Treatment of Rosacea - issues with Mirvaso

Skin, nail and hair health
1

Hello everyone

Had a quick search through the forum and saw a few helpful comments about Rosacea, but I wanted to also seek advise specifically for my current situation and find out if anyone else has experienced similar.

I'm male, late 20s, and have always tried to take care of my skin, probably more than most I'd say. Always had reasonable skin, the odd spots or dryness etc but nothing major. Then a couple of years ago I started occasionally getting redness on my nose. Itchy, sore and awful to look at - but I never had it diagnosed as Rosacea as I was always clear when I happened to go to the doc. That's the thing, it can sometimes not flare up for months and months, my skin can be perfect and then half a year down the line, from nowhere, it explodes in this awful redness.

Anyway, after trying loads of different creams and moisturisers and getting nowhere, with my GP not being enoguh help (to be fair I appreciate they aren't a skin specialist so can be limited in what they can do) I paid a lot of money to see a dermatologist privately. I brought photos as I didn't have a flare up at the time and he quickly diagnosed it as Rosacea and prescribed Mirvaso - which I'd never heard of.

Anyway, I got the stuff (pretty expensive I may add) and didn't use it until about a month ago, as I'd been all clear. It certainly seemed to work, clearing up redness on my nose very quickly. I only used a tiny bit of it on occasion initially and it was working OK. I did notice however that there seemed to be unusually white patches on my nose after using, like the opposite of Roscea but almost unnatural looking. Then small blotches appeared. I persisted and last week I used it a bit more as a flare up was on the cards. Again, it seemed to do the job but suddenly within a day or so my nose has turned completely.

Now every few hours it turns totally red, not sore or itchy like Rosacea but still awful looking and 100 times worse than I'd ever experienced before. As soon as I'm out in the cold a bit it turns red and can stay that way for hours, but when it does change back it's bizarre, like it changs in 15-20 minutes from all red to regular. 

I've now stopped using the Mirvaso for a good 5 days, but my nose won't stop fluctuating between bright red and normal 3 or 4 times a day. It looks horrendous and it's driving me mad - not to mention affecting my work (it flared up moments before a meeting today) and my personal life (don't want to leave the house).

Is there any solution that can stop this? Has anyone else experienced this with Mirvaso? I wanted to try to use nothing at all on my face for a bit but I have found that using a regular moisturiser does seem to speed up the return to normal colour on my nose. 

Just feel so disheartened that I've been frustrated by this for years (granted it may only affect me intermittently, but it doesn't make it any less awful when it happened) and just when I thought I'd found somethine to clear it up when it occurs I've actually made it far worse than before.

Help! sad

2

Hi Id 1986 - i dont think youre the first one to have unusual experiences with Mirvaso . It works as a vaso constrictor..in other words it constricts the blood vessels lessening the look of redness but in some cases it may be temporary and the redness comes back with avengeance. did your dermatologist suggest anyhting else....in the clinical trials with mirvaso before it was released to the public it did highlight that there may be rebound flushing...ie the redness comes back and may be worse....bt id imagine its only temporary and when you stop using mirvaso for a while it should stop.....did your dermatologist suggest any other creams  - a good sunblock with zinc oxide in it might help..they usually look a bit white but then that helps camoflage the redness in any case....hope this helps...i am creating a website  - should be ready end december and it will have tips and hints for rosacea..

3

Thanks for your reply fin1. Unfortunately the dermatologist recommended nothing else. To be honest I'm not too happy at what I received for my money. £100 for a consultation and he literally gave me 5 minutes, looked at the photos I had on my phone and wrote me a prescription for Mirvaso. The gel itself then cost me £65 (I think I could've got it cheaper online but preferred to get my pharmacy to order it). 

I'm definitely going to stop using it but it leaves me with the problem of what to use if my Rosacea flares up again. As mentioned I don't get it all the time so I was looking for a solution to use as treament when it happens, rather than all the time. 

I'll be interested to see your website. I'm also looking for ways to ensure my diet and general skincare help avoid any flare up. I know I may not be able to stop it altogether but if I can find out what sort of face washes, creams and foods may help prevent it as best I can then I'd be willing to be pro-active.

