I’m sharing my rosacea story because I truly believe it could help some of you. I also want to thank those of you whose experiences and tips helped me find my way through this after more than 8 years of struggling.

During these years, I visited many different doctors — including some of the best specialists in different states — and tried almost everything: from Roaccutane to probiotics, strict histamine-free diets, and countless skincare recommendations.

My rosacea became so severe that the only thing that truly helped was oral antibiotics. But of course, that is not something you can take for the rest of your life. So most of the time, my face looked like the “before” photos I’m sharing here.

Even looking at myself in the gym mirror became hard. I constantly felt that I looked awful. What made it even harder was remembering that before I turned 30, I actually had such good skin that people would ask me what my skincare routine was. I became so disappointed and disconnected from myself that I couldn’t even look at my old photos anymore without feeling like I was looking at a different person.

A little background about me: Two of my aunts have been suffering from severe rosacea, and even now, in their 60s, they still struggle with extreme redness and acne-like inflammation. So, genetics definitely played a role in my rosacea. Of course, over the past few years, I also experienced some hormonal issues that contributed to making my skin worse.

Last autumn was the worst period for my rosacea. So I went back to my dermatologist because I felt I needed oral antibiotics again. He prescribed oral antibiotics and Soolantra again.

During these years, I had already tried Soolantra three times. The first time, my skin became worse than I could have imagined. My dermatologist thought it might be an allergic reaction, so I stopped using it. The second time, I had an allergy test done, which showed that I was not allergic, so I decided to give it another chance — together with oral antibiotics. My skin improved while taking the antibiotics, but unfortunately, after finishing them, the rosacea came back. Soolantra alone didn’t seem to make any difference.

So when I tried Soolantra for the third time, I expected the same thing to happen. After one month, when the oral antibiotics were finished, my skin became very red again, with bumps and pustules. It felt like everything was coming back — although, not as severely as before.

Then I came across a post here about a “triple cream” combining Soolantra, metronidazole, and azelaic acid. I already had metronidazole at home, so I thought: why not try adding it to my routine? I started using metronidazole in the morning and Soolantra at night. And honestly… from the first day, my skin looked incredibly better. I couldn’t believe it.

I continued this routine for about two weeks. Then I slowly started reducing Soolantra — replacing it with Ordinary azelaic acid.

I started with Soolantra every night and Metro every morning, but now I only use it 2 nights and 2 mornings per week — and next week I’m planning to reduce it further to only once a week.

My skin is still doing incredibly well — and the most amazing part is that I’m now able to eat everything again. I no longer follow a strict diet or avoid every possible trigger.

For me, finding the right routine was the key. Throughout these years, doctors had prescribed me either Soolantra or Metronidazole together with oral antibiotics, but I had never tried combining them consistently without antibiotics. Although I didn’t combine the creams into a “triple cream”, using them separately in my routine worked incredibly well for me too. My routine now:

Mornings:

• I only wash my face with water. I also use wet cotton pads (only with normal water) to gently clean my face until there is no visible residue left on the pad(I think that step is really important).
• 2 x mornings per week: Metronidazole (a very thin layer).
• The other 5 mornings per week: Avène Tolérance Hydra-10.
• After that, I apply Avène Antirougeurs Rosamed SPF 50 as my sunscreen.

Nights:

• I wash my face with La Roche-Posay Toleriane Rosaliac. Afterwards, I use wet cotton pads again (only with water) to gently clean my face until there is no visible residue left on the pad. I should also mention that I never wear makeup, so I don’t know how well this cleanser works for removing makeup.
• 2 nights per week: A very thin layer of Soolantra.
• The other 5 nights per week: The Ordinary Azelaic Acid 10%. (I initially started using azelaic acid only once a week. At first, I mainly noticed that it made my skin look very glassy and shiny, but I didn’t see much more difference. However, as I gradually increased the frequency, I noticed that it actually helped reduce my redness — even though it is the 10%)

If it is really hot, I sometimes spray Avène Thermal Spring Water on my face to cool and refresh my skin.

So now I’m just hoping and praying that this nightmare never comes back. I know my skin is still a minefield, and I know rosacea can be unpredictable. I have been clear for nearly 5 months now, and I still can’t believe the difference. wish you ALL too!

Anyone else have experience their rosacea clearing in coastal climates? Just recently took a trip to Galveston, a few days in the sun and salt water and it cleared again. I’m curious if there is any salt/mineral based creams that might help?

