Natural Remedies for Rosacea

hi, havent been to site in a while but I thought id leave a little feedback on helping rosacea. Im not sure if I actualy have rosacea but I my face was always red and would glow sometimes, say after eating , drinking a beer or god forbid I got hot. I done a lot of reading. The first thing I discovered is that diet is huge in this fight. I took out a wide range of foods, anything hot like chillies etc or anything fermented like cheese or vinegar.

My supplements consisted of neem and sarsaparilla and a good bacteria. These things cleansed the blood, cleared heat and inflammation and the good bacteria helped well with lots of things. Anyway 2 months in and iv lost weight(that was a side bonus) and my skin is still a little red but I havnt burned bright red like I used to and I even toned down my make up. I hpoe maybe someone else might benefit from this.x

I am 19, and appearntly rocasea is suppose to affect people that are between the ages of 30-50. I am a fair skinned male. And for about 4 years now I always get severe redness to the face. Cheeks and nose. I always look flustered but it tends to get worst and deep dark red when im nervouse, angry, tired, stress, hot and cold changes. I assume this is rocasea, I never went to the doctor cause I cant afford to. The redness doesnt hurt just is very very hot. Almost like a fever but only effecting my cheeks and nose. I am unsure what this could be, and really with my age its quite embarrasing. Is this rocesea, and can I treat it? please email me back :/

Rick in WI: I've suffered from Rosacea for over 20 years and have tried many things. I have found that there is several foods that trigger my redness and they are citrus (like oranges and lemons) and raisins. I have just recently started using a sunscreen that has "clear zinc oxide" ing the sun screen and with it have seen a great improvement. I have purchased the clear zinc oxide at a local pharmacy and paid less then 5.00. I apply it every morning before going out for the day.

Thank you Earth Clinic! I broke out with rosacea 8 months ago after adopting a street dog in Costa Rica. She had alopesia and I felt there was a connection. I've been to two dermatologists, an Acupuncturist, a medical doctor, an esthetician and a veterinarian all with no good results. My rosacea progressed to cystic acne so finding this site I started applying 1/4 c Apple Cider Vinegar mixed with 3/4 c green tea twice a day followed by coconut oil and the acne went away but the rosacea still persists.

Finding out about the mites connection I did some further internet search and found these sites and wanted to share. They have great info about the mite connection and the mites themselves.

Due to cost and toxicity I'm going to try Ted's remedies first along with baby shampoo and/or Dandruff shampoo for me and my pets. I'll let you all know how it goes. Good luck and thanks again!

EC: Sorry, your links you provided did not work.

please will you tell me for how long I have to drink that, 1/8 teaspoon of borax? I have scalp rosacea and I decided to try that remedy because nothing can really help the itchy scalp.

Hi Nikaki, I suggest it would be better and more effective to use the borax diluted directly on the scalp. This is more likely to kill the fungus. You can put maybe 1/4 cup in 1/2 -1 cup of water and pour it through your hair and leave for 5 mins, then shampoo as usual. You can also use 1 part apple cider vinegar and 1 part water with a little h2o2 in it directly on scalp. Hope this helps. Lily.

Hello Jerome from Brooklyn

Can you tell me, how often do you apply the ACV? Do you still apply it every evening? Did you still apply is every evening even after that initial application when your face was very inflamed & red? I have tried Permethrin cream from my dermotologist but it doesnt seem to be working. Like you I just want them gone! I do not have pustules or papules. I flush quite a bit, but mainly my face is inflamed all across my forehead & sides of face, bumps on my neck & chest. I want my old skin back. It's been 7 months, & some people have had it years! I agree that my diet wasn't great & I was going through quite a bit of emotional upheaval when it first started, classic case of low immune system I think. I have since ploughed everything I can into getting healthy, but still these little beggars survive! If you can tell me your routine I would be very greatful. I have some time off work coming up & I am willing to hide away until the redness subsides if need be! The tickling sensation is driving me crazy!

I just hope you are site checking this thread!

Marie

I am suffering from a major flare-up of rosacea on nose and chin for a week now (i ate cheese and bread, which I dont tolerate). Today I was thinking I dont want to go outside, I look horrible. At this very moment I have a cottonball with undiluted Apple Cider Vinegar on my nose as a compress. It hurts terrible, but I can literally see the rosacea just dissapear! I even woke up the kids to show them, its like a mirracle. The skin on my nose turned from purple to normal/white, just cant remember my skin looking normal so I keep looking in the mirror if this is reallly true lol

so thanks thanks thanks for your post!!

Thanks for your comments Jerome. You are a really funny guy!!! What an amazing story you tell. I do wish you well in your good health quest and with your skin issues. Best wishes.

Before I found this thread, I had read somewhere that Sea Buckthorn was the only known remedy for Rosacea. I doubt that is true, but I suddenly realized why my Aubrey's Organics Sea Buckthorn lotion seemed to be helping my hubby's rosacea. He continued to use it every day because his face also seemed very dry. I found Sea Buckthorn oil at the health food store and he used that too. It appears to be completely gone and was not at all a painful remedy. My understanding is that the mites burrow in and destroy the hair follicles and cause inflammation. So adding straight ACV would definitely be painful because the skin is already raw. Once while we were camping the only moisturizer I had brought had Ester C in it and it stung his skin terribly, probably for the same reason.

The article I read said that the mites may be responsible for thinning hair too. I have been trying to figure out how to use the oil for that, but this borax remedy seems like it would be easier.

