Test Soolantra after months of suffering

[Seranie]

I would say it all started in March 2020, during the first lockdown. The first time, I noticed that I had a pimple on the left side of my chin that was not like usual. A translucent bubble appeared, oozed and a crust formed afterwards. At the beginning the lesions were rather small, not really painful in my memories.

As the months went by, I noticed that it always came back at more or less the same time, during my cycle - close to ovulation. Only 1 pimple would come out curiously.

I naively blamed it on the fact that I was wearing masks because of the epidemic and that I couldn’t stand the plastic ones, so I decided to buy industrial fabric masks…

I guess that was the beginning of my problems. It’s September 2020, I’m living stressful moments. My son is starting daycare, with an adaptation period and it’s a step for him as much as for me - maybe more for me in the end… It must have disturbed my skin with an accelerated sebum production, I don’t know.

The pimples that used to come out only once a month started to come out every week…my general practitioner tells me it’s herpes. I’m starting to fear for my husband and my little boy.

As a preventive measure, during an attack, I wear an industrial fabric mask over half my face so that it doesn’t affect my son.

It certainly made the problem worse, along with the stress…it made for an explosive mix. I was getting pimples every 3 - 4 days. I couldn’t see the end of it.

I started to become paranoid, telling myself that if it was herpes I could contaminate my relatives but also contaminate myself everywhere. In short, a lot of suffering.

I managed to get an emergency appointment with a dermatologist. Showing him my photos, he told me that 99% of the symptoms were herpes but that it was better to have a sample analyzed during a next attack.

That’s what I did, the result came back negative with no particular bacteria. I am relieved but at the same time I don’t understand what I have…

In October, I met a new dermatologist who confirmed that it was not herpes and told me that I had hormonal acne with certainly a small impetigo.

I’ve always had hormonal acne…but this time I thought my pimples were very different from the classic acne pimples. I was treated when I was younger with Roaccutane which worked well.

She put me on antibiotics (Azithromycin I think) for 2 months. As I am breastfeeding my son, it is an antibiotic that is compatible but not necessarily the one she would have prescribed in first intention. In short, I’m alive again, the pimples are disappearing. At the same time, I switched to homemade masks and I told myself that I simply could not stand the treated plastic ones.

I stopped using antibiotics in January…

As I’m doing a naturopathy training, I’ve been asked to do an experiment: to practice a supercaloric bath (a very hot bath to evacuate toxins by sweating).

I dreaded this exercise as I had sensitive skin and was afraid of the appearance of pimples…

Indeed what I feared happened…I got pimples, one of them very big, always in the same area for weeks. I could not see the end of it…

I saw my dermatologist again and she told me that it was hormonal acne and that she was suffering from the same thing (she lifted her mask to show me that she had scabs but that didn’t mean much). I am doubtful.

She prescribes me some doxycycline.

When I get home, I think about it and refuse to take the treatment. If I’m going to take antibiotics and it’s going to come back, it’s not the solution in the long run.

I started to follow a diet without refined sugar and by cutting out dairy products (I have a healthy diet and I don’t like milk). But the pimples still appeared…

I decide to buy the latest treatment for hormonal acne AKLIEF from the GALDERMA laboratory based on trifarotene. My god… the application caused me burns, a desquamation and a state of dryness that I never knew. DO NOT USE THIS PRODUCT!

I applied the product for 1 month, I had the impression of a reduction in the appearance of pimples (1 big one every 15 days).

Then I decided to stop it because my skin was in a state of suffering… and we had to go to a family dinner.

Anyway, no luck, 1 big pimple comes out the night before…runs during the night and forms a crust that gets worse in the morning.

As we are in family, I force myself to put a bandage on my pimple which runs (and then to hide my shame…).

I don’t know if it’s the heat of the day or just the bandage but I had a pimple like never before, which took a long time to form a crust (it even turned brown)…

I had to see my dermatologist the next day and in the end I told myself that it was a blessing in disguise, she would see that it’s not hormonal acne.

In the meantime, I forgot to mention that I saw an endocrinologist and that my hormonal check-up is fine. The dermatologist won’t be able to hide behind hormonal acne.

The dermatologist tells me that I have a staphylococcus due to the color of the crust and that it looks like an impetiginous infection. She prescribes me MUPIDERM and I manage to convince her to brand me SOOLANTRA. I show her all my research (I hadn’t found this site yet), including a French forum that talks about the treatment and these famous spots. I tell her about demodex.

