r/Rosacea

This will be a bit of a rant lol, but I’m having such a hard time finding a cleanser that works for me and would love recommendations from anyone with similar skin.

I have combo oily/dehydrated skin, type 2 pustular rosacea, and possibly fungal acne/folliculitis. I tend to get clusters of pustules from either products that feel too occlusive OR when my skin gets overly stripped, so finding a middle ground has been impossible. I’ve also been trying to see a derm for over a year, but they keep canceling my appointments after 6+ month waits 🥲
I’ve tried CeraVe, Vanicream (too stripping), cleansing oils + a water cleanser , Skinfix Barrier+ Gentle Gel, and Sophia Pavitt Clean Clean. The Sophia Pavitt cleanser (picture from 1 month ago) worked AMAZING for about a week, then I started breaking out, possibly from overstripping. a lot of these have the same story, where it feels amazing for several days and then all of a sudden day 5, i notice the breakouts.

I’m currently using the Prequel Gleanser. For the first 2 days my skin was super calm and my dehydration/wrinkles actually improved, but then I suddenly broke out worse than ever (first two photos). I know there’s supposedly a learning curve with this cleanser, and I’ve tried rinsing extremely thoroughly, even using a soft microfiber towel, but I’m still having issues. At this point I’m wondering if I’m overcleansing just trying to get it off.
After this flare, I tried the Eradikate sulfur cleanser and it calmed everything down SO much, but I can tell it would be too drying for daily use. I’m thinking of using the sulfur cleanser 2x a week (possibly try prequels line later on), but I’m unsure what to use the rest of the time since I’d eventually like to introduce azelaic acid and retinol, but I really want to figure out what’s triggering these breakouts first.

I’m considering:
• Dr. Sam’s Flawless Cleanser
• HaruHaru Wonder Gentle Cleanser
• Beplain Mung Bean Cleanser
• untoxicated face wash

but I am welcome to learning more about what worked for others.

My current routine:
PM: Bioderma pink cap micellar water → rinse (10 sec) → cleanser (30–45 sec) → rinse (20–30 sec) → pat dry Clean Skin Club wipe → iUNIK Beta Glucan → Purito Oat moisturizer

AM: rinse with just water(10-15 sec) → beta glucan → moisturizer → Paula’s Choice SPF daily fluid 50

Would you cleanse in the morning with skin like mine, or just rinse with water?
If you have similar sensitive, rosacea-prone, combo/oily skin, what cleanser actually worked for you?

I've been an avid ivermectin/metronidazole user for going on 7 years. Vanicream spf, moisturizer, and cleanser. Avene thermal water and gentle cleanser at times. I woke up to the worst flare since before I started treatments probably. I'm making this post because after years of refusing antibiotics I think I should give doxycycline a shot.

I recently finished a round of steroids for a super bad poison ivy rash. I went to an urgent care clinic so of course normal care or any concern of side effects of rosacea using steroids was not mentioned, and only towards the end of the treatment did I learn I could have potential, and in my case terrible, side effects.

I had the best facial skin of my life from just a week of steroids -_- and I just want my face to be clear because when I looked in the mirror I was so incredibly happy and now I'm just crying.

I work out of a hot delivery truck so I don't have much hope of ever avoiding all triggers, because I work out in the elements. I am just reaching out to see if anyone has ever had good outcomes from antibiotics.

Thank you in advance!

Days 1, 5, 10 respectively. I only do the wash every few days, since it dries out your skin so much. I layer the ivermectin with moisturiser because my skin is so sensitive, and it’s still been effective. :)

Im lost and i don’t know what to do for my skin its been this way for 8 years and i just need some guidance please i have a dermatologist appointment coming up aswell i just need some help also sorry for the bad pics im still a little swollen i had triple jaw surgery in april

hii does anyone have any tips of how to cope
with rosacea flares? it burns so much when it gets like this and i’ve never found a solution on how to prevent this or stop it.

i am on accutane for my acne and the dermatologist has never mentioned anything about rosacea so idek if i have it, any tips though please 🙏

I’ve had rosacea since 2020, around the beginning of the COVID pandemic, mainly affecting my nose.

I have fair/light skin, and my main problem is that my nose is constantly red to some degree, with flares that vary in intensity. The pattern is almost always the same: during the week, 3–4 small papules appear, sometimes a few more. Some remain small, while others gradually become more inflamed, turn into pus-filled pustules, and eventually break open on their own — sometimes even during face washing or when drying my face with a towel. The skin then heals, but the redness of my nose remains.
Then the cycle starts again.

I also frequently experience irritation, redness and flaking in the area directly underneath my nose and on the skin just above my upper lip. This area can become particularly irritated and dry, and I’m not sure whether it’s part of my rosacea, another type of dermatitis, or simply irritation.

Because of my job, I also wear a surgical mask almost every day, often for several hours. I wonder whether the heat, humidity, friction or occlusion from the mask might sometimes aggravate my symptoms. However, I don’t think the mask is the cause, because the same cycle of papules and pustules occurs regardless of whether I’m wearing a mask or not.
I’ve also noticed that spicy foods and drinking too much alcohol can irritate and worsen the redness of my nose, so I generally try to avoid spicy foods and limit alcohol. However, even when I avoid these triggers, the recurring cycle of papules and pustules still happens.