For scalp rosacea, mix a few drops of seabuckthorn oil in jojoba oil and massage into scalp. Put on a plastic shower cap and sleep with it on. Wash hair in the morning.

Hi Ana,

Your story is very inspiring! I am glad you shared it with all of us. Just clarify something for me, what kind of ACV did you use? Did you use the unfiltered one with the "mother" or just plain clear ACV from the supermarket?

Also, your routine worked and cleared your rosacea in how much time after you first started using it?

I am hopeful that you may see my message and reply to me. Thanks, Sophia.

The ACV is wiping out the overgrowth of yeast in your system. I used to buy Monistat twice a month for it. Now, none at all.

Hi there,
For the last two days, I have been coming to this very interesting site. I believe to have rosacea, the red skin kind, with weird bumps that pop really easy, and afterwards stay red, dry skin etc. My right eyelashes fall out very easily, while my left eyelashes are beautiful and long. I am now 25, and I remember that I had a problem with my eyelids when I was just a girl. I can't really describe it, but there were crusts around the hairs coming out of my eyelids, and I kept pulling them off. It stopped on its own and never had it again, but it seems to fit the whole demodex story... What do you think? Another thing is that I am Dutch. I am very good at english, but I just don't understand the whole Borax thing. When I google it, it's something to make glass? I have no idea how to use this or where to find it in Holland.. Are there other Dutch speaking people here that can explain this remedie to me? I just had my first cup of ACV and am going to put some on the spots.

Greetings and love to Lisa from Rotterdam x "Borax" is what we in the UK call sodium bicarbonate, and also baking powder, which is also sodium bicarbonate. I get mine, (if its OK to to tell you )from a web site called "just a soap". Its very pure and doesn't have any nasty chemicals added to it. I hope this has been helpful to you, and every thread I reply to, is added to my prayers to ask our universal creator to give us the strength to over come our ailments. And by now he/she, must be thinking I'm trying to start the worlds biggest conga line!! ( HA! HA! ). May you be blest in your efforts to get well. And "every time you hear a bells ring, another angels got their wings" Stay safe, stay strong, and may you find the strength to carry on x With love Andrea c. X X X

Here in the US we have the sodium bicarbonate to which is "Baking Soda". However that is not the same thing as Sodium Tetraborate which the only thing I can find here is actually in the laundry isle of the grocery store called "20 Mule Team Borax"; http://www.20muleteamlaundry.com/ or you can get them in pellets made by Boiron http://www.boironusa.com/products/single/borax.php

which I found locally at a store "whole foods". I am sure baking soda is a good product but really want people to take full advantage of the product the site is recommending.

I completely agree. I am in my early 20s and I have mild rosacea along with some acne. For years in my teens I was using conventional face products like Oil of Olay and my skin was dry and of course acneic. I've read in a few places that when your skin is properly hydrated it is less susceptible to acne causing bacteria. My face was so bad a few months ago (inflamed, lots of minor acne scars, texture was very thick and I got those big under the surface pimples) that I actually considered going back to conventional makeup to hide my face. I swept up drug store samples of everything and went to Holts for the high end stuff. It looked awful on my face and my face was even worse. I was reacting to everything left and right. The natural moisturizers I'd been using just weren't cutting it. I did a lot of research and was just short of making my own, but I found that a few companies provided the perfect mix of actives with natural moisturizing factors to help me out. Also I could mix in my own actives to cater to my needs. I have used SkinActives since February, and this is not an advertisment for them. A few of their creams with the addition of niacinamide and white willow bark etc. have been AMAZING. Not only do they moisturize well (with water binding molecules and amazing antioxidant skin protection) I have seen an amazing reduction in acne, and facial redness. I love these moisturizers with facial oils and other serums on top.

This has not been the most amazing thing for my face by far though. I would say that manuka honey-from the first 30 minute topical treatment-I did with it, has shown by the fast the greatest improvement in my skin. I do not wash my face with anythiing else, though before this I was washing with my moisturizer and buttermilk powder. Honey is my new wash and mask. Another amazing mask is honey and seaweed powder. I feel as though in a couple of months I can go out without any makeup. I wear the tiniest amount of makeup since these amazing discoveries. Acne is viritually gone and scars are so light and my redness is faint, until the next time I get embarrassed. I use Sappho makeup which is a light-full coverage foundation, but I am going to be going to be adding Living Nature tinted foundation as I need viritually nothing these days. I hope this helps someone else, and may the experimenting for even greater ingredients continue. The Manuka honey I use is of a high MGO number.

I am totally confused I think about how best to treat my rosacea. I have started the baking soda washing soda plus the h2o2 drink twice a day on an empty stomach. I use the oil cleansing treatment castoroil/ olive oil to remove my make up at night and apply the h2o2 6% as it is the only 1 I can get here in Ireland. After half an hour I apply the borox soloutin and leave both on over night. I'm working towards my diet, this being the most difficult part especially eliminating wheat and dairy but I'm taking 1 at a time.. Is this a good procedure ted or can you advise me... I'm 52 and have been suffering with the facial condition for 21yrs. I have tried the anti-biotic road but as soon as I stop the condition flares up again. I'm desperate to try and cure myself so that I can enjoy my last years with good skin. My aim is to wear make up only if I chose not because I have to..

My sister in law had rosacea flare up after giving birth to my nephew. I read on EC to wash your face with a good dandruff shampoo.. Recommended she try it. She used a popular over the counter brand and it worked like a charm. Her face was a little dry at first but she cut back to doing the regimine twice a week. Her skin is back to normal.

