November 18th, 2008, by Digital Davo | in the news, melanotan
The mainstream UK press has several articles today about the risks of an using a yet to be approved injectible tan, even go so far as to name Melanotan.
The Independent: Warnings over ‘injectable tan’ product
People seeking a glow this winter should avoid an "injectable tan" being sold illegally, regulators warned today.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) issued a notice over an unlicensed product called Melanotan.
It is being advertised and sold illegally on the internet and in some tanning salons and body building gyms
From the BBC: Unlicensed tanning drug use rises
A growing number of people in the UK are injecting themselves with an unlicensed tanning drug, a BBC investigation has found.
Melanotan is still undergoing clinical trials but is sold illegally online and in salons and gyms, Newsbeat reports.
It is a synthetic hormone which stimulates the body’s production of melanin, a substance that gives the skin its colour.
Experts are worried that the long-term effects are not yet known.
The BBC story links to several videos from users of and also opponents to Melanotan.
From The Daily Telegraph: Illegal tanning injection on sale in gyms and online
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has said that injecting Melanotan could have serious side-effects.
The self-tanning product, which has not been official safety-tested, is being illegally sold over the internet and in some tanning salons and body building gyms.
The chemical boosts the body’s production of melanin, the natural substance that gives skin its pigmentation and helps protect it from the sun’s rays.
There has been a rapid increase in the number of people seeking such drugs, who want an all-round tan but are unwilling to subject themselves to potentially damaging UV light from sun beds.
But David Carter, from the MHRA, warned: "Don’t be fooled into thinking that Melanotan offers a short cut to a safer and more even tan. The safety of these products is unknown and they are unlicensed in the UK."
He said the side effects could be extremely serious.
It is obviously a pretty big thing to get this sort of massive coverage from papers and online in the UK.
I sometimes get the impression that the online communities are over represented by those who are willing to take risks with treatments. Forums are full of people sharing anecdotal information about how to supposedly safely use unapproved treatments. Certainly the internet and the whole globalisation of drug development and testing has made the exchange of this sort of information easy.
How about you ? are you willing to try unproven and risky treatments ?
Related Articles
November 13th, 2008, by Digital Davo | accutane, laser therapy, papules & pustules, red face, rhinophyma
The red swollen nose of rosacea is a much hated symptom. I know that this was the symptom that I despised most and indeed drove me 10 years ago to start to look for good information about how to treat rosacea. Incidentally, this drive lead to the creation of the internet based Rosacea Support Group in 1998.
I hated that I looked like I had adult acne and a constant sun-burned nose. Especially as I have somewhat fair skin, a red nose stood out a mile away.
There has been quite a lot of interest in a article I wrote titled “how to cure a red face (facial erythema or redness)“. That article gave some tips on how to deal with general facial redness. What about a red and swollen nose ? What can you do to treat a red rosacea nose ? Read on for some suggestions.
A rosacea nose has the extra complication that one might end up suffering from rhinophyma. Although rare, rhinophyma is also a much hated symptom of rosacea. While we don’t know for sure how any particular rosacea sufferer’s symptoms will progress, reducing your inflammation and flushing is a good start to winning the battle.
Here are my top tips for dealing with the red nose of rosacea.
Rosacea-LTD III
Rosacea-LTD was one of my first discoveries after starting to look for treatments on the internet in 1998. They consist of compressed disks of sulfur and various salts. You wet your face and glide them over the skin, leaving a thin film. For me these `disks’ did a great job of reducing the papules and pustules on my nose. I could feel them shrinking all those acne looking lumps and bumps. As much of my redness was associated with my papules and pustules, this treatment was a good step in the right direction. I continued to use rosacea-ltd for several years.
Disclaimer: rosacea-ltd is a site sponsor of rosacea-support.org
Oral Antibiotics
If the nasal swelling is associated with the papules and pustules normally seen in rosacea, then systemic antibiotics along with topical metrogel or finacea may also be of benefit. Once the papules and pustules are under control, the associated swelling may be reduced enough to see an overall benefit in appearance. One of the newer antibiotics on the market is a low dose form of doxycycline called Oracea, which may be useful in helping to maintain a long term benefit from antibiotic usage.
