Before                   After

I'm not sure where to start, really, but having been through what I have in the past year I felt I just wanted to share my story and possibly help others to understand that rosacea is not the end of the world! Believe me, that isn't what I thought after I'd gone through the denial period and then faced the reality of this horrible condition - I'd got so far as to investigate euthanasia; no one can understand the misery of having it if they don't suffer with it.

At the age of 49 I'd never even had a spot on my face and took my skin for granted. I woke up one day with a spot on my right cheek, which I first thought was an insect bite. When I went to the bathroom to get ready for work I noticed a spot with a whitehead on the left side of my nose - weird as I didn't get spots! I tracked my progress in my diary over the next few weeks; the spots continued to gain in momentum and a visit to the chemist, at first, and then repeated visits to my local GP surgery and the emergency clinic at the local hospital for new treatments didn't seem to be improving the condition, and I wasn't confident that the correct diagnosis had been made - otherwise the treatments would be working. Finally, after two courses of antibiotics, I got a private referral to a Consultant Dermatologist. I was (and am again now!) a confident, bubbly personality but at this point in time I couldn't have been any lower in spirit - my face was spotty, sore, crawling and tingly - although I never had any of the flushing symptoms commonly associated with rosacea. My Dermatologist told me almost immediately that I had rosacea and would be on antibiotics for the rest of my life. I was utterly devastated! I had convinced myself that it must be something else and I wasn't prepared for what I heard. I left the hospital in floods of tears and became a recluse for several weeks. I had no choice at that time, as I didn't know any better, so started the new course of antibiotics prescribed and the spots did start to disappear quite quickly. The thing is, I knew that antibiotics are only good for as long as the bacteria doesn't resist them, but it was only a question of time.

When I finally accepted the diagnosis, I knew that I couldn't spend the rest of my life on antibiotics and so I started to do some researching on the internet. Hours and hours ...... I came across a treatment called Intense Pulsed Light - why hadn't any of the professionals told me about this? This was the only potentially positive treatment I could find and I was determined to investigate further; I read some patient testimonials on various websites and knew it was for me. The next day I made an appointment at a well known London clinic, almost as an afterthought, I made a secondary appointment at The Pulsed Light Clinic - just in case. I was excited several days later as I sat on the train into London, I'd hardly slept a wink the night before. But I left the first appointment in an extreme state of distress and I remember calling my mum and told her there wasn't anything they could do for me as they said I had no spots and it didn't look like I had rosacea and that I would have to come off antibiotics for two weeks and then go back when they could reassess me. How could I exist for two weeks without antibiotics - the full horror of the condition came flooding back. Mum and dad, as always, were extremely supportive and told me not to give up hope and to keep my second appointment at The Pulsed Light Clinic. I felt sick - what if they couldn't help either?

I arrived for my appointment in an emotional state and was given a very informal, warm greeting by Sheila MacLean. We chatted about what I'd been through and then she examined my face through a light magnifier and confirmed the bad news - chronic rosacea! But receiving the confirmation from Sheila was different - she empathised with me totally and I felt she was the first person to truly understand the affect this condition had on me. She told me she could help me and I believed her without having to work at convincing myself that she was on my side.

We booked my six sessions initially, which Sheila felt should do the trick. I had to stop my antibiotics two days before my first treatment and, even after my first treatment, I had no more spots or crawling or tingling. Sheila and IPL were my saviour! Sheila is well qualified in this treatment and I'm so glad I found her; I would never go anywhere else for this treatment and couldn't recommend The Pulsed Light Clinic highly enough.

Not only did I receive the IPL treatments, but Sheila also explained to me about some of the things I needed to do to help myself manage the condition. This condition never goes away but you can manage it with some self control in terms of lifestyle. Sheila had suggested I have some allergy testing or see a nutritionist. I made an appointment and had the allergy testing and ... what wasn't I allergic to? I think the allergic reactions from the testing were enhanced by a viral infection at the beginning of December. Anyway, some of the allergies it seems are those which rosacea doesn't like - dairy, alcohol etc. So, in a way, that made it easier for me to change my diet. I'm very determined, always have been, and this was something I knew I could do if I didn't want to live with rosacea symptoms. Sheila supported me all the way and was always available to talk to me if I called for reassurance.

So, now I have a much healthier diet and also take supplements - I even miss the apple cider vinegar if I don't take it each day. I have been on a huge learning curve and now feel empowered. I know I can have a glass of wine occasionally but not all the time - and I don't want it so much anymore, I want to be healthy.

I am an allergic person and have suffered with eczema for about the past 7 years. Seeing the homeopathist for my allergy testing also gave me an opportunity to address my eczema, so I'm now also on a homeopathic regime and will combat this condition too.