Okay, not really a cure for Rosacea, but certainly a way to control this terrible condition…..
So first a little history regarding my Rosacea - I suffer with chronic Rosacea, and as I’ve grown older the ‘attacks’ were getting more frequent and much more severe, and it could be a real nightmare before going to a gig or a social event. Quite often I would be sitting in my car outside a gig and the skin on my nose and cheeks would literally just peel off, and often my nose looked like it was covered in burns. I remember not so long ago I was buying a bottle of wine in my local supermarket when I overheard this guy saying, “You can see he likes a drink” this was quite obviously aimed at me due to my red/purple nose and the old WC Fields syndrome….Luckily I have now found some great concealers and creams, and although they are great to hide the effects of this terrible condition, that’s all they do. That’s the trouble with Rosacea, most people have very little knowledge of this condition and the causes, they just think it’s a condition from drinking too much and too often. It has to be said, I do like a drink, but only when I go out on social occasions, which due to the nature of being a very successful magician (lol) are very rare these days!
Although my skin cleansing regime is second to none, and my diet is very healthy, and also after trying most lotions and potions aimed at Rosacea on the market, nothing would stop the attacks from happening…..Then I made an amazing discovery…..I was using antibacterial soaps because the theory is, the bad bacteria on the skin was probably causing the condition. I’ve tried using tea tree oil based soaps, charcoal based cleansers, you name it, I’ve tried it, but they all left me with really dry skin which made me looking like I had the after effects of severe sunburn and was peeling really badly. Another condition that comes with Rosacea is, dry eyes, which can lead to all types of eye problems and infections….And it was when I had a real bad eye infection that I made the amazing discovery….
After a visit to the eye doctor it was suggested that I use a mild eye cleanser to ensure the eye infection didn’t return, so on a trip to my local boots chemist I decided to try the Boots own make ‘Blepharitis Eye Lid Foam’ and after a year of using this daily I’ve not had one eye infection. I would have at least 4/5 infections a year which often coincided with a severe Rosacea attack. I just couldn’t believe the results, and for someone that specialises in close-up magic this for me was a game changer. Please stay with me, I’m getting there (lol)
I was still getting nowhere with the lotions and potions, but a couple stood out, one was a moisturiser called ‘Kalme’ which is very good indeed, but it couldn’t prevent ‘attacks’ from occurring. Then about nine weeks ago it just hit me, if I’m using antibacterial cleansers then I am also killing the good bacteria….Yes, much like the problems we are now facing with antibiotics….So, I thought to myself, any meds/creams/soaps that are for the eyes have to be very mild, and, the results I have been having using the eye foam have been amazing…..So I put 2+2 together and started to use the eye foam on my nose and cheeks. Again, the results were/are amazing, and within one week my family and friends also started to notice the difference!
I was having Rosacea attacks on a weekly basis, and about once a month I would have a severe attack, but amazingly in the last 9 weeks I have only had one attack, and that was when I had wheat due to cross contamination at a restaurant (wheat is definitely a trigger for me). So now my daily routine of putting the foam on my eyes every morning for 60 seconds and then rinsing it off has now been extended to my whole face…Gone are the soaps and antibacterial cleansers etc, I now just use the foam morning and night along with Kalme moisturiser and the difference (for me) is just phenomenal!
I would just like to make it clear that I am nothing to do with the products above, I just want to share with fellow sufferers my experiences with this incurable condition as I know there are thousands of sufferers out there who at times will not leave their homes due to this awful condition.
I really truly do hope that my experiences and trials and errors can be of help, and if you would like to hear more of my experiences with this terrible condition please feel free to contact me.
My next Rosacea blog will be, How to lessen an attack when it happens…….
Gary Jones Magic x
