I wanted to say up front that I don’t want to upset people, or cause offence, with this post. I’ve wanted to write about denial for a long time but I have struggled to word it in a way I’m happy with because I was worried about upsetting someone. So I’m just going to write it as though I was talking to my sister or my friend: sometimes tough love is what we need.
One of the most common questions in my inbox is ‘how do I find out what is making my rosacea flare up?’ It’s a fair question, but it’s also a BIG question. Rosacea is a tricky beast and one that requires a lot of attention and time, which many of us don’t have. So in order to help, I have designed a Rosacea Flare Up Diary, which you can download below.
(P.S I’ve also designed a Rosacea Triggers Checklist, there’s more information about that at the bottom of the page!)
I am often asked how I keep my rosacea under control and my – sometimes unpopular – response is ‘through a lot of trial and error’. I was diagnosed with rosacea at 21 – 20 years ago – and I have made a lot of changes to my lifestyle, skincare routine, and mindset in that time. But by far the biggest change to my skin was finding out my rosacea triggers.
Over the years I have been very open about my experiences with the medical community with relation to my rosacea: I’ve had some awful experiences, some that could have been improved, and some absolutely wonderful ones. One of my main missions with my blog and social media has always been to be totally honest and provide the advice and support that I desperately needed as a 21 year old who left her GP appointment having been diagnosed and handed a cream with no information about this incurable condition. I felt alone, scared, and devastated. Over the past few days I’ve been compiling stories sent by my followers who were kind enough to share their experiences with me after I put a request out on my instagram stories. I speak more about this later, but this is not a criticism of the medical community overall, I just wanted to highlight real stories to show that there is a lot of room and opportunity for change. Talking to a stranger about our skin is an incredibly vulnerable experience and the way were are treated in that moment matters. I want to give you the strength and information to not only demand better treatment but then to go on to find the wonderful doctors and dermatologists that are out there and can’t wait to help you.
Today’s post is all about going to the doctor when you suspect you may have rosacea. I have a lot of blog posts that talk about how to live with rosacea but I realised that a lot of worry and confusion comes before you know whether you actually have the condition!