I'm very conscious that although my Rosacea problems are reasonably minimal at the moment they could get worse as I get older and I'm keen to avoid that. 

Thanks again for your advice. 

4

Hello ID1986

I have suffered with Rosacea in the form of a red nose with spots for between 15 to 20 years, Over the years I have tried many treatments including antibiotics (doxycyclone), creams (metrosa & azelaic acid, and other things like special soaps and powders, and more recently Mervaso.

My experience has shown that doxyclcline (antibiotic tablets) is still one of the best solutions as it clears up the spots and reduces redness. It's not a perfect solution, and triggers such as alcohol, spicy food etc, and most of all stress all have an adverse effect, but it is where you start from that seems to be important. If your nose is red already and it gets worse, it just glows.

The increasing reluctance to prescribe antibiotics long term has led to me searching for and using the many alternatives over the years.

One of the most important things in my case is to keep clear of any chemical triggers such as perfumed soaps. Even a bit of soapy water from shampoo running down my face will result in a flare up that lasts for days. I now only use perfume free products such as Simple Soap.

Metrosa is fairly good at reducing spots but it leaves a shiny finish which does nothing to disguise the redness. I have started to have more success with Azeliac acid which reduces the amount of spots eventually (took three weeks or so for it to clear up the spots) and reduces the redness. It has a matt finish so takes off the red glow (but stings a little at first).

Mervaso is the newest treatment I have tried. It has an almost immediate effect, and within 30 minutes the redness starts to disappear except from any area where there is a spot. I think the blood vessels start to contract just under the skin but any spot that is already filled with blood remains red. This can give a slightly blotchy effect (but much better than a red glow) A really good appearance is obtained if there are no spots at the time. BUT it does wear off. In my case after between 8 to 12 hours. The redness returns, and seems as bad if not a little worse than before, but this soon goes back to where it was before. I have used the Mervaso on numerous occasions for over a month,  and am sure that I have had no deterioration in my condition because of it.

I have now settled on a regime of Azelaic acid every day and when redness becomes an issue, I apply the Mervaso.

You can get all of the medications mentioned on prescription from your doctor, but they will be reluctant to prescribe Mervaso (because of the cost to them-about £30) and doxycyline as they only tend to prescribe this for more severe cases. They will probably want to start you on Metrosa or Azelaic acid. I would give these a try and reserve the Mervaso for severe outbreaks.

Just one last thing. You seem to notice the redness yourself more than others, so don't get too worked up about it.

Good luck with your search to find the best solution for yourself. As you will gather from reading about rosacea, everyone has different experiences and reactions. It's just a matter of finding what suits you best.

Regards

 

5

Thanks for your response Peter, I appreciate it.

I may try to see if my doctor will prescribe Azelaic acid and see how I get on with that. I assume it's a prescription only product?

I'd also like to know if there are any particular products I should maybe purchase for washing my face in the shower/at night and also as a moisturiser through the day. I like to use some kind of facewash in the morning and then at least clean myt face at night before bed, as well as use moisturiser maybe a couple of times a day.

Are there any particular products you or others would recommend?

Thanks again. 

6

Hello,

I use "Simple face wash gel", (Simple is the product name). It's the only thing apart from just water that I have found that does not cause a reaction. It is not expensive and available at most shops/chemists that sell soaps and shampoos etc. I have never used a moisuriser, but would be careful about using anything that may contain perfumes or harsh chemicals.

Hope this is helpful.

Regards 

7

I had a similar problem.  My doctor told me to mix a small amount of Mirvaso with Metrogel, a moisturizer or even an over the counter antihistamine cream before applying.  You can then increase the amount of Mirvaso in the mixture according to what you are able to tolerate.  It worked really well for me.

8

Hi! I'm from Buenos Aires, Argentina. I've used Mirvaso for 3 (three) days... From last thrusday to yesterday and side effects appeared from the beggining. At firt, seemed to work (altough leaving a "yellow-pale" look on muy face) but after 12 hours a big red spot appeared on my left cheek. I thought it was normal because It had been a hot day. Friday came, I put my Mirvaso on and went to work. Once again, 12 hours later (more or less) a strong red spot appeared, now on my right cheek... I started to be think this ins't normal. Finally, yesterday aferternoon many red spots apperared all over my fave and as you I felt pretty desspointed. I spent a lot off money and only used it for 3 day and not only did not work, my face is worse than EVER! I won't use it anymore and will continue using the metronidazol cream I was useing beforee and hope for this symptoms to go away. There's a treatment for rosacea that I've tried (and left do to the high cost) that it is extremelly effective is IPL, you should as your doc for this alternative.

