Rosacea

[castlebergh]

I am self diagnosed (45 years old) as am not getting anywhere with my GP so will have to pay for everything i decide to do. So, where do i start to help myself? Should i persist and ask for a referral to a specialist skin doctor, and try to go down the NHS route? Shall i try and look at my diet or with the products i use?
I desperately need help , particularly as the stress my redness causes makes me more anxious, which is why i am out of work which doesn't help (due to anxiety) and so cannot afford expensive treatments?

[wendygreen]

Hi,

If you're not happy with the response you're getting from your GP, I suggest you seek a second opinion from another (more sympathetic) one. If, as you believe, you are suffering from rosacea there should be a GP at your surgery who is able to diagnose and treat it. As you clearly find your skin condition very distressing, please don't give up - there will be someone who is willing and able to help you.

However, whilst I recommend that you seek further medical help, I suggest you also try to help yourself by identifying your triggers and aiming to avoid them as much as possible. Please see my previous post for further information:

https://www.talkhealthpartnership.com/f ... 471#p32310

Once you start to feel more in control of your condition you should feel less stressed, which will also help to improve your symptoms, as stress can be a trigger.

Good luck!

Wendy

[Dr Mark Brewin]

Hi there
If you find that drugs or creams do not help, you may be able to be referred or indeed self-refer for a course of pulsed dye laser treatments. We see a number of patients with varying degrees of rosacea in our clinic and the results are generally favourable.
A simple Google search will help you find your nearest laser clinic. Make sure that you are treated with pulsed dye laser rather than IPL (intense pulsed light). A KTP vascular laser would give you similar favourable results.
Regards
Dr Mark Brewin