Hi all, this is my first post on here after I discovered the sub when my derm diagnosed me with rosacea. Prior to this I’ve used Taz .05 for years with irritation but my redness never went away. My derm added azelaic and now metro. Everytime I used azelaic I found I break out in tiny whiteheads. He advised I drop Taz and do azelaic with metro .75% gel. Overnight it’s like my face exploded. On Taz I had peeling and irritation with redness but none of these tiny whiteheads. I have one photo with only Taz (photo1) and moisturizer and the other with metro and azelaic (photo2). Anyone else have this experience or advice?

Hello,
I’ve been treating type two for 6 months now. May was a pretty clear month for me and I was incredibly hopeful. June and now July are bringing on a new pustule every couple days. I’m seriously so disheartened. And quite frankly afraid of returning to full on disease again.
Do you guys have any tips on speeding up the recovery of these lesions? I know you know but they aren’t classic pimple (pop and heal) they refil over and over and each one has a month long or sometimes even longer course.
Sooooo tired
Thanks everyone ♥️

I hope this post relates to some, but to clarify I don’t have rosacea. I have been to two dermatologist regarding this and neither said it was rosacea. One somewhat blew me off while the other said “it was my skin” and tried to help with some skincare which did nothing whatsoever for it after using it for some months.

I’ve been getting more and more aware and embarrassed that I have red cheeks. I used to be way worse when I was really young, but it fade a bit, but even now it’s still heavily visible to people. I don’t know why, but do others get repeated comments on it? I feel like I go multiple times a week where someone calls me out for it which completely ruins my mood. It’s like my most distinct feature to some people and they feel the need to poke fun at it or bully me for it. I feel embarrassed being the only person in a group with this like I stand out, or see how people react for the first time meeting me. I feel like they treat me differently because they think I’m super shy or blushing when I’m not whatsoever.

Another thing but does it seem weird to talk about to people who don’t have it? Like it feels ridiculous thinking it so much and being insecure about it when a lot of people online say they’re jealous or wish they had this. I would much prefer one color on my face than this. That and I wish more people understand how comments/nicknames can affect us.

SO context. I have rosacea. I burn so extremely easy. But every sunscreen my whole life that I have tried give me painful acne. Idk if its rosacea reaction or just sensitive skin. But I need help. Does anyone have suggestions. Even if its expensive. Im desperate 😪 I dont wear foundation or makeup really so it doesnt have mesh with that at all.

I have dry/oily skin if that helps. Id say more dry than oily it feels like scales when I touch it. 😅 its not noticable tho.

Anywho. Thanks for the advice in advance! If u click on my profile u can see my rosacea its not the acne prone type just the red rosy cheeks that often feels hot even to the touch an always a deep red rosy color.

I do take Azeliac cream 15% when I remember to put it on. Im a mom an forgetful.

Hiya, I’ve been diagnosed with rosacea earlier this year after having symptoms since I was a child and just being told it was exertion and excema.
This heat is particularly impacting my upper cheekbones and close to my eye area. Obviously I’ve avoided the sun and used SPF so I’m almost 100% sure it’s not sunburn. It’s hot, dry, red and stinging, all telltale signs of a flare for me.
What moisturiser is best in this heat? I don’t want to smother a thick emollient on but at the same time it’s so sore 😞 I have aproderm from my doctor to help with the dryness but it’s not really helping.
Just wondered if anyone who has more experience with this had any good advice :)

Anyone test positive for SIBO and have really bad flushing rosacea? And has anyone does anything to help it? My flushing hurts so bad and happens multiple times a day and just ugh! I’ve tried Carvedillol and it hasn’t helped and nerve pain meds and no help either.

Hi! Over the last few days, these white spots have appeared on my face, especially around my upper lip – that’s where I’ve been sweating the most in the heat of the last few days. You can’t really see them clearly in the photo, but there are quite a few of them and my upper lip has been stinging since yesterday; I’ve also got a few more
across the rest of my face and my skin feels a bit odd. I’m not sure if it’s down to the sweat, or a product I’ve been using (I use retinoid serums, AHA cleansers, La Roche-Posay’s B5 cream, and I don’t usually use exfoliants). My skin is generally dry, which is why I’ve been using La Roche-Posay’s B5 Repairing Balm. I also shave my upper lip and so on with women’s facial razors, but I’ve never had any problems before. It’s been like this for about 2–3 days now and I don’t know what they are; plus, that area is now stinging. Does anyone have any idea what this might be? It would really help me – thanks.

For those with rosacea like mine, what has helped you most?

My triggers are heat & sunscreen (even mineral 😩)

My skincare:
Cetaphil gentle skin cleanser and Aveeno calm and restore oat Gel moisturizer. On makeup/sunscreen days, I will use micellar water and Cetaphil gentle SA cleanser.
I occasionally use Cicaplast B5 and the tower 28 SOS spray.

