PLEASE HELP WITH MY ROSACEA

i am 17 years old and have had rosacea around the nose and cheek area for around 2 years. i had 3 rounds of laser treatment which had no effect on the rosacea. my dermatologist then prescibed daktacort hydrocortisone cream and my rosacea cleared up. i continued to use the hydrocortisone cream for 4 months and was the happiest i had been for a  long time. i then stopped using the hydrocortisone cream and within a few days i had a massive flare up of rosacea. i tried the hydrocortisone cream again but it was not as effective and now the area around my nose is bright red and there are pustules and redness around my chin. it is really bringing me down as i was extremely happy when the rosacea under control. now i dont want to go out and let people see my face. i also play alot of sport and the flare ups are particularily bad after training and matches... what can i do to get this flare up under control? should i continue to use the hydrocortisone cream? do i have steroid induced rosacea and how could this be treated? any comments would be greatly appreciated. thanks

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
Rosacea is a cutaneous disorder of the central part of the face , such as forehead, cheeks, nose and chin. Pimples or acne are sometimes included as part of the definition. Even the possibility of steroid induced rosacea is there.
Steroid induced rosacea or dermatitis is an adverse effects of using steroids. Some patients develop steroid-induced rosacea within weeks of applying a topical steroid; others may not experience it for years.
Avoiding rosacea triggers, such as caffeine, spicy foods, and alcohol, also may help clear the skin. Also use of antibiotic creams, antihistaminics, sun screens and tacrolimus(available by prescription) helps but consultation of a dermatologist is required first. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.