I’m at my wit’s end with rosacea – help!
I would say that 99.9% of our patients are completely clear in 6 months with occasional flare ups only. We, and many other offices, use a combination of lifestyle changes including dietary changes, non prescription creams, prescription creams, and lasers like the IPL and pulsed dye lasers. We generally avoid long term, chronic oral antibiotic use because although they help in the short term, they cause other problems (like yeast overgrowth and antibiotic resistence) in the long term. We do use a short course format for occasional flares. We also avoid using any steroids (including over the counter hydrocortisone) on rosacea like the plague (except for very short 1 week courses) for the same reasons. Some dermatologist disagree with this. We also do bacterial cultures at times to make sure staph isn’t complicating the rosacea. Please see my article on Rosacea in Depth or learn more at AAD.org. Also, keep looking for a dermatologist who can help you. Good luck!!! Dr. I