White heads?????!!!!

[Robbin Mann]

What's with the sudden appearance of white heads where my rosacea is? I've only used the zz once and although things look less red, there is this all of a sudden appearance of little itty bitty white heads all over the rosacea???!!! Papules and postules don't come to a head. I've had this breakout on my forehead for a week and a half and never had a single white head or anything resembling a pimple? Is this the creams working?

[the_alphabetman]

That has been my experience with the creams. I don't have rosacea, but when I first started using the creams I had a several pimples form. However they came to a head within a day or two so I could get pop them and get them off my face.

[flower]

i think the whiteheads are a result of the zz coated mites going back into the follicle and dying, thereby causing a small infection of sorts. it is true that it is easy to pop them and they disappear very shortly with the application of the zz ointment. in other words they are not the deep cystic sort but a more superficial sort...is this true of yours?
if so, then i think this is the mechanism at work and soon you will notice less.

[JMPettyWed]

I got my first flare up yesterday, which was day 4 for me using the treatments. I am glad that I was warned ahead of time that this would happen because if I didn't know, I would have stopped using it thinking that I was allergic to it! Thank you for all the great info!

[Marla]

I was happy to see the white dots.

It meant that the old dead skin surrounding the entrance to the pore was shedding.

Improvement is not far behind, since the medication has easier access to the pores and follicles. Not only that, but the content of the pores and follicles can pass more easily through the unobstructed openings to be removed as it surfaces.

[alyst]

i just wanted to say how helpful the forums have been for a new user. i have had rosacea for about 8 years now (am 34) and dermatoligists have always prescribed metrogel (which never did a thing to help). it went through varying levels of redness, but i found that mac powder does a great job of camoflaging the redness - so if you are a female - i highly recommend checking out a mac counter. they have a powder to match any skin tone. i was ready to deal with the fact that the rosacea would never go away but then the acne started... i have never had problems with acne until about 8 months ago when i started getting itchy bumps on me face and neck. at first i thought i was getting bit by fleas, but the bites/marks would stay for about a week, itch like mad, and continually reappear around my chin and neck. this coincided with my two cats getting kitty acne and i always thought there might be a link, but my dermatologist just gave me some topical eurithromyacin (sp) and said it may or may not help - thanks doc. he also said it was comon and probably linked to hormones... he was not much help. anyway, after complete frustration with trying many different approaches to fighting the itchy bumps, about a week and a half ago, i found this site and am now on day four of the treatment. i was worried last night when i noticed white heads and red bumps on my face, hairline - places i normally never get acne or rosacea. this was after i had noticed improvement after the 1st and 2nd days. then i read the forums and was comforted that many people have had the same reaction to the cremes. i also noticed on the first night that a few spots started on my chest - lower than they normal appear - so i believe they are already starting to migrate. i will keep going with the treatment, and am going to pay attention to clean pillowcases and towels. the forums are incredibly informative. thanks to all that participate! i will post something when my face starts to get better and hope that others will share their success stories for those hoping for a cure from itchy acne and/or rosacea aka, demodex mites.

[emily]

Hi all! New to the forum. I was just wondering if I'm supposed to pop the whiteheads? I always thought that if you popped a whitehead there would be a better chance of scarring later on. Is it necessary to pop them so that the creams can get into the pores or what is the deal? Please let me know. Thank you!

[flower]

in my experience, the whiteheads associated with the demodex death is a superficial type of whitehead. in other words , it doesn't seem to be connected to a sebaceous gland which is a deeper structure. it seems to be confined to the follicle. therefore , popping the contents out releases the superficial contents and in my case did not leave any scars.
i have had whiteheads in my life in the past that were of the acne/sebaceous type ,( i called them underground pimples) and they were not a good idea to pop most times, because there was alot of inflammation underground associated with them.
hope this helps.

[cj]

Hi Robbin, Emily and all - I've been using the zz for about a month now and I find that the little whiteheads that appear, disappear more quickly if you do pop them and then apply the zz (better to do it at night so you're not tempted to fiddle with them during the day). I occasionally get some that don't pop easily, it's better not to touch them - just apply a little zz!
Good luck - I'm sure it's working. Don't be disheartened if it seems like it's getting worse - you will experience up and downs. In just this last month I've been on the verge of giving up several times due to itching, dryness etc, but last week, I had two days of perfect skin!! So it is possible!
The reason this treatment is so hard for us is because it causes (initially) the very thing we're trying to prevent. It's like our worst fears come true with the added bonus of very dry skin on top of the spots! Trust that it will get better and post whenever you feel like giving up. Someone will give you encouragement.

CJ