My doctor says I have rosacea, although I do not have all of the flushing and sensitivities most people do, I do have some other symptoms. It is a theory that rosacea can be caused by a demodex mite. I've been using borax on my face for over a month now with little results, except my skin now has the texture of an orange peel and I get little bumps on the backs of both ears and just below my ears on my neck. I suspect this to be mites as when I put borax on these areas the bumps temporarily go away. However they reappear within a day or two. I think this is a mite issue and not some strange form of acne, but I'm beginning to wonder if it's something else and if it is then what? It has also spread to the jaw line and prior to the start of all of these symptoms I never had any acne type problems with my skin and certainly not on the jaw line. Also I have had the problems with the little bumps on my ears for a long period of time and some scalp problems (which have now disappeared) however my hair has been falling for several years it seems to be at an accelerated pace now too. If this is mites my dermatologist doesn't go with the theory of the demodex mites and rosacea point of view to begin with (I'm going my internet research). I'm feeling stuck - what kind of mite could I be dealing with (if it's a mite)? Why isn't the borax helping? If it isn't a mite problem, what is it??? I want my smooth skin back I've been dealing with this sudden battle for about 6 months now. I'm at wits end and every single thing the dermatologist has tried and I have tried on my own have not helped. It occasionally looks like I have a pimple here and there in all of this, the texture is visible as my skin is oily and the bumpiness of the skin looks like an orange peel only on a bit larger scale. My forehead doesn't seem to be affected much (yet) but the rest of my entire face and jawline is and I'm getting more and more self conscious by the day.

I have tried full strength tea tree oil, tea tree and lavender oil mixed, the borax/peroxide solution, just plain borax as a daily morning and night facial wash & scrub...I I've tried that then followed up with the tea tree oil, or tee tree/lavender oil mix. I've tried washing my face with lice shampoo and using the cream for scabies at my dermatologist suggestion, and everything my dermatologist has prescribed for rosacea and acne treatments (including sulfur products)and NOTHING is working or even helping. PLEASE if anyone can help I'd be forever grateful.

Did you try googling to find an image of your rash. I think it would be worthwhile spreading your search a bit further as doctors have been known to get their diagnoses wrong. There is a website called wrongdiagnosis.com, which may be of some help.

It just seems like you have tried most things that would work on rosacea or at least have seen some type of improvement. Good luck

Pat,

the minute i read your blog, i had to respond. My symptoms sounded exactly like yours...around the ears, jawline, and mine continued on my neck, forehead, and nose just recently. I have suffered since April 2010, with big red bumps, inflammation, smaller bumps, stinging, itching etc. I have been blessed all my life with perfect skin and this came along and has been totally distressing. I got medication from dermatologist but havent had much success. I am on antibiotics and antibiotic gel but they tell me i have to wait at least a month for any results. In the meantime, things were spreading and i had to do something.

Out of desperation one day i decided to put anti-bacterial hand gel all over my face. I immediately got relief and could see the bumps calm down. I then started a routine of swabbing my face with a cotton ball soaked with rubbing alcohol several x a day. It didnt completely go away but kept things at bay. It stings alot the first few times you do this but subsides the more you do it. It has stopped new bumps from spreading. My dermatologist was not happy with me but it was working for me. Came across this website and have been trying to figure out what will work for me. Thank God for Earthclinic! I have thought from the very beginning that i was dealing with "bugs". (mites).

I am now using 1 tsp of tumeric and drinking with glass of water 2x day. I felt inflammation go down within an hour first time i tried this. From reading things from this website, i decided to try the ACV route. i will drink a tsp ACV in glass of water 2x day. I alternate every other day with tumeric and ACV. I also use ACV 50/50water on my face after my alcohol routine. I have had an 80% improvement by doing this. I am continuing the antibiotic but i am not convinced this will do anything.

Another thing i tried and still use is (this will sound wierd), is Monistat cream. Yes, the stuff for vaginal yeast infections. It contains miconazole nitrate which is the ingredient in Metro gel that Dermatologist prescribe. My face becomes so much smoother and takes the inflammation away. I do this a few times a week once in the a.m. and once before bed ( but after my alcohol wash).

I am still dealing with this battlefield on my face but it is sooo much better than before. I continue to try more remedies from the readers here at Earthclinic. Last night i tried washing my face with a lice shampoo followed by swabbing with tea tree oil. My face is the best it has looked in about 4 wks. This might work for me. The bumps are barely noticeable! I will try this again and report my results.

Chinese medicine believes that if something is wrong in the stomach, it shows up on the face. I am hoping the tumeric and ACV take care of those issues. I am also taking vitamins daily...Vit A, D, C, l-Lysine, Fish oil, Fenugreek herb, and a Calc/magnesium/zinc combo.

Would love to try the Sebiprox shampoo that one reader mentioned. It is sold OTC in Europe but i believe you have to get a prescription in U.S. If its available in US without prescrip, can someone tell me where. Thanks.

This has been quite a journey dealing with this rosacea and i am grateful for this website and all of you who share. I will continue to read and share. Thank you Earthclinic!!!

Carmen,

Thank you for taking the time to respond to my plight. I am glad you are having some success with this awful rosacea plague.

I have tried several of the things you have mentioned, but have not tried them all. I have tried most of what is on this site without much success, but I won't got thru that whole list again. Of what you have mentioned this is what I have tried:

I did the MetroGel/MetroCream from the dermatologist without success and also tried the cream you use for athelets feet which is similar to the monostat but not exactly the same, I wonder if there would be a difference? What would be your idea on that?

