Acne, Rosacea, and Breastfeeding

I need some help.

A little background first: as a teenager I had moderate acne, in my late 20's I was diagnosed with Rosacea and applied Metro Gel for awhile as well as taking BCP (LoOveral). It cleared up a bit, but really wasn't great. I was pregnant at 29 with my son, the acne and rosacea seemed to clear up during that pregnancy and even afterwards until I was in my second trimester with my daughter at 31. I'm now 33, I am breastfeeding my daughter 2-4 times a day typically and my facial skin is worse than it has ever been.

So I need help. I really would like to find a routine that will clear up my skin on my face. I'm having a hard time figuring out what to do since I think I have a combination of acne and rosacea. My understanding is that they have different treatments?

Does anyone know natural treatments for skin problems? I made an oatmeal mask tonight and my skin feels less tight/uncomfortable/painful, but looks no better. Ceasing BFing is NOT an option, not willing to at this point even though it might help my skin if it's hormone related.

Any help would be much appreciated!
thanks!

I don't have great advice for you because I don't know anything about rosacea, but I DO have sympathy because I've dealt with hormonal acne my whole life...totally understand how frustrating and painful it is, on many different levels. I will say, with the oatmeal mask or any natural treatment, I wouldn't expect visible results immediately. Anything natural is probably going to take longer as a result of being gentle.

I can also recommend this woman's skincare products--they are 100% natural and they really do work. I got dragged to a woman's night out skincare thing with my mom (eyeroll) but it actually turned out to be awesome and I *loved* the chickpea scrub I ended up buying, which also doubles as a mask. I promise I'm not affiliated in any way, it was just really refreshing to have something not full of chemicals that really worked for me. She is also a really nice (if a bit extremely crunchy) lady with a passion for this stuff, and I know if you contacted her with your question she'd love to help you.

I've never had to deal with Rosacea but I know people IRL who were helped by homeopathics. The treatment will depend on which symptoms of Rosacea you have: http://www.ehow.com/how_5260070_trea...omeopathy.html

All of these homeopathic remedies are safe while breastfeeding, and two of them are safe to give to small children; Hepar is commonly used to treat a dry cough or bronchitis in children, and Rhus Tox is a common treatment for chicken pox & poison ivy. There is some debate about Arsenicum Album being given directly to small children, because it's derived from arsenic, but the reality of homeopathics is that there's such a minute amount of the original ingredient a child would have to eat a *ton* of pellets to get even a tiny bit; they'd probably get a belly ache from the other ingredients before any arsenic poisoning. :)

I've battled acne off and on since my pre-teen years and have used a lot of different acne products and prescriptions. I've used products that while they gave good results I would never consider using them now especially while breastfeeding. Some safe products that I keep returning to (and am using currently) and get good results are made by Skintactix. They don't have ingredients like parabens and phalates. Their kits last a long time (I can usually get at least 2-3 months use from one kit) or you can buy items separately. They also have travel/trial size kits. They have also have a line specifically for people who suffer from acne and rosacea http://www.skintactix.com/acne_rosacea.htm

I used to get a lavender tincture from the health food store and take that a couple times a day.. Acne would clear up in a few days. I've heard mixed things about using the essential oil straight on the skin but never tried it myself since i dislike the lavender smell. You'd have to make sure it's the right kind (ie not buying it online unless you know the specific brands to get).

Have you checked Dr. Hale's book "Medications and Mother's Milk" or his website? http://www.infantrisk.com/

There might be something you can take, and since your daughter is older, it might not have as big of an impact...plus if it's topical, I would think that would get less into your system and breastmilk.