Red Faced

Mmmm. [Peering at my face flastered against the mirror]  My cheeks are blazing crimson and this I know:

• I am not blushing or embarrassed
• I am not overheated and
• I haven't been sunning ...

Diagnosis: Severe case of rosacea. My doctor called it the Celtic Curse. (Darn those ancestors.)

Just one of the bonuses of being an aging, pastey white, thin skinned woman with Irish /Scottish descent. Aside from all of the money I save on buying blush, I would prefer that my blinding cheeks not make an entrance before me. They are relentess these rosy red ones; they have no humility - they demand attention. They scream "look at me" when really, the rest of me would prefer to fly under the wire and behind the camera.

The rosacea in the past few months spead like a wild fire from my left cheek, over the boney summit to the right side of my face. It intensified to the point of dryness and bleeding and after some quick research on the Internet, my fear of growing a bulbous WC Fields nose drove me reluctantly to see the doctor. Apparently I do and eat all the things that cause flare ups ... no surprise there.

But the good news is that after I finish the meds and sulphur cream this month and have another laser treatment - I just may look like my old, aging self again. Ho hum

So my take away is that if  rosacea is my biggest health concern -- I am golden. And for that, I am very grateful.

PS -  I will be looking for some organic althernative treatments for the long term ... there has to be a better way.