I've been using the tea tree oil pretty faithfully without much luck - or it is holding things down from being much worse than they would be otherwise, just not what I'm hoping for maybe?

You mentioned I think Chinese medicine philosophy about problems coming from the gut - I take a really potent probiotic from my pharmacist and alternative? who has the same theory already - I've seen some improvement with this, but again it can only do so much too I'm afraid.

I've tried alcohol. It was very drying and seemed to have a rebound effect with more oil to my already oily skin, thus more white heads. I have not tried the antibacterial hand cleaner though - some of those have vitamin e or aloe, etc added as moisturizers which might help? The one you used, did it have anything like that in it? Do you still use it or do you just use the straight alcohol only now?

I tried taking tumeric twice a day for a couple of weeks. I didn't see any benefit to my skin :( I was really hopeful about it too. I did end up very constipated from it. Maybe I just took too much to get that effect... anyway, I did discover a good anti-diarrhea remedy! Please advise if i was doing something wrong, overdoing or whatever with the tumeric capsules.

I tried ACV topically - I couldn't see any benefit in doing it at all. Not even as a regular toner let alone as a remedy of sorts for the problem at hand.

I do take ACV 2-3 times a day orally though. I haven't seen any benefits to my face but I have seen other health benefits like being able to eliminate 3 other prescription medications.

I'm not sure where to go from here. i'm not sure if you have seen my other post(s) as well, but my hair is thining at an alarming rate as well, and I've tried many ofthe remedies here for that as well.

I do also take 3 Tbsp. of VCO a day for the last 2 months and it hasn't made a difference one way or the other with my face, but my dermatologist told me to go ahead and keep it up because it had other properties that might help long term (like we all didn't know that). It has helped with my cracked heels and I've lost a few pounds since beginning it and the ACV.

So... I'm feeling stuck and not sure where to go from here - my skin is awful and my hair is falling out - just wanna crawl under a rock and die some days. I know there has to be an answer out there somewhere... I just wish I could find it.

Thank you again for responding to my post. Maybe we can put our heads together yet. Please tell me what kind of antibacterial hand sanitizer you tried, I'm game for about anything right now.

The monostat may be helping, but miconazole is not the same as metronidazole which is in the metrogel. Miconazole is anti-fungal/anti-candida, while metronidazole is used to treat certain kinds of bacteria, usually things like amoeba and giardia when taken internally.

I don't know if this will help or not but my husband has had a rash like you're talking about and has been to two dermatolgists and gotten nowhere plus we have tried every home remedy we could think of. Now he is working with a homeopathic Dr. She has him on a healthy diet (a good fish oil, an antioxidant, vit B..and no coffee) She said juicing would help build up his system too and we do that when we can. The thing that seems to be helping is the homeopathic remedy Rhus Toxicodendron 30C(Rhus Tox for short) . You can get it on-line or most health food stores. It's very cheap. The way he takes it is to mix two or three pellets with four ounces of water. Then you shake it to disolve the pellets. Before you take a dose, you shake the bottle about ten times on the palm of your hand. Take one teaspoon. Be sure not to touch the pellets with your fingers and don't eat anything fifteen minutes before you take it or fifteen minutes after you take it. Take it for about five days and then wait and see how things are going. This seems to have quieted things down for him. The inflamation on his cheeks has gone down and he's able to sleep at night. He has been miserable with this stuff. It was on his forehead, eyelids, cheeks, nose, ears, neck and then traveled to his sides. You can google Rhus Tox or get more information from a homeopathic Dr. I'm crossing me fingers that this will continue to help my husband because it has made his life miserable. Good luck to you.

I wouldn't really call this a rash. It's not red and it doesn't itch. It's bumpy. It looks like acne and blackheads but it doesn't respond to any treatments - not sure how to explain it, other than frustrating and it doesn't look like a rash.

i have found that sea buckthorn seem to clear rosacea when applied from a natural product in about 2 wks.

okay, i did some research and have found that Metronidazole, which is in Metrogel and miconazole nitrate, which is in Monostat are both found in the Imidazole class of antibacterial agents and classified as antiprotozoal and antibacterial agent.

Quoted from Wikipedia..."Miconazole can be used against certain species of Leishmania protozoa (a type of unicellular parasite). Miconazole is found in Monostat to fight yeast infections and it is also found in products for atheletes foot and jock itch.

i read on one of these postings, that someone was told Rosacea is caused by Leishmania. Now as i research, i come across this Leishmania word again. Hmmmm?!

I am having some much better days by using this for 3 consecutive days now. I am going to experiment and continue this routine for the rest of the week and see if i continue to get results. If it works, i'll post it. And Monostat is OTC, no expensive prescription.

I am determined to get rid of this *&%$. And thanks Janice for the info on the Rhus Tox. Gonna look into this. Please let us know if your husband continues to improve. I understand how miserable he has been. I have been so distraught with this mess on my face.

I have asked for seabuckthorn in an oil from the local herbal store and they don't have it. I looked for it on the swansons website and all they have is a cleanser and a moisturizing cream. I've thought about ordering from the cleanser. Do you think that would be a good form? i don't have a good cleanser right now. I've been trying straight borax and it is a gritty mess and I don't seem to be making progress. I have very oily skin so I'm not sure if it would be counterproductive to try the cream or not. Or should I keep looking around for the oil? I guess it wouldn't hurt to order the cleanser... heck, I've tried everything else! Do you think it would be enough or should I pursue an oil or something else as well? Thanks for the idea.