9

Hi. Today is my 4th day using Mirvaso and I'm horrified by my red, burning face.  I will stop using it and hope it calms down. Very disappointing. As a long term sufferer of Rosecea, I had high hopes. 

10

Hi marina, i've used Mirvaso for one week and also started to notice all the side effects. Did you get better? Soy argentino tambien, me gustaria que me cuentes que paso, gracias!

11

Hi All. I recently saw another dermatologist and am now in the process of having laser treatment; a course of three IPL and vascular laser for the larger capillaries. At her recommendation, I am using La Roche-Posay products which are affordable and feel lovely and soothing. I am also using Soolantra after my shower at night (on its own). A bit early to say but I think my skin is improving and I feel better just for doing something.

12

Hi I have had this Problem for a while now, i have used Mirvasao [Brimondine] for a few months now and it has helped me, but as other patients have said the redness comes back it very rarely leaves me the flushing red nose red spot on face which can grow quite large. without Mirvaso i would be in bother i am also on course of pills called roaccutane 20mg a day. Heat i a killer for me and the sun i get real bad flare ups hope you can sort yourself out pal. Pete

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Hi, how are you managing your rosacea now?

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Hi David,  Not really Managing Roscea it just flares up when it feels like it i  use aveeno and QV cream i also have serobboric dermittitus which came before roscea so i am attacked chin forehead neck itchy scalp really bad flushing. Mirvaso helps so i can go to work but redness starts coming back at night. Alcohol i flush pretty bad, heat and tempeture are killers for me but i am ok at times as 1 guy said we think we are worse than we are. Hope you are coping with yours. cheers Pete

15

Interesting story.  Mine came on some ten years ago, redness of the nose, cheeks, a bit on the forehead and chin, no spidery veins, just redness.  The doc prescibed Metrogel but it didn't do a lot.  I met a dermatologist socially and he said Doxycycline often helps so I persuaded my doc to prescribe it and it helped a bit.  I had trouble with Blepharitis a while back, inflamation of the eyelids, that was hell, again doc prescribed something that didn't do much.  Another problem I had was seborrheic dermatitis, like you (do you have oily skin, I do), this time the doc prescribed a coal tar based shampoo called Capasal (It is available on Amazon for about £12), I shower every morning washing my face and hair with this stuff and the rest of me with body wash, in my case this has kept the blepharitis at bay, fixed the seborrheic dermatitis and keeps the rosacea reasonable.  From what I have read today I shan't go near Mirvaso.

​When I go out I just use simple make up, Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse, colour=nude (girl in the shop will sort you out with the colour and show you how to apply it)

16

See my reply to Peter47509

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Hi David,  I can be ok been on keptomoine shampoo was on antibiotics Doxycycline for 6 months also have elocon to put on at night for itcy scalp as i say i am on roaccutane 20mg a day the specialist is phoning me on 22nd of August to see how i am keeping on these they are supposed to stop flushing dont see any difference will keep in touch though. Pete

18

Hi David I have used roacctune 20mg now for 6 weeks i have had relief on my face which has been ok a little redness but not too much guys at work have even said i look tanned if anything so thats not a bad thing but the only thing is the red spot which can comes and go but happy with that. I had one flare up pretty bad but it was away in a day so weird this diesese. I havent used Mirvosa for 10 days which helped me a lot when my face was really red in the morning. You can get so down when you do get a flare up like everybody else wish they could find a cure. Cheers Pete.

19

Same experience here...derm gave me Move so samples without mentioning side effects. Disaster! I am furious. He say to treat it like a sunburn.

20

I like to travel a lot and don't know how developed rosacea  it might be because I am exposed out in the sun for quite a long time, but after doing a little research I purchased an anti-rosacea serum of dermalmd and within a week of its use I regained my healthy skin. And this serum even moisturized my skin which I liked very much about this product.