Rosacea is a very common skin disorder affecting approximately 14 million Americans. It is a chronic condition characterized by periodic remissions and waxing and waning of symptoms. Onset usually begins around age 30, and it is more common in women. At highest risk are those with fair skin who tend to blush and get flushed readily. More serious cases of rosacea have been observed among men, perhaps because they put off getting treatment until the condition is quite severe.

Rosacea has four distintive stages: pre-rosacea, mild rosacea, moderate rosacea, and finally severe rosacea.

1. Pre-rosacea: This is characterized by frequent blushing and flushing. The redness is temporary and disappears soon after the trigger is removed.
2. Mild rosacea: This is characterized by continued flushing after the trigger is removed, for at least a half an hour.
3. Moderate rosacea: The redness will now be persistent. In fact it can last for days or weeks, giving the face a sunburned or windburned look. Many will begin having the fluid-filled pustules and red bumps (papules) at this stage. Most will have telangiectasia by now. Telangiectasia are visibly dilated blood vessels generally seen where the areas of flushing have been the most severe.
4. Severe rosacea: Fortunately, only a small percentage of rosacea sufferers will actually wind up in this category. It is characterized by severe flushing, inflammation, burning of the skin, and clusters of the papules and pustules. Some will develop what is called: rhinophyma. This refers to an exaggerated swelling of the nose, making it appear “bulbous”in nature. Bill Clinton is a self-proclaimed sufferer of this condition.

In addition, there are subtypes summarized below:

I've had a decade long battle with acne rosacea myself. I first noticed it when I was pregnant, found myself frequently blushing, and simply attributed it to raging pregnancy hormones. It only got worse after I gave birth, however, and I thought I was suffering from adult acne vulgaris. I began to get the red bumps and pimples, a familiar sight from my teenage years. My face had a permanent red mask and the bumps were getting worse, so I begrudgingly dragged myself to a dermatologist. He took one look at me and said: “You have rosacea. Let's get you started on a rosacea skin care treatment plan.” I'd certainly heard of rosacea, but thought it merely meant you were prone to blushing and flushing. I was given the antibiotic Minocin and Rosac Cream. That's where my story turns ugly...

Not too long after beginning the Minocin treatment, I began to feel quite sick. I had achy joints, was very tired, and generally felt like I had the flu. This is about to sound like an episode of “Mystery Diagnosis”, mind you. Then, a new and unexpected symptom appeared: my body was covered in a very disturbing rash. The itching was absolutely unbearable, I couldn't sleep, I would scratch until I bled. So, off to my primary care physician I went. Fortunately, the rash WAS present when I went in for the visit, unlike my car at the mechanics that never displays the disturbing rattle I'm concerned about. I was told I was having a severe reaction to the Minocin and immediately stopped taking it. I remained sick. I had fevers. I was told that something else might be going on and I was referred to a Rheumatologist. Thankfully, it was there I got my answer: I had a temporary Lupus brought on by Minocin. It would eventually go away, but I had a few weeks of illness ahead of me. The Rheumatologist informed me this is rare, but he's certainly seen it from Minocin before. He also warned me about the possibility of kidney dysfuction from long-term antibiotic use.

Needless to say, I decided to stick with the rosacea and abandon all medicinal therapy. Slowly, however, my face got worse and worse. The Rosac Cream was not a panacea by a long shot. I began to investigate natural skin care options for rosacea treatment. I made somewhat of a serendipitous discovery a few weeks later when I was talking to a co-worker. I mean to tell you this woman had the most beautiful, porcelain doll skin I've ever seen. Naturally, I was big into looking at other people's skin at that juncture. I told her I was jealous of her beautiful skin and she remarked that it certainly hadn't always been that way since she's a rosacea sufferer. She tried many doctor prescribe rosacea

treatments as well with little success and didn't like to be on antibiotics as they were causing her to have repeated yeast infections. She'd ditched all the doctor prescribed rosacea products and was instead using natural skin care products. She told me she'd bring in some samples and recommended I check out Corrective Skin Care and Arcona products.

This reputable company claims to cater to Hollywood celebrities in producing the finest skin care products on the market. Products designed to abolish the need for any cosmetic surgery. Now, that was not really the selling point for me. But, I will tell you I religiously used their Basic Five products and my skin was completely transformed. They pride themselves on their holistic skin care that utilizes antioxidants, vitamins, enzymes, and amino acids. They use a unique processing method that cold presses the active ingredients, instead of heat processing which takes away the effectiveness of the nutrients. Additionally, they seem to have hit upon a winning combination of products that work synergistically together. My friend told me to only use their Basic Five and not to combine it with anything else in the beginning. I no longer had the redness, the bumps, the swelling, and thickening of the skin. It was a panacea for me. They have very helpful Arcona specialists that assist you in determining the best individualized skin care treatment.

The products are unlike anything I'd used before. There are different packages for different skin types: dry skin, normal skin,oily skin, aging/environmentally damaged, sensitive skin, and acne skin. I had email communication with my consultant who recommended I use the acne skin Basic Five. The Raspberry Acne Bar was a godsend, it didn't make my skin dry, but it felt very clean and the redness vanished. The acne lotion made all of my bumps disappear. The Tabula Rasa made my skin very smooth, not oily, but hydrated. The Cranberry Gomage got rid of all the dead, dry skin cells, and The Solution is a glycolic acid treatment and literally seemed to expose my healthy skin layers buried beneath all of the problematic skin. I stuck to the program for the first few weeks and watched my skin completely heal. Then, I found I could venture out a bit and stick with the essentials like The Solution and the Raspberry Acne Bar.

I also added some Corrective Skin Care products after I finished the Arcona Basic Five plan. I have never found a better masque for rosacea skin than their Green Tea Antioxidant Masque. I religiously use it to this day. I love their spritzers, too. I have the Berry Bliss Spritzer with me at all times. It's great when your skin is feeling oily and needs a quick cleansing. It's fantastic for travel, my face always feels dirty on planes or long car rides. Plus, it smell great. Their products are all organic, and certainly rival Arcona's. They have the glycolic acid treatments, scrubs, and cleansers as well that work wonders for rosacea. The Breakout Free Wash is another product that I'd recommend since it doesn't aggravate sensitive skin, has anti-bacterial Totarol and salicylic acids. You can customize your products with Corrective Skin Care, as well. You can custom order benzoyl peroxide to meet your skin's needs.