Stumbled onto this site and I want to cry I think this could be my problem. Here's my story, maybe you can tell me if this will help.
First off, my skin isn't THAT bad. That's what I've been told since day one of starting to get breakouts (about age 14, now I'm 22). I tend to have dry skin although it is normalizing, but persistent blackheads all over nose, and in chin and lower forehead. I get some whiteheads, but mostly just red bumps, ruddy looking tone, enlarged pores. My face always looks reddish. Over the last year I stated get 'flare-ups'--I'd get hot and flushed and get welts, especially on my upper cheecks lower forehead..not really zits. I was never diagnosed with rosacea but have always questioned whether I have it..I'm now on Chinese herbs that have done wonders for the welts and redness, but I still get pimples and those darn blackheads. It seems like red bumps sprout out of no where, and often go away quickly but it's so strange. And the capillaries! Yes, some where I picked and others just appear, especially where I would get recurring bumps that I never touched. I have lots around my nose. I guess what really got me whas the 'crawling' feeling..I always figured this was in my head or my skin was dry and itchy and I just imagined the crawling..but maybe not.
My skin has steadily improved and at times looks really nice, but it's so fickle. I've tried everythig under the sun, but perhaps I've gone about this wrong. Could this be for me? I'm terrified of it getting worse before it gets better, and am wondering if that will cause worse permanent damage than I have now. Please help.
Could this really be for me--please help
Moderators: Julia, Walter, Administrator
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SteveInAustin
- Posts: 206
- Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2005 4:24 am
- Location: Austin, Texas USA
Well, nobody replied yet, so I'll reply.
Yeah, I think your description fits the profile of someone who can be helped using these products. Try them out. But make a sincere effort at it. That means that you need to be diligent. Stick to a 6 month plan. If you don't get results within that time frame, then considering abandoning the products. But I think you probably will get results. Also, make sure you wash your face twice a day with the Acarid soap before applying any creams. Do this once at night before bed and once in the morning after waking. Rotate your pillow cases so that you have a fresh one each day. Never reuse bath towels (wait 3 days before reusing one). Whenever you sweat, wash your fash immediately afterwards. Whenever you let someone else touch your face, wash your face immediately afterwards. Never touch your hands to your face. Keep your hair away from your face. Do all of that, and you should make good progress I think. It could take months before it clears up. And you'll get an initial worsening from about 5 days into it until about 1-2 months later. That's normal.
Steve
Austin, Texas USA
Yeah, I think your description fits the profile of someone who can be helped using these products. Try them out. But make a sincere effort at it. That means that you need to be diligent. Stick to a 6 month plan. If you don't get results within that time frame, then considering abandoning the products. But I think you probably will get results. Also, make sure you wash your face twice a day with the Acarid soap before applying any creams. Do this once at night before bed and once in the morning after waking. Rotate your pillow cases so that you have a fresh one each day. Never reuse bath towels (wait 3 days before reusing one). Whenever you sweat, wash your fash immediately afterwards. Whenever you let someone else touch your face, wash your face immediately afterwards. Never touch your hands to your face. Keep your hair away from your face. Do all of that, and you should make good progress I think. It could take months before it clears up. And you'll get an initial worsening from about 5 days into it until about 1-2 months later. That's normal.
Steve
Austin, Texas USA
Walter
Yes, enlarged pores, blackheads because of mites blocking the pores, red bumps and even visual capillaries are all signs for demodex mites activity, when you became teenager,
your hormone balance changed and because of this produced more sebum, this is perfect for the mites and they start to multiply, most of the time,
when later the hormone balance goes back to normal also the mite population decreases again but not always like in your case.
Eliminating demodex mites is not easy and there are almost no products existing which can do this is a safe way, the Zhongzhou ointment
can do this.
It is not for sure you will get worse first, depends from person to person but it is possible, no reason to be terrified though, most probable your skin problems
will be finely over soon, would that not be nice?
Walter
your hormone balance changed and because of this produced more sebum, this is perfect for the mites and they start to multiply, most of the time,
when later the hormone balance goes back to normal also the mite population decreases again but not always like in your case.
Eliminating demodex mites is not easy and there are almost no products existing which can do this is a safe way, the Zhongzhou ointment
can do this.
