Let’s talk Rosacea

Hello everyone!

This is not like a pretty, cute or fancy post but I feel I needed to share this with you all and if someone can benefit from reading about my experience than I am one happy girl so i hope you enjoy it!!  In one of my previous posts, I mention that I have a condition in my skin called Rosacea, so I wanted to explain a little bit about what this is to those who don’t know what this condition is all about.  

So, first things first: What is Rosacea?

It is a chronic (but treatable) condition that causes redness and often small, red, pus-filled bumps on the face. It is a persistent inflammatory skin condition that affects both men and women. Most people don’t even realize they have it, but Rosacea is more common than you think. In fact, more than 16 million Americans suffer from this. Some of the key symptoms are facial redness with swollen red bumps and small visible blood vessels. It cannot be cured but it can be treated, yayyy!!

My story with Rosacea began after I had my kids and after turning 40. At first, I was really confused on what was going on with my skin because I thought the red bumps were acne, but then I realized it had to be something else! It had to be! 

I had no idea that the tiny red bumps that started to appear beneath my skin were part of a chronic condition! I thought it could be stress since we had just purchased our home and were doing a lot of renovations, so I thought that had to be it! Of course, it wasn’t, and my bumps and the redness wouldn’t go away no matter what I did. Then, I finally went to Dermatologists and Allergists looking for answers. They mention Rosacea but it wasn’t a definite diagnose at the time. Later, I was prescribed a lotion that didn’t really work for me. I started to do my own research and everything I read about Rosacea felt like I had it. I found that certain things could trigger the flare ups and somehow control them. For example, things like spicy foods, saunas, red wine, and extreme exercise were few of the things I started to avoid.

I decided to take pictures every time I had a “flare up” so I could share eventually with my doctors because most of the time I would go to them, my skin would be clear. I was desperate, sometimes I wouldn’t even go out of the house because I didn’t want to put anything on my face. It felt awful. My skin was sensitive. The bumps and redness would come and go, and I was so frustrated.