Treatments I’ve already tried:
Over the years, I’ve tried several different treatments:
Oral doxycycline for about one year.
For 3 months during the doxycycline treatment, I also took oral metronidazole at the same time.
Rosiced cream (topical metronidazole) twice a day, morning and evening.
Soolantra (ivermectin 1%) for several months in the past.
Finacea / azelaic acid.
Various soothing and barrier-repair products.
Other topical treatments for rosacea.

There is also something worth mentioning about my previous experience with Soolantra.
When I first started using Soolantra, I may have applied too much product. At that time, my nose became literally covered with pustules and pimples filled with pus. It was a very dramatic flare.
I don’t know whether this was an initial flare caused by ivermectin, irritation from applying too much product, or simply the natural course of my rosacea at that time. Eventually it settled down, but the experience made me quite cautious about Soolantra.
I’ve recently started Soolantra again in the evening, only a few days ago, so I know it’s far too early to judge whether it will work this time. However, this morning, for example, two pustules broke open spontaneously, and now my nose is particularly red and irritated.

My dermatologist basically told me that I’ve already tried most of the available treatments and isn’t sure what else to suggest.

So I’m really interested in hearing from people who have had a similar journey:
Fair skin + persistently red nose + 3–4 or more recurrent papules that periodically turn into pustules + recurrent irritation/flaking around the nose and upper lip, despite doxycycline, metronidazole, ivermectin and azelaic acid.

What eventually worked for you?
Have you had success with:
low-dose isotretinoin?
other antibiotics?
combinations of different treatments?
long-term Soolantra/ivermectin?
IPL / V-Beam / vascular laser?
treatments specifically targeting persistent redness?
treating the irritation/flaking around the nose separately?
changing your skincare routine?
or something completely different?

I’m particularly interested in people who, like me, had already tried several treatments but still couldn’t break the cycle of papules → pustules → breaking open → healing → new papules.
And if you also wear a mask for work on a daily basis, I’d be very interested to hear whether you noticed any connection between mask use and your symptoms — even if, in my case, the flares also occur independently of mask use.

Photo note: The photo I’m attaching was taken recently. I’m slightly tanned because I’ve just returned from a seaside vacation, so my skin is not currently as fair as it normally is.
I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone with a similar experience.
What finally worked for you, how long did you use it, and was the improvement actually long-lasting?

At my wits end…I do have a derm appointment but not until a couple months from now.
My skin used to be normal, then I used to just get this flushing on the right side of my face but lately it’s spread to both sides and my chin and nose. My face is NEVER not red. It often burns and can feel the heat radiating.

I guess I’m just wondering if anyone else has this same type of redness? You can see the cutoff towards my jaw and around my mouth where you can see my normal skin tone. I miss my face matching my neck.

don’t mind my messy living room I have a toddler

Evening all, does anybody know what this is ? I’ve had it years the redness. I think it is kind of my skin tone because my neck and chest are quite red too but more the dark reddening around the eyes. The doctors have given me all sorts but nothing has worked. I’ve also tried some acids etc. could really do with trying to get rid of it. I’ve cut the cera ve products out from hearing bad stuff about it. Now it’s just washed with warm not hot water and simple moisturiser. I do use sulfur soap for seb Derm I only get that behind beard and eyebrows but just use it all over anyway. Any help appreciated. Thanks (I don’t use subbed either and always use spf in the sun)

Hi everyone,

I'm new to skincare and my cheeks are pretty reactive as in nothing seems to agree with them. I have some photos to show how they currently look.

The only correlation I can find is that I started minoxidil about two months ago, and my rosacea seems to have gotten worse since then (it was very unoticeable before). My theory is that since minoxidil is a vasodilator, it might be aggravating the redness.

I had mild rosacea before, but it feels worse now.

I already saw a dermatologist and he prescribed a gentle cleanser and some creams but they ended up irritating my skin more than helping.

Would appreciate any input from people who've dealt with something similar, especially if you've had to choose between minoxidil and keeping rosacea under control.

Looking on advice on how to treat rosacea and keep using minoxidil.

Thanks for help !

The fun part about my rosacea is it shows up when I’m stressed which then stresses me out more which makes it worse. Prescribed azelaic acid a few weeks ago my cheeks are showing improvement but I get these bumps on my forehead and scalp like I’m in high school.

I’ve been struggling with a combination of clogged pores, papules and tiny pustules along with redness on my cheeks for about 6 months. I used to use widespread benzoyl peroxide gel on my cheeks, with what I thought was a preventative acne treatment. I also never moisturized at night because I was convinced that it would clog my pores. Within the past couple of weeks, I connected the dots and realized that I was constantly damaging my skin barrier, which is why my skin is always oily and probably why I’m getting clogged pores. I dropped actives and have been just cleansing and moisturizing the past week to hopefully repair the barrier and stop the oil. The dermatologist wasn’t sure what it was, maybe a combo of irritation and rosacea, she prescribed metrocream 0.75% and a 3% colloidal sulfur wash.

Anyway, I was given the metrocream for the papules but after a little research, it seems like it makes things worse for a lot of people so I haven’t started it. Does anyone have tips for reducing the amount of papules or how to make them go away faster? I just started using a 3% colloidal sulfur wash a week ago but haven’t seen any difference yet.