She agrees to prescribe it to me and tells me that I now suffer from rosacea…

She asked me to use MUPIDERM first and to wait until I had no more pimples before using SOOLANTRA.

Last week (a few days after seeing the dermatologist), I had a crisis like never before. In addition to the famous pimple, two others came out, one of them very big. Always in the same area.

Hell…I start to warn my husband that if my life is going to be reduced to this, I won’t last.

The pain is excruciating, I’m itching like crazy…I’m so close to going to the hospital that I want to rip my face off. The big pimple is oozing, it’s even dripping on my chin…(I could have filled a teaspoon - sorry for the details).

I remember I have antihistamines and I take one. 30 minutes later, relief…

The pimples are swollen, the crust has a hard time consolidating especially if I talk or wash my face.

In retrospect, I think the AKLIEF cream damaged my skin and amplified the problem. It was in such a state of dryness and redness, it certainly caused an attack right after I stopped the treatment.

The problem with MUPIDERM is that the crust has a hard time drying. So I stopped it and put erythrogel instead to dry the pimple.

I decided last Monday to start SOOLANTRA despite the pimples and the crusts. I’ve been applying it on my chin area for 3 days now, with a little apprehension.

The cream does not burn me (nothing to do with AKLIEF…), yesterday I had a very small bubble under my lip. It doesn’t hurt or itch like before.

Strangely, this morning I woke up with a micro bubble on my left cheek. I have never had one anywhere else but on my chin. This bubble does not hurt and has already formed a tiny yellow crust. You can hardly see it

On the other hand, I have red pimples on the top of my cheeks that itch. I thought it was from rubbing the mask but I have a doubt.

My dermatologist told me not to apply the product on the rest of my face, but it seems strange if you want to remove the problem. I’m thinking of taking the plunge and applying it tonight, even if I risk a flare-up.

I might as well do it right away before the famous family meals of this summer, barbecues, aperitifs, etc. which have become moments of anxiety for me.

I apologize for this long post…it’s been months of suffering, of endless research, before I found this site! Thank you for creating it, I felt less alone. I think it saved me from a depression that was slowly but surely coming.

I think the hardest part of this ordeal is when my little boy, almost 2 years old, looks at me and says: “Mommy boo-boo” while showing me my scabs. I cried a lot, ashamed to show my face to my husband and my son, not being able to take him for a walk in the subdivision…

I sincerely hope that I have found an answer to my problem…I promised myself to see life differently after this ordeal and to enjoy it fully.

Thanks again to all of you!

Translated with DeepL Translate: The world's most accurate translator (free version)

[col]

@Seranie yes, this looks like the same condition. If my theory of demodex mites is correct then what you described fits with that and my experience. My theory is that the heat makes the demodex more active. By applying the soolantra you will cause some “die-off”. The combination of the heat and the soolantra seemed to really address the problem for me. I always apply the Soolantra directly after a hot shower in the evening. I would suggest following the directions that come with the medication which say to apply to the forehead, nose, cheeks and chin. You are seeing the size of the pimples reduce and the nature of them is changing. This is a really good sign in my opinion. I am feeling very hopeful for you. Please give regular updates as success stories are very inspiring and uplifting for everyone. All the very best.

[col]

Also to mention that my skin was really dry for years but it’s so different now. Maybe the demodex were blocking the sebum pores or something. I hardly need to use moisturizer at all, it cured my dandruff and dermatitis. Amazing!

[Seranie]

@col
Thank you very much for your answer ! I’m keeping my fingers crossed and will be sure to give you regular updates
I will update you in 15 days to tell you what’s going on!

I forgot to ask you if you applied the cream on your skin slightly wet to spread it more easily (maybe it is better to put only the cream on at the beginning of the treatment to avoid diluting it and reducing its efficiency?) and if you had a rebound effect as several people described it
It is so reassuring and comforting to be surrounded by people who really understand this problem!

[col]

@Seranie I have never applied the cream to wet skin. I just spread and gently rub in as well as I can directly after showering and patting my face dry with a towel but whilst the skin is still warm. Maybe the number of pimples increased for the first few days or so and I remember that they did get slightly bigger but the oozing stopped quite soon (after about 2 weeks I think).