Accutane
Accutane or roaccutane has been used for many years to treat cystic acne. There is a good body of evidence to say that you can successfully treat rosacea with accutane. Additionally there are some published papers that deal specifically with treating rhinophyma with accutane.
Isotretinoin has also been demonstrated to decrease nasal volume in rhinophyma. The most significant regression has been noted in younger patients with less advanced disease.
…
Isotretinoin has also been demonstrated to decrease nasal volume in rhinophyma. The most significant regression has been noted in younger patients with less advanced disease.
Biopsy specimens from phymatous skin prior to isotretinoin therapy showed numerous large sebaceous glands. During isotretinoin therapy, the glands diminished in size and number. Other studies have confirmed the usefulness of isotretinoin for phymatous change.
[See treating rhinophyma with accutane]
Accutane is not a drug to be taken lightly. If you would like to try this as an option, the above references might help you find a doctor that can support you using this as a treatment option. You may also want to discuss the option of low-dose accutane with your doctor.
Covering Up
As you start to reduce the inflammation, you will probably also benefit from covering over some of the redness. Some options include the easily available Clinique Redness Solutions, or Eucerin Redness Relief which may be able to offer some relief from the redness. Additionally the green tinted version of the Tone Perfecting Cream may cover some redness.
Perhaps you can find some foundation or tinted moisturizer that you can also include in your daily regime. It might not be easily obtainable worldwide, but The Cancer Council in Australia has a range of tinted moisturiser SPF 25 that looks interesting. Don’t discount a liquid foundation as a possibility, even if you are a guy.
IPL and Lasers
We now know that IPL is excellent for treating a red face and broken blood vessels. Will any of the benefits of IPL also help a red swollen nose ? In general IPL and pulsed dye lasers are useful in reducing the redness flushing, burning, itching, dryness and swelling of rosacea.
The AAD suggests that for thickening of the skin on the nose and cheeks as seen in rhinophyma, the CO2 laser and erbium:YAG laser can be used.
Surgical Options
When the growth of the nose tissue becomes impossible to manage with topicals or isotretinion, surgical intervention can be an option. Surgery can naturally have its own risks. With the removal of extra tissue also comes the risk of scarring.
CO2 Laser
A 2004 paper; The Gold Standard for Decortication of Rhinophyma: Combined Erbium-YAG/CO2 Laser, details how the authors suggest that the combined YAG/CO2 laser is superior to other lasers, scalpel, radiotherapy and skin grafts in dealing with rhinophyma.
Also some related comments from the AAD page Is laser treatment right for your rosacea? ;
Some patients with longstanding rosacea develop thickening skin on the nose and cheeks, which is called rhinophyma. The CO2 laser and erbium:YAG laser can be used to remove this thickening skin and improve the contour of the nose. Other surgical procedures used to treat this condition include dermabrasion and excision with a scalpel. Treatment options may be combined to obtain best results.
Dermatologists recommend early treatment of rhinophyma to help prevent the condition from progressing and becoming more difficult to treat. In the advanced stages, rhinophyma can cause difficulty breathing through the nose. It also is possible for the nostrils to collapse.
Other Surgical Methods
A 2003 paper; New surgical adjuncts in the treatment of rhinophyma: the microdebrider and FloSeal details a novel technique using a standard microdebrider followed by a haemostatic sealant to eliminate bleeding.
Now Over to You
What have you found to be useful in your battles with a red nose ? Please help your fellow rosacea sufferers by leaving a comment below.
Related Articles
November 11th, 2008, by Digital Davo | LED Therapy, in the news
From the Nov 1, 2008 edition of DermatologyTimes;
Synergistic effect: Combining LED devices with PDL or IPL optimizes rosacea treatment
Combination laser and light-based treatments for rosacea have a synergistic effect and are now being studied, according to David J. Goldberg, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist in practice since 1985 at Skin Laser & Surgery Specialists of New York and New Jersey.