Hi, just responding to the Seabuckthorn Q. I have numerous products w/ seabuckthorn in them. My facial and body soap from Aubrey Organics plus their Seabuckthorn & Cucumber mask is the bomb! The soap keeps my oily skin at bay which is what feeds the demodex mites to my understanding and the hard bumps that weren't acne all over my forehead subsided greatly when I used the soap and mask together. I also use a clay mask for Sensitive Skin. Works all together great. HTH!

I have also found sea buckthorn helpful in reducing acne rosacea. I'm using natural seabuckthorn powder from Finland, 1 tblsp a day. It's available online in Canada and US. Just google for the website. It definitely reduced the oiliness and bumps for me. Seabuckthorn has numerous other benefits as well.

Hello All,

I have read every word in my search to irradicate this horror I am living with. From the looks of it, it seems to be an epidemic of this thing called Rosacea.

I have tried it all and have found some results with two things so far, actually three, but let me give some back ground first.

I paid lots of money for a pure breed english bulldog only to find out she had demodex mange!! ?? The vet wanted to poison here with evermectin (hope I spelled that right) which can be deadly and frankly the vets are as clueless as the reg. MD's in most cases.

I found this product online:

http://www.nustock.com/

I ordered it and rubbed the dog down in the stuff which is essentially sulfur and pine oil. It smells like a doctors office that has been stink bombed with sulfur. This stuff totally knocked the mites in only one treatment!

Sadly though, since the dog sleeps with me, I soon developed the same red hard painful bumps on my face and in my scalp. Eventually, the bumps will come to a head and I have lost 1/2 my hair so far. I did not put two and two together!

The doc called it roasacea and gave me expensive stuff that did nothing. I have noticed that this stuff is more active at night if it is the mites and it lives in your nose and sinuses which will develope into a post nasal drip. The itching around and in the nose at night was unbearable. I could feel it crawling in and around my nose, it felt like creepy spider webs.

Still unaware it was the mite, I used vinegar on my face at night and then used vicks vaorub, I put it in both nostrils and on my cheecks and nose. When I get past the watering eye's this stuff stopped the critters cold in their tracks. I started using it under my makeup and it also knoocked the red lumps and itching but my scalp was still on fire and my hair falling out.

P.S. If you have toe nail fungus, white vinegar followed by vaporub and it will be gone pdq.

So, now I am fired up. I get on the web and put demodex mites with rosacea and OMG, why didn't I figure this out before now?

I still had a wee bit of the nustock yellow sulphur stuff from hell left over and I applied it to my swollen battered face and strait away my skin came alive with things screaming to get away from this salve. I suffered no burning or pain in any way from the product, I left it on all nite and for two whole weeks my skin was beautiful. I didn't have enough for my scalp and I have now placed my order for a new tube.

Should you be brave enough to try this, you will need to leave it on all nite minimum and if you can leave it on for a couple of days, like over the week end, I think you will be mite free. Be sure you treat your eye brows, these mites love to eat your brows. Do not get it in your eyes or nose though.

Also important: This stuff will stain and or ruin your sheets clothes etc, et all that it comes in contact with. Get ready to throw it all out after you have decided to wash it off.

Hope this helps, we must think outside the box cause the medical community couldn't care less about this scourge called rosacea.

I too have Rosacea, I have had it for about 9 years now. Anyway, I have only used Metrogel. Before now that is all I would ever need. For the past 2 years in addition to the flushed look, I started getting the "acne" look too. The spots were dry and you could pick them off, unlike acne. BUT my biggest problem is the itching. I have noticed, if I sleep for a long time that the bumps and itching are worse. I have also noticed I only itch when I have the bumps.

I can't use creams on my face because it does cause acne and makes my face oil. My complexion on a general basis is normal. I am 44 years old and as a teen I had maybe 20 pimple on my face during the entire teen years, acne was not a problem for me, so now, my face has more of an acne appearance that what it looked as a teenager.

So has anyone else encountered the itchiness? I do not believe that rosacea comes from mites as it is only on the face, no other part of the body, I believe mites would be on any part of the skin, not just the face.

I was thinking about trying the Zinc Oxide, but lost on what to for the itchiness since I can't use creams on my face.

Thanks

Hi Roseyg,

Did you read about borax and what it CAN do? Have you read what Ted and Bill have to say about borax and its properties? I have learned so much from this site and love to pass on what I have learned to others here on EC. Honestly, I don't think anyone comes on here knowingly giving ill-intentioned advice. At least that has been my experience. There are a lot of remedies on this site that are little known today and the medical field and much of the mainstream either don't know, hide or the info has been lost through time. Many of us here are open to learning about alternative ways and much of the info here are on EC are folk remedies that have been lost because of the pharmaceutical way of life that most people assume is the only way to go. I for one, would not have known of the amazing properties of borax and would have made the same assumption as you had I not learned otherwise here on EC.

That said, I hope that everyone just uses common sense when trying new remedies.
Peace, Lisa

My understanding of a staurated solution is that there should be just enough HP to make the borax disappear. Try putting 1/4 tsp borax to a tsp hp and swish around. If the borax is still obvious add 1/4 - 1/2 tsp hp until you can't see the borax. If this doesn,t cover the area you want to use it on add more of each. After a while you won't even need to measure it. I used it at night only so that it wasn't noticable at work and washed it off in the shower in the morning. At the end of my treatment my skin wasn't any drier. Use an old pillowcase as it will discolor them.

