Could this be steroid rosacea? (photos)

Question

Had surgery on 5/10/14 and had a bad reaction to Clyndamicin. Few days later My face turned red. Few weeks later I broke out in tiny itchy red bumps all over my face and part of my ear. It was really swollen and extremely itchy. I've seen over 10 doctors (dermatologists) included. I've also told them Prior to the surgery I had been mixing small amounts of steroid cream with face cream(I know really bad idea). I've been told I have Demodicidosis,steroid acne, hormonal acne and recently rosacea.

Jason Emer, MD · Answer

I suggest a biopsy to confirm but yes it looks like rosacea and i would likely treat you with pulsed dye laser and treat with isotretinoin.  See a cosmetic dermatologist with experience in difficult facial cosmetic rashes.  Best, Dr. Emer.

Michael H. Gold, MD · Answer

Thanks for the question and thanks for including the photos as well. You may have steroid rosacea, or even steroid induced acne, and I would suggest finding a board-certified dermatologist who can work with you in determining what is going on and what is best to do to treat you at this point. Sometimes, using steroids on the face chronically can produce a very recalcitrant acne pattern, and we can use various topical medicines and as noted by Dr. Emer, the pulsed dye laser or even the IPL can be useful here. But careful examination and treatment plan are needed – and patience, as you need to get the steroids out of the equation and sometimes this takes time – and most of us want to be better tomorrow. This can be fixed and your board-certified dermatologist can help best here.

Could this be steroid rosacea? (photos)

Answers (2)