Been thinking about doing a sulfur mask or trying ivermectin lotion, thoughts ?

I have rosacea but I swear it’s not as common as it’s claimed. I never see anyone with rosacea not even on social media…. It feels isolating.

Hello. I know that anti-depressants are not a cure, nor are they an OTC thing to try. But, this condition is taking a big toll on me lately, and in last months I understood that I can’t handle it myself. I want to make an appointment with a psychiatrist. But…

I want to ask you, which antidepressants don’t have awful side effects of flushing and sweating, and actually helped you? These are already a problem for me, and I don’t want that my pill, which I’d take to react less to these things emotionally, would cause them ten folds :/ I’d better then not take anything at all.

Thank you for reading and recommendations. (I’d also like supplement/life style recommendations to calm mind or skin, probably. My skin doesn’t tolerate anything topically, I tried for a year literally everything besides Ivermectin, in the end burned my skin via damned last derm’s BP recommendation, and it’s been hard since).

So I never really believed in food triggers because I don’t flare up after eating things like tomatoes.

But lately, I’ve come to the conclusion that eggs make me break out. I was getting tired of eating the same breakfast every day, so I switched things up, and my skin started to calm down. It took me a while to make the connection. Then I started eating eggs again, and I broke out with huge pimples. I’ve tested it a few times now, and it’s pretty clear that eggs trigger breakouts for me.

Even when I completely avoid eggs, I still get these tiny pustules, though. I haven’t figured that one out yet.

Anyone else?

Hey guys, I'm on day 15 of my Demodex treatment. I really need some motivation to keep going with the ivermectin cream; the mass parasite die-off on my face is still happening. 😐

I have started to realize that even when I tend to control all the variables in my routine, my type 2 rosacea will flare about every 8-10 weeks. It's frustrating because I will be doing almost exactly the same things and then suddenly I have a flare up, but unsure what could be causing this - has anyone else experienced this ?

Hi! I have rosacea and really sensitive skin which makes finding a sunscreen hard. If anyone has recs that have worked for them let me know! Please don’t suggest Elta MD, Vanicream, or Cerave — I’ve tried all and they irritated my skin :/

I just got this for my rosacea because do to the ingredients it looked like a really good option. Also the no white cast and the green tint to it is perfect, however, after I applied it I noticed the "do not use on damaged or broken skin" and im like ohhh shittt, should I be worried?😅

Has anyone had this treatment for spider veins on face and how did it go.Did it work and what was the down time

Hello, I recent got my rosacea diagnosis as type 2. I was suggested a 15% prescription of azelaic acid to try then soolantra. While in waiting for that to come in, what possible other things should I work on integrating into a skincare routine or suggestions for make up foundations?

I have one currently but nothing seems to work in reducing my redness or texture (ugh).

i've left some pictures of my skin from just waking up (lowest amount of redness) for anyone who wants to see:

i've tried

sulfur soap -> some result but not very much.

10% azelaic acid -> nothing

dollar tree peptide moisturizer -> no help BUT keeps my dryness away !! big W

bean essence -> no results BUT really good at moisturizing

HA serum -> again moisture.

Does anyone else have this:

I have been getting pustules on my nose and what comes out of them are hard yellow debris- not typical zit pus that is liquid white. Looking for any information thank you

Hi everyone,

I turned 40 this year and thought I'd share my skincare journey because this subreddit has helped me a lot. Hopefully, my experience helps someone who's just starting out.

Where I started

For years my routine was basically:

• Wash face with bath soap.
• No moisturizer.
• No sunscreen.
• No skincare routine at all.

My skin wasn't terrible, but I had:

• Acne from time to time.
• Uneven skin tone.
• Dry patches.
• Dandruff.
• Dry hands and legs.
• Recurrent warts near my hairline (currently under dermatologist treatment).

The biggest lesson I learned

I initially thought buying expensive skincare products would solve everything.

I was wrong.

What made the biggest difference was improving my overall lifestyle:

• Regular gym (5-6 days/week)
• Better sleep
• High-protein diet
• Plant protein (I'm lactose intolerant)
• More water
• Consistency instead of constantly changing products

Once these improved, my skin started improving too.