A saturated solution is a solution that is fully saturated, like water and Borax, so that the water can absorb no more Borax. I make it by putting borax into a mixing cup and adding hot water, and stirring. Keep stirring occasionally until cooled off. Let sit until the liquid is pretty clear. There will be some Borax that is not absorbed into the water and that means that the water is fully saturated with Borax. If there is no residue, add some more Borax and keep stirring. Drain off the clear liquid into a squeeze bottle which makes application easier. You can reuse the sediment left over to make a new batch.

We use it on scalp for dandruff, face and arms for skin problems and feet and heels for smooth skin and to prevent cracking, applying it before showering, letting on for a few minutes, then showering. We also apply on problem skin during the day and just let it dry.

These skin problems, we have finally realized, are primarily caused by fungus, maybe some other critters as well. The Borax is very effective. Add some HP if desired.

I'm interested in the effects of using turmeric for my skin problems. I have adult rosacea type acne and melesma. The acne seems to be the worst. I am fair skined so a topical use would make me yellow for sure. I bought some capsules but I'm not sure how many to take and how often I should take them to have any effect on my skin and I'm also wondering how long it might be before I might see any results - especially for the acne. Thank You.

I have read that people with low stomach acids develop rosacea.

Can you suggest the strength or type of colloidal silver that you used? I know we aren't allowed to mention brand names, but there are many kinds on the market, so a little guidance would be very much appreciated. Thank you.

Hi all, and thanks for this amazing site. I am wondering what experience anyone would be willing to share about using manuka honey or grapefruit seed extract topically on rosacea or perioral dermatitis. I've never used either one, but am intrigued by the feedback readers have given for other conditions.

Would the honey "feed" the mites rather than kill them, or is the antimicrobial factor stronger than the sugar in honey?

Does the GSE work, and how precisely would one dilute/apply it?

Many thanks for taking the time to write!

I had a rosacea outbreak and I have tried a few things. For the red dry skin hydrating seems to be what works best. Moisturizer or baby zinc cream.

The pimples were challenging. The skin affected is a mass of pimples. I tried honey, urine. No real difference. Medication didn't do anything. I have just started applying my mineral salt stick which I use as a deodorant. This seems to be working. Skin texture seems to be improving and pimples drying and healing.

Hello Ted,

I am using the borax/peroxide remedie for my rosacea skin (I heard baking soda and peroxide works wonders too). But I am afraid it will harm my skin on the long run or worse, it will be unhealthy on the long run?

I also get a headache systematically after the lemon baking soda remedy. What can be the cause of that?

Thank you very much.
Janice

Have suffered from Rosacea for over a decade. Anitbiotics and prescription acne creams didn't work. I discovered Tea Tree Oil on this site. I have been using it for approx one week. I mix it with a cleansing cream, NOT cold cream. I put one part (I started with teaspoonfulls)of TTO with 7 parts cleansing cream. This gave me approx 12 or 13 % solution. I use this to wash my face twice daily. This stuff is powerful, I let it sit on my skin for a couple of minutes the first time I used it and it did irritate. I have extremely sensitive skin. Now I don't let it sit on my skin and I also make sure to use a light a touch as possible when washing, using warm water only. I found the TTO at a local health food/farmer's market. It was only about $7 USD for a 1/2 oz bottle. So far, it seems to have somewhat abated the redness and acne. Not a cure, but definately an improvement. I also use a repair cream that I bought at the drug store. The combination of the two seems to help somewhat. There is still some redness but I no longer look like a tick ready to pop. After the anti redness lotions has dried, I do apply a good quality moisturizer. I've been drinking a tablespoon full of apple cider vinager two to three times daily and taking fish oil pills two to three times daily. The ACV actually calms my stomach. I hope this helps someone as I know how painful (physically and emotionally) rosacea can be.

Hi Denvert,

I have controlled redness of rosacea considerably with a dilute solution of cider vinegar- I had to experiment with strength 50/50 Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) filtered water- as I have sensitive skin. I dab my face with ACV solution after cleasing with sensitive skin cleanser- after the ACV dries I then follow this with yogurt face mask- just dab live youghurt on and leave it about half an hour. I have been amazed at the way this maintains a redction in redness. I also ocassionally use lavender oil or Tea Tree. Look also on this site for Ted's remedy for rosacea- hope this helps.

Hi Gaynor, Thanks for the comments. How did you use the lavendar oil? Straight out of the bottle or was it diluted with something? After I have applied the redness reducing cream, I apply a good quality facial cream and then take a cotton swab dipped in TTO and apply (lightly) to any red spots that appear. It seems to work well since, as I mentioned earlier, I have the most sensative skin immaginable. Also how often do you apply the yogurt? I don't really have an extra half hour in the morning. Will try during the evening and let you know. Thanks again.

Hi Denver-t,

I also have very sensitive skin. I use the lavender straight from bottle lightly applying this to affected area- when I feel a breakout of spots coming on. I started using the yogurt every day and now I use this two or three times a week as there has been considerable reduction in redness and spots- it is now confined to one place on one side of my face I hope to clear it completly. I still use a weak solution of borax and H202 one or twice a week. Best of luck

Camomille tea, rubbing alcohol and Tea Tree oil cured my rosacea

About four months ago I had my first bout of rosacea. I had a few episodes of redness that lasted a few minutes on my face and tips of my ears before but until a few months ago it always went away on it 's own. My first bout was pretty bad as it was mainly my chin that was red and stayed red. I used make up during the day to cover it and that worked. At night I would tone it after washing with cold camomille tea and tea tree oil. This did lessen the burning feeling and the redness a bit but not by much.

