhaust ALL my options before resorting to that. Also, i've used financea for acne and it didn't work for me but it didn't worsen my situation either. My derm gave me an antibiotic called Oracea (low dose doxy) which has been approved to help with rosacea which i also recently got diagnosed with. I am only taking it as I am on spiro and my acne has been crazy bad since starting - hopign oracea (which is an inflammatory) will help.
Stay Encouraged hun. The only way you'll know if something works is to try for yourself.
I have nothing but good things to say about accutane, but it's complicated and expensive. honestly I think topicals can keep up with your problems. Back skin is tough, really tough. To get full benefits from benzoyl peroxide wash, apply it and wait 15 or 20 minutes before showering it off. No more than a minute or 2 on the face. From the looks of your picture, the small of your back seems most affected. Are you required sit against a chair back a lot at work. Irritation and sweating are big contributing factors with body acne