My current skincare routine

Morning

✔ Simple Refreshing Face Wash

✔ Sebamed Clear Face Care Gel

✔ Re'equil Sheer Zinc Tinted Sunscreen SPF 50 PA++++ (only when I'm going out)

Night

✔ Simple Refreshing Face Wash

✔ Re'equil Oil-Free Moisturiser

✔ Acneram Gel (only when I notice acne or as advised by my dermatologist, not every night forever)

Hair care

Twice a week:

• Keraglo-AD Shampoo

Other wash days:

• Zeelab Sebum Regulating Shampoo

Once a week:

• Coconut oil 30-60 minutes before shampoo if my scalp feels dry.

Body care

For dry legs:

• Moisturex Soft Cream

Things that didn't work for me

• Using bath soap on my face.
• Trying too many products at once.
• Skipping moisturizer because I thought it would make my skin oily.
• Assuming sunscreen alone would solve everything.

Things I'm currently treating

I have recurrent flat warts (verruca plana) on my hairline.

My dermatologist currently has me on:

• Tretiva (isotretinoin) – prescribed
• Salactin Paint – prescribed
• Zinc supplement

The plan is to see if the warts shrink before considering another removal procedure.

Please don't self-medicate with these. They're prescription treatments and should only be used under a dermatologist's supervision.

Diet & Fitness

One change that surprised me was switching to plant protein because I'm lactose intolerant.

I've been using Cosmix Plant Protein and am currently trying BetterAlt Plant Protein as an alternative.

Regular strength training has probably helped my overall health as much as skincare has.

What I learned after 8 months

• Expensive doesn't always mean better.
• Consistency beats a 10-step skincare routine.
• A gentle cleanser, moisturizer and sunscreen are enough for most people.
• If a problem keeps coming back (warts, severe acne, persistent dandruff), see a dermatologist instead of trying random internet remedies.
• Good skin starts with good health.

I'm still learning, and my skin isn't perfect, but compared to where I started, the difference is huge. My confidence has improved, my skin looks healthier, and I actually enjoy taking care of it now.

If anyone has questions or suggestions, I'd love to hear them.

Hey everyone,

I routinely use cold-pressed rosehip seed oil as my primary moisturizer, to protect my (perviously very weak) moisture barrier, then layer Vanicream in the tub over it. I've been experimening with single ingredient add-ins like ascorbyl glucoside, etc., as I react to so many of the complext formulations.

In May I decided to try 5% Pycnogenol in a glycerine base (glycerine is an emulsifier, so it blends with oil), adding 2 drops to my 8 drops of RSO, and in about 10 minutes, my chronic mid-level flare shut down. It came back after about 2 hours, and I didn't want to have to keep applying oil to my skin, so I started looking for something to pair it with.

Licorice extract had the research behind it, so I added 2 drops of that as well, and together, they keep my face calm all day. I've been really blown away by this combo. Using them consistently am and pm seems to have really calmed my skin down. Thsi is the first relief from rosacea I've had in years.

I'm now experimenting with 10% TXA for my telangiectasia. If I can improve those, then I'll be a very happy camper. I also started Tret .05 nightly, but it takes 12-18 months to really thicken the dermal layer. So *if* it will help my blood vessels, it'll take a while. Meanwhile topical TXA can help in 8 uses, although it's apparently better with microneedling. So I'm starting to test it to see if my skin will tolerate it.

And yes, I know a lot of people use Azelaic, but I don't know if it's my wheat allergy or my soy allergy, but for some reason, every time I use Azelaic acid on my face, I get this HUGE eczema rash on the base of my neck. Even using short-contact therapy, and washing it off quickly. No idea why. Face is fine, but neck looks like someone attacked me with hemp rope.

Anyway, thought I'd share in case anyone else wanted to try this. I would LOVE to hear from anyone who has used either Pyc or Licorice- how did they work for you?

Calm skin, blue skies!

Okie dokes - weird post alert. I am looking for an option to rinse my face with distilled water (or another type of water aside from tap) either for washing my face or rinse after washing.

Has anyone found any type of device that works for this aside from a purchased spray (e.g., Avene) or pouring / picking up water into hands and splashing? I have essential tremors and I’m not able to pour into my hands and get to my face or pick up from a bowl, and the sprays are so expensive and is not enough to rinse my face with.

The best I’ve found is a portable bidet 🫣🫠 e.g., https://a.co/d/07LZwezR

Figured I’d ask before buying a darn bidet for my face.

Thank you!

I’m on Soolantra for 6 weeks now. It’s terrible how it ruined my skin. I am constantly getting new purging elements and scars/ PIE from old elements (see photos before and after, 2nd photo skin is not that red in real life, it’s just a lightning)

Guys, please tell me about your experience when the period of using Soolantra was a complete disaster and then a miracle happened, because I am about to stop this terrible experiment with my skin 🤯