[Seranie]

As promised…I give news
After 3 weeks of diligent application, I can only say that my skin is much improved!
The first week, I had very small pimples (4-5) near my mouth with a small blister but nothing really bad. On the other hand, I had red pimples on the top of my right cheek, less than a dozen that took a little time to go away.
I haven’t had any major breakouts yet, I guess my skin had already been put through the wringer with AKLIEF…
Yesterday morning, I had a big pimple that wanted to come out in the much feared area…at the time I thought it was in my head (that famous little tingling…), then I looked with a mirror and there my morale took a hit…a nice red inflammatory bump as if I had been bitten by a bug.
I put some SOOLANTRA on it and in two hours I had almost nothing left (I could just see a microscopic bubble)…in the evening, still in the same area, another pimple wanted to come out. I proceeded in the same way, in 1 hour nothing more…
No oozing, no crust!
I put my treatment in bed as usual and this morning nothing at all
This cream is really miraculous!!!

We get used so easily to not having any more pimples…that when one appears, we get back into a state of psychosis. I could already see myself going back to the big problems.
Should I blame these pimples on the end of a demodex life cycle? My feminine cycle ? fatigue and stress ?
Surely a little bit of all that, I am only 3 weeks into the treatment and I already see such positive effects…being able to eat with my family, meeting friends in the street, less scrutinizing of my skin lol and especially my little boy who looks at me normally without saying “Bobo mommy”…it’s so wonderful
Many thanks again to the creator of this site and to all the people who contributed directly or indirectly!
I will come to give news regularly to tell you if it is maintained!
See you soon ! Take care of yourself

[brianhcho97]

@Seranie

rely a little bit of all that, I am only 3 weeks into the treatment and I already see such positive effects…being able to eat with my family, meeting friends in th

After this review, I am definitely tying soolantra!!! Thank you so much for your review. Would love to hear more updates

[Seranie]

With pleasure, if it can help other people
I’ll update again at the end of the month! For the moment, there are no oozing disturbances in sight, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it stays that way!

[Tso]

Thank you for sharing your detailed story. It’s very useful, even for people who are already healed and want to learn more about what others have tried, to better understand the disease.

I think that anything that can harm the skin barrier, is bad when you have this skin problem. A mask can put a lot of pressure on the skin, and the mask material can irritate the skin or suck up sebum, causing parts to dry out. But the mask by itself, is probably not the root cause, but it could be a trigger.
When I used a mask some years ago, when I helped a friend with his home, I got a large breakout, but there were also many other factors during that help, that could have triggered the breakout, but I think the mask did play a role. But since I’m healed, I can wear a mask without problems.

Most people here who use Soolantra, apply it on the complete face, because you need to use it as a prevention. Avoid eye and mouth region.
You don’t need much Soolantra, for it to be effective. If you face is slightly wet or dampened, it spreads easier over the face, to reduces the amount needed. But you can also apply in on dry face.

[brianhcho97]

Hey Seranie? Hows your skin now??

[Seranie]

Hi!
With a little delay in following up…I will say that my life is just transformed (in a good way!).
I have been applying it conscientiously for 2 months now! As a reminder, at the beginning of the treatment for 15 days, I had a few small oozing spots. Afterwards, I did not have any more big oozing lesions with crust.
From time to time, in the famous area, I feel that it “works”. A week ago, I have an inflamed bump (at the very beginning of the formation of the pimple), I put immediately a little bit of Soolantra cream on it and in 45 minutes, I had nothing at all. It’s as if the inflammation was reabsorbing itself…it’s simply amazing!
I even think of leaving a tube of cream in my purse just in case…
But I have to say overall that I don’t live in this permanent stress anymore…it changes my life radically! I can handle the masks much better
I saw my dermatologist again in June and she told me that the treatment should continue for another 6 months and that after that we would try to progressively decrease.
As for me, I intend to use it for at least 1 year…just to eradicate the thing and to be able to breathe a little bit more, and then we’ll think about testing the spacing of the treatment lol.
I realized that I left a lot of energy in this research and battle, but fortunately it all paid off (especially thanks to this forum and certainly not to my dermatologist…).
With Soolantra, my skin does not pull at all. It is not dry at all, I must say that I tolerate it well!
Maybe I should use it for life, it doesn’t matter as long as I don’t have to go through this ordeal again, I’m ready to sign!
Thanks again to everyone! I’ll do another update in the fall
Take care of yourself

[col]

@Seranie Great news! I am so happy for you