Exclusive Interview: Alexis C.’s Success With Lumecca for Rosacea
June 16, 2024 | Patient Stories
Alexis C., a 43-year-old from New Castle, was tired of awkward comments about her skin looking sunburned. Blonde with blue eyes, she’d always avoided the sun, yet her rosacea left her constantly explaining her redness. She decided to try something new—Lumecca for rosacea—recommended by Dr. Christopher Bohyer, hoping the treatment might just turn things around for her skin and her confidence.
Q&A about Lumecca for Rosacea With Alexis and Dr. Bohyer
In the following candid interview, Alexis and board-certified dermatologist Dr. Christopher Bohyer discuss what to expect when getting Lumecca for rosacea and detail how this innovative treatment can help transform your skin’s appearance and reduce facial redness.
What were the first signs of rosacea that you noticed?
Alexis: I’m blonde with blue eyes and light skin. I avoid the sun like the plague, and when I go outside, I always wear a hat and use sunscreen. So, in 2015, when I first noticed that red spot under my right eye, I thought it was just the beginning of a pimple. But it never went away. Progressively, the redness spread and got so much worse.
Hearing so many comments about how it looked bothered me. I’d get concerned comments from loved ones, coworkers, and even strangers at the grocery store. People always said things to me—like, “Somebody got too much sun”—making me feel really self-conscious.
When COVID started, some people complained about wearing a mask, but I loved it because I could hide my rosacea.
What did you do to try and reduce the redness?
Alexis: At first, not yet aware that it was rosacea and not just a temporary skin irritation, I thought the redness was caused by the soap I used. I thought that maybe it was too harsh, so I changed to a more gentle cleanser, but that didn’t help. The redness didn’t go away, and I couldn’t cover it up entirely with makeup.
I finally talked about it with my primary care doctor in 2022. She gave me a gel to try. I used it for three or four weeks, but it didn’t do much. When I told her it didn’t help, she referred me to Dr. Bohyer.
When I had my first appointment with him, the rosacea covered most of my face, from ear to ear on both sides and even over my nose. Dr. Bohyer started my treatment with a beta blocker and other medications.
Dr. Bohyer: Alexis had pretty significant rosacea when she first came in for her first medical visit. Her flushing and blushing were constant, and she had been dealing with her rosacea for quite a while before she came in to see me.
What gave you hope about getting treated by Dr. Bohyer?
Alexis: I liked that my primary care doctor trusted Dr. Bohyer enough to refer me to him and that, when I looked online, he had so many good reviews.
At my first appointment, most of my anxiety went away. Dr. Bohyer was thorough and explained all of my options. He spoke to me in a way that made me trust him. He was really approachable, very understanding, and easy to talk to. He told me upfront that Lumecca was considered a cosmetic treatment, so my insurance wouldn’t pay for it. I appreciated him telling me that.
I was willing to try anything at that point because I couldn’t get past the plateau I was at with my medication. Dr. Bohyer seemed to really understand. I could tell he genuinely wanted to help me get where I wanted to be.
Why did Lumecca for rosacea seem promising?
Alexis: I read a lot of different things online about it. I even watched some YouTube videos from influencers like Dr. Pimple Popper to learn more about it and get an idea of what actual patients have said about what it’s like to get Lumecca.
Dr. Bohyer: Rosacea is a multifactorial condition. It can be genetic. And, sometimes, drinking alcohol, eating spicy food, being stressed, getting too much sunlight, and other things can cause flare-ups. Making lifestyle changes can help for some people.
For some with rosacea, medications can be necessary to address the chronic inflammation portion. When patients aren’t responding to medical management and have constant redness affecting their daily lives, the laser used in Lumecca for rosacea treatments can help reduce discoloration because it focuses on where the blood vessels are dilated from the inflammation.
There’s no reason not to get this treatment on your face except for skin color. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work well for people with darker complexions.
What does it feel like to get Lumecca?
Dr. Bohyer: It’s like someone snapping a rubberband on your face for 20 minutes. It’s not like a hard snap, but the feeling is a bit unpleasant. We can’t use a topical numbing cream because that would make us lose our target (the redness). It can be intense while we’re doing it, but most patients do well, like Alexis did. The laser has a built-in cooling device to help remove some of the “edge” when you get the treatment.
Alexis: Even though I did that research before getting Lumecca for rosacea, I have to admit that I was still a little tense, like someone flicking a rubberband on your face, but it wasn’t too bad. The treatment was totally worth it.
My aftercare regime from Dr. Bohyer was pretty straightforward. I had to avoid the sun and use non-fragranced moisturizers, cleansers, and sunscreen. After each treatment session, it only took a couple of days to see that my skin was noticeably lighter than it had been.
Has your Lumecca “before and after” been all you had hoped it would be?
Alexis: Absolutely. I was surprised at how quickly I saw significant results from the Lumecca for rosacea. Sometimes, when you get something done, you hardly notice (or the results are so incremental that it’s hard to know anything is happening). Lumecca is different.
I know my redness won’t ever be completely gone, but—each time after healing from my latest treatment—I can’t believe the difference. Looking in the mirror now, I’m happy with what I see because of the Lumecca appointments.
When I see old photos of myself, I can’t believe how red my face used to be.
Dr. Bohyer: Alexis had good results on her forehead, nose, cheeks, and chin. She has done really well. With each Lumecca treatment, her skin’s redness has gotten 50% better from her baseline. Rosacea can become more challenging to treat as a patient’s redness reduces (because you have a smaller area to target), so we take photos before each session to have a visual for checking progress.
That said, how Alexis’ redness has improved with Lumecca hasn’t surprised me. It’s typical for this treatment to work quite well for people with rosacea. Most of the time, patients’ results can last a few years when they maintain good skin health and protect their skin with sunscreen.
What would you say to someone considering Lumecca for rosacea from Dermatology Aesthetics?
Alexis: I got the best possible care at Dermatology Aesthetics from Dr. Bohyer. Don’t wait to make an appointment. I highly recommend the Lumecca treatments for rosacea, sunspots, or whatever. They’re so effective.
The atmosphere is welcoming, and everyone there is excellent. The whole staff always goes out of their way to answer all of my questions and see if I need anything else. I never knew if anyone working there was ever having a bad day because they were always smiling and kind. Their friendliness always put me at ease.