Hi there! I'm new to this forum/site and have some questions I'm hoping someone can help me out with.
First off, long story short & a bit of background: my rosacea, from a dermatologic standpoint, is really rather mild. It's still at the point where most folks would never know I have it, unless I told them. My symptoms consist mainly of flushing, along with the dry/tight/irritated/burning/hot sensation so many other folks describe (I also am noticing that my skin is rather flaky, as though it is dry, especially on/around the rosacea/acne spots... despite my skin being naturally on the oily side... it's basically oily/flaky at the same time... exfoliating products to do little/nothing to address it, other than to further irritate my already sensitive skin). If I get a particularly bad flare-up I also tend to experience mild edema on my upper eyelids & inner cheeks (along my nose). Again, not severe... most folks would simply think I was having a bad allergy attack (which I know it's not). I'm also starting to notice some small veins in my cheeks, upper eyelids and just below my collar bone. I've had acne on & off for years, right now it's fairly mild/moderate but it also is something that standard Western medicine has, for the most part, utterly failed to address (if not actually made worse)... given that, I'm not about to trust them with treating my rosacea if it's at all possible.
Having done quite a bit of research on rosacea/adult acne the last few weeks/months, I'm now convinced that demodex inflammation may be the long-overlooked key with respect to my symptoms. Without going into pages of details, suffice to say that my pattern of itching/crawling sensations and breakouts (on face, scalp and chest/back) aligns with the symptoms/descriptions of demodex overload/inflammation too well for me to suspect anything else at this point... especially as I've already spent the last few years eliminating/reducing the other "triggers" (i.e. problematic ingredients - be it skin/hair care, household cleaning products, etc.; dietary ones such as caffeine & alcohol, etc.). [I'm also a pet owner, as are most of my family members - for those who find that correlation of import].
So... on to my questions! I plan on making an initial purchase of products on payday and, depending on results, working up from there if necessary. My questions are:
1). I don't tolerate sulfates (Sodium Lauryl/Laureth, Ammonium Lauryl/etc., etc.) well at all, so the DS shampoo is out for me... however, I know - based on my symptoms - that in order to see full success I should be treating my scalp along with my face. I do use & love a natural shampoo bar (basically a glorified, hair-specific bar of soap)... is there any reason I can't simply use the Acarid removing soap in lieu of, or in conjunction with, my shampoo bar?
2). Currently I use the Devita Solar Protection Moisturizer 30 as my daily sunscreen/moisturizer. My skin loves this stuff (all the zinc oxide and aloe vera is extremely soothing/calming) and sun protection is important to me (I do a lot of walking outdoors). Can I continue using this in the mornings if I'm using the XF (or ZZ) cream? If so, how long after applying XF (or ZZ) should I wait before applying the sunscreen/moisturizer? If not, what do you recommend for sun protection?
3). Several years ago I was diagnosed with mild dry eye (specifically related to blocked oil glands along my lash line)... I strongly suspect demodex inflammation is the cause of this as well. Is the standard face treatment (using the soap and XF/ZZ creams) going to be strong enough to address my eyelid/eyelash issues on its own or would it be best to use the eyelash cream as well?
4). Due to my general chemical sensitivity I don't use chemical hair dyes. When I color my hair I use only body-art-quality henna, indigo & amla (i.e. pure plant powders, no chemicals at all!). If I'm using either/both/all the Acarid removing soap, XF, ZZ &/or DS Scalp Lotion on my scalp, can I safely continue using the henna/indigo/amla dye? Or is it best to forgo dyeing entirely until I've completed treatment?
That's all I can think of at the moment... basically my plan is to invest initially in the soap, XF & ZZ creams and maybe the eyelash cream; using the soap for my face, scalp/hair & body and the two creams on my face and perhaps as a spot treatment on my scalp and chest/back. If after the initial 30 days I see results (as I anticipate), then I plan to incorporate the scalp lotion into my arsenal... just wondering if this sounds like a good start to you more experienced folks on the forum. Any guidance, tips, etc. is greatly appreciated.
Thanks! (And, my apologies in advance for the length of this post... just really curious about all this and looking for a good solution!).
Newbie with some questions... please help!
Moderators: Julia, Walter, Administrator
Re: Newbie with some questions... please help!
Hi there! I'm new to this forum/site and have some questions I'm hoping someone can help me out with.
First off, long story short & a bit of background: my rosacea, from a dermatologic standpoint, is really rather mild. It's still at the point where most folks would never know I have it, unless I told them. My symptoms consist mainly of flushing, along with the dry/tight/irritated/burning/hot sensation so many other folks describe (I also am noticing that my skin is rather flaky, as though it is dry, especially on/around the rosacea/acne spots... despite my skin being naturally on the oily side... it's basically oily/flaky at the same time... exfoliating products to do little/nothing to address it, other than to further irritate my already sensitive skin). If I get a particularly bad flare-up I also tend to experience mild edema on my upper eyelids & inner cheeks (along my nose). Again, not severe... most folks would simply think I was having a bad allergy attack (which I know it's not). I'm also starting to notice some small veins in my cheeks, upper eyelids and just below my collar bone. I've had acne on & off for years, right now it's fairly mild/moderate but it also is something that standard Western medicine has, for the most part, utterly failed to address (if not actually made worse)... given that, I'm not about to trust them with treating my rosacea if it's at all possible.
