Rosacea

30/9/14

What symptoms were you experiencing before treatment?

Around 12 to 13 years ago my nose slowly but surely got redder and redder and wouldn't go away. My parents dismissed it as “growing pains” and my local GP told me it was nothing. Eventually this also spread to my cheeks and my forehead, although the forehead was mild compared to the nose and cheeks. I would occasionally get flushes where the redness was worse.

Still, my parents believed it was completely normal even though I had never seen this happen to another person and my local GP still believed that there was nothing wrong whatsoever and that I should stop wasting his time.

"This began in high school and made me the subject of bullying which carried on all throughout college and as the years went by my social anxiety became worse and worse."

Family and friends tried to help but the advice was mostly useless, the “oh just ignore them and they'll go away” style of advice which is very easy to say if you're not experiencing it yourself.

I hated my life and eventually decided enough was enough, I needed to get rid of this redness and so I began my research on the subject.

Why did you choose Dr Patterson at Woodford Medical?

After a bit of research and finding that IPL treatment was the way to go, I needed to find someone that I knew I could trust and be safe in the knowledge that the Doctor knew exactly what they were doing. For me, it was extremely important that I find the right person for the job given how much the whole ordeal with Rosacea had affected me. During the search I found a short list of companies who offered IPL and decided I should look up reviews of them.

"Time and time again I found Woodford Medical the favourite among the review sites and not just taking the top spot but taking it by a mile. It was then that I knew that Woodford Medical was the right choice and I immediately scheduled an appointment. Easily one of the best decisions I've made in my life."

How has your experience working alongside Dr Patterson on your skincare been so far?

The idea of being zapped in the face with a laser can sound both weird and scary at first I have to admit. However, even after just the first appointment I could tell that Dr Patterson had worked with other Rosacea sufferers before. He understood what I had been through, confirmed that I do indeed have Rosacea and was able to set out a plan of action that began immediately, meaning my first consultation was also my first treatment session. In the 7 years I've been receiving treatment, I cannot think of anything that has gone wrong to date.

How do you feel about the results so far?

Simply put, I got confident enough to go outside and into public places again. That on its own effectively gave me my life back as I was no longer staying within the confines of my bedroom, seeing and speaking to no-one for large periods of time. It gave me the chance to go to University and begin shaping my career.

"The redness on my forehead had completely disappeared almost as quickly as it appeared. My cheeks look fantastic, more than 90% of the redness is gone and that remaining 10% is barely noticeable. Even someone without Rosacea can often have a little bit of red colour in their cheeks so it looks completely natural!"

The nose has admittedly been stubborn, I think it'll be a while before it improves as much as the cheeks have but it certainly looks better than before. Overall, I'm very pleased with the results and look forward to seeing what the future brings.'

Are you suffering with Rosacea? Contact us today for a consultation with Dr Patterson.