My rosaacea, three months later, is now at the point almost completely gone. Here is what I have been doing. I noticed a dramatic change right away and hopefully this will work for you as well.

1. Every night, after washing my face I apply a homemade toning solution made of 1 cup cammomille tea, 1/2 cup rubbbing alcohol and about 10-15 drops of tea tree oil. I apply it with a make-up sponge, completely covering the red areas twice. I leave it on overnight. After a week of this, the redness was reduced by at least 80%. I'm still a bit pink and have flushing but nothing out of the ordinary and the flushing subsides. My skin is also super smooth, blemish free and very soft now, a bonus!

2. I stopped eating soy sauce and vinegar as I always would get redness after eating food with these ingredients.

3. I ate alot of root vegetables, citrus fruit and bananas, foods high is potassium and vitamin C. I gained five pounds but my rosacea did really noticably reduce. I plan of losing the weight and hopefully my rosacea will not return as well.

4. Other things I did that I don't normally do is I ate alot of spicy foods once (vegan Kimchee), and applied a commonly prescribed rosacea cream three times. The cream felt funny and has perservatives so I stopped. I don't know if this had an affect but it may have helped. Spicy foods is supposed to aggravate rosacea but it seemed to have the opposite affect for me.

So far this regime has had a dramatic affect on my rosacea. I will update you in a few months and let you know if this is just a temporary solution or if for me it's a real cure.

This unfortunately wasn't a cure for my rosaecea. It is still present and flares up. This toning solution which I still use does cool it and temporarily reduces the heat and redness. I am still looking for a more permanent solution but this works fine for me still. I have also started to exercise aerobically three times a week. My face is a lot redder but feels less hot. I will keep it up and see what results. I also use Metrogel now occasionally.

I still eat no yeast, sugar, alcohol, salt, soy sauce or vinegar which I am sure helps.The funny thing is the few times recently I've eaten hot peppers my rosacea redness really diminshed to the point my skin looked like normal again.Only temporary as well but it was nice to see myself looking like normal again.

My rosacea is strange. I have a red chin with occasional flushing of my nose and cheek. It comes and goes but the redness on my chin is almost permaneent and requires makeup to cover.

I will keep trying and searching for a cure. Maybe lasers in the future. I will keep you posted.

My rosacea has toned down considerably. I use Metro cream now occasionally whenever it gets really bad. It was only on my chin and really red and noticible. That problem has stopped. Now it is more of a drying out and peeling of my skin and rash like redness on my cheeks with pimple like bumps. I use the Metro cream to combat that (it works really well) and still use these methods of treatment. My rosacea now is nothing really to worry about, sometimes barely there and easily covered with makeup, so this is a managable working cure for me.

Better But With Side Effects

Rosacea - Ted's Remedies

I had a post here earlier on how Hydrogen Peroxide (HP), tea tree oil and drinking baking soda worked for me. It did and then i stopped drinking the baking soda (instead i drank Apple Cider Vinegar) and then stopped washing my face with HP. after i stupidly changed my routine my rosacea came back with a vengeance right when the temperature dropped!

so that's my fault. before i used to wash my face with diluted tea tree and HP (i just eyeball the measurements... maybe 1 tsp tea tree and 2 or more table spoons of HP in 10 cups of water) and then stopped.

after that huge breakout, i tried Ted's remedy of saturated borax, HP, drinking borax and baking soda. over the weekend it was horrible. its now thursday and my skin is again normal! it would have cleared up earlier also i think since the first few batches i did of saturated borax i put toooooo much HP which burned my skin!! and i think by monday/tuesday the redness might have been more because of the burn. i wish someone had mentioned not to put too much HP (i tend to overdose i suppose) lol. but yes, the remedy worked. if its in the correct prescribed measurements, the borax does not sting at all. my bed is just real sandy now since i slept with the borax on my face.

my plan now is to keep putting it on at night, drink HP. I also drink ACV for my insomnia and general health.

Hi Miel. I did the same thing. I used borax and hydrogen peroxide in my bath water. I stayed in the tub too long and burned my skin. It took a while to heal, but I learned a valuable lesson. It's better to use the correct portions than to use too much and cause yourself harm.

Go after your total health first."

I think this is wise advice, Robert. I am beginning to think that rosacea is a symptom of sub-par health. Consequently, when one's health improves, so should one's rosacea. When i refer to health, i mean internal health. That said, i think it is still advantageous to apply gels/creams/ointments to one's face. A lot of evidence points to the cause of rosacea as a deficiency of vitamin b2 (riboflavin) and sulfur (MSM), two things which i have been supplementing my diet with as of late. While the literature suggests that these are not an immediate cure, they seem to work overtime and tackle the root of the problem, which should be the goal, that is, eliminating the cause.

Another thing which i suspect may provoke rosacea is mercury amalgams, as they could release too much mercury into one's body. I have not read too much from people in terms of whether removing mercury amalgams had any positive impact on their rosacea, though i am very interested in finding out.

Hello All,

Thought you might be interested in alternative Dr. Jonathan Wright's theory that when you develop a skin problem, look to your gut (gastrointestinal tract). When you also look at the opinion that 75% or more of our immune system's work is done in the intestines, this could very well be right. Also all the EC'ers who report that taking ACV relieves acid regurg or GERD, adds to this, because his theory is that acid regurg is caused not by an excess of hydrocholoric acid but to a deficiency of it.

I also remember reading that the purpose of our pets licking their wounds is that the passage of the pathogens through their GI tracts is what forms the antibodies against the pathogens, which would seem to enforce the theory of much of the immune system function is performed in our intestines.