Having done quite a bit of research on rosacea/adult acne the last few weeks/months, I'm now convinced that demodex inflammation may be the long-overlooked key with respect to my symptoms. Without going into pages of details, suffice to say that my pattern of itching/crawling sensations and breakouts (on face, scalp and chest/back) aligns with the symptoms/descriptions of demodex overload/inflammation too well for me to suspect anything else at this point... especially as I've already spent the last few years eliminating/reducing the other "triggers" (i.e. problematic ingredients - be it skin/hair care, household cleaning products, etc.; dietary ones such as caffeine & alcohol, etc.). [I'm also a pet owner, as are most of my family members - for those who find that correlation of import].
So... on to my questions! I plan on making an initial purchase of products on payday and, depending on results, working up from there if necessary. My questions are:
1). I don't tolerate sulfates (Sodium Lauryl/Laureth, Ammonium Lauryl/etc., etc.) well at all, so the DS shampoo is out for me... however, I know - based on my symptoms - that in order to see full success I should be treating my scalp along with my face. I do use & love a natural shampoo bar (basically a glorified, hair-specific bar of soap)... is there any reason I can't simply use the Acarid removing soap in lieu of, or in conjunction with, my shampoo bar?
No, you can use both
2). Currently I use the Devita Solar Protection Moisturizer 30 as my daily sunscreen/moisturizer. My skin loves this stuff (all the zinc oxide and aloe vera is extremely soothing/calming) and sun protection is important to me (I do a lot of walking outdoors). Can I continue using this in the mornings if I'm using the XF (or ZZ) cream? If so, how long after applying XF (or ZZ) should I wait before applying the sunscreen/moisturizer? If not, what do you recommend for sun protection?
Sun is very bad if you have a demodex mites problem so it is good to protect your skin when going out, start with using the ZZ during the evening/night and use the Xin fumanling only in the morning/day if you don’t go out.
We are working on a good sunscreen which will also kill demodex mites at the same time but this will take some months more to finish.
3). Several years ago I was diagnosed with mild dry eye (specifically related to blocked oil glands along my lash line)... I strongly suspect demodex inflammation is the cause of this as well. Is the standard face treatment (using the soap and XF/ZZ creams) going to be strong enough to address my eyelid/eyelash issues on its own or would it be best to use the eyelash cream as well?
There is indeed a big possibility that your dry eye problem is because of demodex, better to use the eyelash cream to in this case.
4). Due to my general chemical sensitivity I don't use chemical hair dyes. When I color my hair I use only body-art-quality henna, indigo & amla (i.e. pure plant powders, no chemicals at all!). If I'm using either/both/all the Acarid removing soap, XF, ZZ &/or DS Scalp Lotion on my scalp, can I safely continue using the henna/indigo/amla dye? Or is it best to forgo dyeing entirely until I've completed treatment?
You can continuo to do this and I would wait to treat your scalp, many times, I don’t know why, but the scalp itching goes away by only treating the face,
if nessesary, you can always start to treat your scalp later.
That's all I can think of at the moment... basically my plan is to invest initially in the soap, XF & ZZ creams and maybe the eyelash cream; using the soap for my face, scalp/hair & body and the two creams on my face and perhaps as a spot treatment on my scalp and chest/back. If after the initial 30 days I see results (as I anticipate), then I plan to incorporate the scalp lotion into my arsenal... just wondering if this sounds like a good start to you more experienced folks on the forum. Any guidance, tips, etc. is greatly appreciated.
Making a decision after one month is too soon, it can even be that it will be worse after 4 weeks, not for sure but can be, better to use less product but treat then stop to soon.
You can indeed do spot treating on the scalp if necessary, the ZZ is very effective, please don’t use much, for your back, it is better to treat the whole affected area, the ointment you would use for spot treating
is enough, just use some tiny dots and rub it everywhere, even if you don’t see the ointment, it will work.
Thanks! (And, my apologies in advance for the length of this post... just really curious about all this and looking for a good solution!)..