…
"Recently, we have started to look at trying to do something new that decreases the inflammation of rosacea in a totally different way. We have begun to combine the light-emitting diode (LED) devices — which have a totally different mechanism — with either PDL or IPL to optimize outcomes for treatment of rosacea," says Dr. Goldberg, also clinical professor of dermatology and director of laser research, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York.
"We have completed a six-month, 20-subject study looking at one side of the face treated with IPL and the other side treated with both IPL and 20 minutes of continuous-wave, 633 nm, red LED energy. The results were clearly better on the combined treatment side.
For more information see also our RSRP interview with Dr. Goldberg: Combining Light-Based Treatments and Topicals for Rosacea: Dr. David J. Goldberg, MD.
The effect of IPL and LED appears to be additive. That is, the combination works better than each one separately. Papules & pustules are generally best treated with oral and/or topical agents. Inflammation or swelling is best treated with a combination of IPL and yellow/red LED. This group also is treated with near-infrared LED.
See also: Red LED Lamps & Other Forms of Low-Level Light Therapy and other LED Therapy articles.
November 7th, 2008, by Digital Davo | in the news, sansrosa
Dermatology times has posted some short items that may be worth reading. Most of these topics are not new to regular readers of Rosacea News, but it is good to see at least some others covering them as well.
One article talks about how Galderma/Collagenex is excited about new possible drugs. It doesn’t directly name the Sansrosa product, but it does have a little note that it `likely won’t be available for several years’. If that is a direct quote from Dr. Schlessinger, a long term investigator from Galderma/Collagenex then that will be discouraging news for many.
Now on trial: New rosacea medications hold promise for future
One of the medications being studied by scientists at Galderma Laboratories acts as a vasoconstrictor. A topical gel, it decreases redness around the area for up to 12 hours, a considerable increase over current treatments. The compound has shown very dramatic results and is beneficial for people with significant rosacea, according to Dr. Schlessinger.
Although initial trials have been conducted, the product likely will not be available for several years.
Collagenex had an excellent Public Relations engine and were normally very quick to release any official news about upcoming products – especially one would imagine if that might effect investors’ view of the company. Since Galderma purchased Collagenex, the Collagenex web site has morphed into a Galderma corporate site, and subsequently lost a lot of the bleeding edge information about Sansrosa. This would be as expected, now that the much smaller operations of Collagenex, and indeed SansRosa Pharmaceutical Development have been merged into Galderma.
The latest official information from Galderma was that they `anticipate completing the study in the third quarter of 2008 and commencing our Phase III clinical trials before the end of 2008’ (Sansrosa Phase 3 Delayed until END of 2008).
We know that in May 2008 details of the commencement of the additional Phase 2 trials were posted on clinicaltrials.gov, and shortly later the trial was listed as completed. Apart from that, we are still waiting for more official news. While we wait, we are left wondering if the Phase 2 trials didn’t go well, or if it is just the wheels of bigpharma drug development processes turning slowly.
Related Articles
October 29th, 2008, by Digital Davo | in the news
There are just a couple of days left now, vita-oil and the oatmeal cleanser are sold out, but ZincO cream still has some stocks.
Just in case anyone has missed the email over at rosacea-support; Linda Sy has been in contact to say that she is retiring and thus her web site and business is closing. Anyone who wants to stock up on their favourite products will need to order some now as they will no longer be available after the end of October, or as long as stock lasts.
This is the end of a great relationship between rosacea-support and Dr. Sy. It was through her involvement with rosacea sufferers and her expertise in formulating products that she was able to create ZincO Cream, Vita-Oil and her Mild Oatmeal facial cleanser.
I, for one, will really miss the tinted ZincO cream. I still use this every day, and have done for several years.
Thanks for all you have done for us rosacea sufferers Dr Sy. We wish you all the best for your retirement.
davidp.