Hi Joyce. I would be very interested in reading Dr. Johnathan article on GUT FLORA...I googled and serveral articles came up. I was wondering if you have a link or a source.

I kinda know, like to take probotics and digestive enzymes, but would love to read the article you are refering to.

This is a first, as for me hearing about Dr. Johnathan Wright, I also have been watching Dr. Richard Becker on TV and find his show informative and I know you have mentioned Dr. Linus Pauling. I searced for Dr. Pauling and came to a website, and I think they wanted you to join or something sign up maybe...I perfer to just click on, like we do here and read...

Thanks in advanced, Joyce!

Hello Robert Henry... I know what you mean about different approaches that different healers have, for instance I see alot on here about SOY and SOY LETHICIN and I have found several articles other places that condem the use of SOY PRODUCTS... It seems that Natural healers agree to disagree on many things. I know Dr Andrew W. Saul recomends very high doses of Niacin for depression, not Nicimade and I have read that Niacin is absolutly terriable for the liver. I know you, yourself have said you eat know animal organs and Ted and Robert Von Sarbacher recommend Beef Liver for certain things....It does get confusing at times. Always something different from different healers.

hi tahiti! definitely! that incorrect mixture was so painful on my face and i thought that was normal. i was almost in tears. absolutely my fault and not Ted!

update on my skin - skin is all clear of rosacea! its unbelievable how i did not discover this last winter. my rosacea typically occurs during winter. i stopped using the borax for the moment but i'm thinking of doing it every other day.

Hello All, I realize I'm very late to respond to this thread, but as I was reading here, something occurred to me. If dogs gain immunity by ingesting bacteria, if you can gain immunity to allergens by eating local honey, and babies acquire immunity by drinking mother's milk, do you think one could gain immunity to Rosacea by swallowing small, skin scrapings from their infected area?

I've also been reading up on mites a bit and have learned that like most creatures they love the quick energy that sugar provides. I'm going to try making a sugar, borax and water solution as a mask on my face to see if they will come running for the sugar and eat the borax in the process. Same idea as killing ants and spiders with a bowl of sugar and borax... Just on your face. I know both ideas are kind of gross, but I'm going to try them. I'll check back and let you know how it goes.

Wow Amanda. Thanks for your astoundingly thorough exposition! I am way too lazy for all that but I have learned from it.... and will be encorporating some of it. Sometimes I think the treatment that works is the one we believe in with all our hearts or feel that has been sent to us. Gotta keep an open mind. Thanks again.

I have tried many things for the rosacea on my nose. It was getting to the point where I was thinking WC Fields every time I looked in the mirror. While treating my toes with fungi cure I thought why not, so I started paining it on my nose morning and night for 2 weeks. The first night I put it on my nose I noticed that my hairline and my eyebrows started to get itchy right away. I suspect I sent the little bugs scattering on my face. Its now cleared up and I follow up with tea tree oil at bedtime and every time it gets itchy. I put the tea tree on my eyebrows and scalp line and ears as well. Now 6 weeks later and I can see the faint scar that was not visible after the break out. No more WC fields when I look in the mirror, what a relief. I have my old or new nose back.

WARNING

When I was panting the underside of my nose the bristles flicked upwards splashing a tiny bit in my eye and it really burned. Be very careful around your eyes.

Good luck to all.

Can you provide more details about the herbs you are taking so that readers may be able to replicate your success?

Hi Neena, it's great to hear that you found something that worked very well for you. Being in Chicago myself, I would be very interested in hearing more information about the practitioner that you went to and how I could set up an appointment.

Thanks, Jordan

This is for Neena from Chicago.

I live in Chicago too and have been looking for an alternative way of curing my Rosacea. I'm tired of all the medications, both internal and topical, that I've taken and that have little or no affect on my condition. Could you possibly provide me with the name of the TCM practioner that you saw in Chicago? Or provide the name of the specific area where he/she is located?

This is an update to my post of 2/24/11.

After making many phone calls and verifying credentials of TCM practioners, I made an appointment.

First Practioner:
It's been three weeks since I started taking herbs for my Rosacea and the results were mediocre. I originally started with a TCM practioner located on the northside of Chicago, who gave me herbs combined with accupuncture. The first three weeks I did see some improvement (pustules were almost non-existent) but redness and papules remained. However, I did notice that when I received the second accupuncture treatment, the paplues were reduced in size, if not almost gone, and the redness still remained. On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the highest recommendation), I would rate this TCM practioner a 5).

Second Practioner:
I decided to see another TCM practioner that was closer to where I lived. After this second TCM practioner reviewed my health profile, checked my pulse, checked my tongue for color, checked my palms and nails, and asked me about any other ailments I had, I was given several herbs to injest. Within the first week, the redness was diminishing, pustules were almost absent, and just a few minor papules. By the third week, the redness on the left side of my face was just a blush of red, pustules are gone and a few smaller bumps. Needless to say, the herbs are working.

While my Rosacea has not totally disappeared, I can finally go outside without trying to hide my face. I still use makeup to hide the residual effects of Rosacea, which makes my face look normal. I would strongly recommend that you see a TCM practioner, rather than trying to take herbs on your own.

I think it's important to understand that while the herbs are working, you won't see changes over night, especially if your Rosacea is sever like mine is/was. Here is the website link to TCM practioner in Chicago http://www.liferising.com, 2131 S. Archer Ave. Suite B, Chicago IL, 312-842-2775.

Good Luck!