You are welcome
Walter
First off, long story short & a bit of background: my rosacea, from a dermatologic standpoint, is really rather mild. It's still at the point where most folks would never know I have it, unless I told them. My symptoms consist mainly of flushing, along with the dry/tight/irritated/burning/hot sensation so many other folks describe (I also am noticing that my skin is rather flaky, as though it is dry, especially on/around the rosacea/acne spots... despite my skin being naturally on the oily side... it's basically oily/flaky at the same time... exfoliating products to do little/nothing to address it, other than to further irritate my already sensitive skin). If I get a particularly bad flare-up I also tend to experience mild edema on my upper eyelids & inner cheeks (along my nose). Again, not severe... most folks would simply think I was having a bad allergy attack (which I know it's not). I'm also starting to notice some small veins in my cheeks, upper eyelids and just below my collar bone. I've had acne on & off for years, right now it's fairly mild/moderate but it also is something that standard Western medicine has, for the most part, utterly failed to address (if not actually made worse)... given that, I'm not about to trust them with treating my rosacea if it's at all possible.
Having done quite a bit of research on rosacea/adult acne the last few weeks/months, I'm now convinced that demodex inflammation may be the long-overlooked key with respect to my symptoms. Without going into pages of details, suffice to say that my pattern of itching/crawling sensations and breakouts (on face, scalp and chest/back) aligns with the symptoms/descriptions of demodex overload/inflammation too well for me to suspect anything else at this point... especially as I've already spent the last few years eliminating/reducing the other "triggers" (i.e. problematic ingredients - be it skin/hair care, household cleaning products, etc.; dietary ones such as caffeine & alcohol, etc.). [I'm also a pet owner, as are most of my family members - for those who find that correlation of import].
So... on to my questions! I plan on making an initial purchase of products on payday and, depending on results, working up from there if necessary. My questions are:
1). I don't tolerate sulfates (Sodium Lauryl/Laureth, Ammonium Lauryl/etc., etc.) well at all, so the DS shampoo is out for me... however, I know - based on my symptoms - that in order to see full success I should be treating my scalp along with my face. I do use & love a natural shampoo bar (basically a glorified, hair-specific bar of soap)... is there any reason I can't simply use the Acarid removing soap in lieu of, or in conjunction with, my shampoo bar?
No, you can use both
2). Currently I use the Devita Solar Protection Moisturizer 30 as my daily sunscreen/moisturizer. My skin loves this stuff (all the zinc oxide and aloe vera is extremely soothing/calming) and sun protection is important to me (I do a lot of walking outdoors). Can I continue using this in the mornings if I'm using the XF (or ZZ) cream? If so, how long after applying XF (or ZZ) should I wait before applying the sunscreen/moisturizer? If not, what do you recommend for sun protection?
Sun is very bad if you have a demodex mites problem so it is good to protect your skin when going out, start with using the ZZ during the evening/night and use the Xin fumanling only in the morning/day if you don’t go out.
We are working on a good sunscreen which will also kill demodex mites at the same time but this will take some months more to finish.
3). Several years ago I was diagnosed with mild dry eye (specifically related to blocked oil glands along my lash line)... I strongly suspect demodex inflammation is the cause of this as well. Is the standard face treatment (using the soap and XF/ZZ creams) going to be strong enough to address my eyelid/eyelash issues on its own or would it be best to use the eyelash cream as well?
There is indeed a big possibility that your dry eye problem is because of demodex, better to use the eyelash cream to in this case.
4). Due to my general chemical sensitivity I don't use chemical hair dyes. When I color my hair I use only body-art-quality henna, indigo & amla (i.e. pure plant powders, no chemicals at all!). If I'm using either/both/all the Acarid removing soap, XF, ZZ &/or DS Scalp Lotion on my scalp, can I safely continue using the henna/indigo/amla dye? Or is it best to forgo dyeing entirely until I've completed treatment?
You can continuo to do this and I would wait to treat your scalp, many times, I don’t know why, but the scalp itching goes away by only treating the face,
if nessesary, you can always start to treat your scalp later.
That's all I can think of at the moment... basically my plan is to invest initially in the soap, XF & ZZ creams and maybe the eyelash cream; using the soap for my face, scalp/hair & body and the two creams on my face and perhaps as a spot treatment on my scalp and chest/back. If after the initial 30 days I see results (as I anticipate), then I plan to incorporate the scalp lotion into my arsenal... just wondering if this sounds like a good start to you more experienced folks on the forum. Any guidance, tips, etc. is greatly appreciated.
Making a decision after one month is too soon, it can even be that it will be worse after 4 weeks, not for sure but can be, better to use less product but treat then stop to soon.
You can indeed do spot treating on the scalp if necessary, the ZZ is very effective, please don’t use much, for your back, it is better to treat the whole affected area, the ointment you would use for spot treating
is enough, just use some tiny dots and rub it everywhere, even if you don’t see the ointment, it will work.
Thanks! (And, my apologies in advance for the length of this post... just really curious about all this and looking for a good solution!)..
You are welcome
Walter
Re: Newbie with some questions... please help!
Thanks, Walter!
I got busy/distracted but am definitely going to order and see how it goes. Thanks for all the tips/suggestions; I will be sure to keep you all posted on my results!
I got busy/distracted but am definitely going to order and see how it goes. Thanks for all the tips/suggestions; I will be sure to keep you all posted on my results!