It is not for sure you will get worse first, depends from person to person but it is possible, no reason to be terrified though, most probable your skin problems
will be finely over soon, would that not be nice?
Walter
I'm only about a week into the treatment, so I don't feel particularly qualified to give advice, but just thought I'd share my personal experiences and opinions so far. I had some pretty similar symptoms to yours, minus the flushing and redness, but a few months ago got a red, pimply, itchy rash around my nose that seemed to be spreading, and even though everyone has always said I had "pretty skin," I would still break out periodically, sometimes hormonally, sometimes not, usually around my chin, below the corners of my mouth, and forehead, esp. along the hairline. At 38, my skin is on the dry side, as well. I had a strong suspicion it was parasitic in nature, and it's hard to say when I picked it up, but my very elderly dog has some kind of mange condition, and my mom & I, who take turns caring for her, both developed a similar rash around the nose at the same time. A lightbulb moment, to say the least.
What I've noticed so far on the ZZ ointment, only, with using the Acarid face wash, is increased dryness, flakiness and peeling, especially in the areas that were most affected, but I have a sense that even though it looks worse in a way, it's healing underneath. I'm still red around the nose, but not quite as bad, and it's minus the little bumps. The last few days the "zits" seemed better, but feel like they may be welling up again in a few places, and yet I've read here that this is common. If the mites live deeper in the layers of skin, it makes sense that it would take time for them to come to the surface as the outer layers slough off. I'm not looking so pretty right now, but I'm not exactly a freak show, either. It's tolerable. Actually, the worst part for me so far is the 24/7 sulfur smell, but I'm pretty sensitive to smells, so it might not bother you as much.
I have been using a little aloe gel, and sometimes a little natural lotion during the day which Walter said was OK if I felt I needed to. I'm unsure about whether the oils in it might defeat the purpose and encourage the mites, but sometimes my skin feels SO dry, with my very early crows feet looking much more noticeable, and I feel like I have to give it some kind of moisture, esp. with cold weather coming.
I am thinking that if you have a little money to spend, you probably have nothing to lose in trying. Look at what dermatologists do to people with chemical peels and how their skin recovers - the ZZ cream feels a little harsh to me at times, but nowhere near like that! Your skin will recover from any rough period it goes through.
My main concern is whether I'll be dependent on the products in six months or a year, I'm not excited about the idea of having to use them indefinitely, but this may not be the case, particularly if I'm working on building a strong immune system. I imagine I could use some kind of "maintenance dose", like once or twice a week at night.
Good luck. Keep us posted if you try it. I was able to learn a lot and make informed choices when I read about others' experiences here.
What I've noticed so far on the ZZ ointment, only, with using the Acarid face wash, is increased dryness, flakiness and peeling, especially in the areas that were most affected, but I have a sense that even though it looks worse in a way, it's healing underneath. I'm still red around the nose, but not quite as bad, and it's minus the little bumps. The last few days the "zits" seemed better, but feel like they may be welling up again in a few places, and yet I've read here that this is common. If the mites live deeper in the layers of skin, it makes sense that it would take time for them to come to the surface as the outer layers slough off. I'm not looking so pretty right now, but I'm not exactly a freak show, either. It's tolerable. Actually, the worst part for me so far is the 24/7 sulfur smell, but I'm pretty sensitive to smells, so it might not bother you as much.
I have been using a little aloe gel, and sometimes a little natural lotion during the day which Walter said was OK if I felt I needed to. I'm unsure about whether the oils in it might defeat the purpose and encourage the mites, but sometimes my skin feels SO dry, with my very early crows feet looking much more noticeable, and I feel like I have to give it some kind of moisture, esp. with cold weather coming.
I am thinking that if you have a little money to spend, you probably have nothing to lose in trying. Look at what dermatologists do to people with chemical peels and how their skin recovers - the ZZ cream feels a little harsh to me at times, but nowhere near like that! Your skin will recover from any rough period it goes through.
My main concern is whether I'll be dependent on the products in six months or a year, I'm not excited about the idea of having to use them indefinitely, but this may not be the case, particularly if I'm working on building a strong immune system. I imagine I could use some kind of "maintenance dose", like once or twice a week at night.
Good luck. Keep us posted if you try it. I was able to learn a lot and make informed choices when I read about others' experiences here.