Welcome to the Rosacea Community Newsletter

Inside this issue:
* General - About The Newsletter
* Feature - NRS, Rosaceans deserve better
* Volunteers - Laser/IPL and Health Insurance
* Feature - Shaving: depilation at its finest

General
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About The Newsletter

The Rosacea Community Newsletter is produced by rosaceans for
rosaceans and will contain a mixture of news, articles, faqs, polls
and testimonials. There are 3 main goals
1. To reach as large a readership as possible.
2. Keep the rosaceans up to date with the latest treatments and research.
3. To educate rosaceans by disambiguating information and presenting
it in an easy to read format.

Feature
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NRS, Rosaceans deserve better.

The National Rosacea Society (NRS) is a non-profit organization whose
mission is to improve the lives of people with rosacea. Many Rosaceans
feel the NRS should be doing a better job.

Only 8% of expenditure (1998-2002) was on grants for the advancement
of scientific knowledge of rosacea. Most money was spent on educating
patients and physicians about rosacea. Many feel that the NRS is not
doing enough to direct and fund research on rosacea.

Apart the research grants, 71.69% (or $2,572,767) (1998-2002) of
all other expenses were billed to one private contractor -
'Glendale Communications Group Inc'* - for communication services.
Samuel B. Huff, the president of the NRS, is also the owner of
Glendale Communications Group Inc.

The Society's activities should be far more public and transparent to
promote confidence between the organisation and its patients and
donors. The NRS hides much of its spending, including the amount paid
in salaries/wages, by using a for-profit company to carry out tasks.

The NRS appears to be very remote and closed-off from the public.
Although they are happy to send out educational material, they operate
behind closed doors, do not participate in any on-line groups and do
not interact with rosacea sufferers.

The NRS fails miserably when compared to the Better Business Bureau's
standards for Charity Accountability. There are no appraisals of the
CEO's performance or the success and impact of programs the NRS funds.
All members are indirectly compensated by Glendale Communications
Group Inc, and compensated members serve as the board's chair and
treasurer.

In summary, they fall far short of the mark when it comes to
accountability and performance.

* 1998-2001 billed as 'Sam Huff and Associates' for public relations

Volunteers
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Laser/IPL and Health Insurance

Many health insurance companies refuse to pay for Laser/IPL treatments
because these are wrongly viewed as "cosmetic surgery". What we need
to do is set out the steps necessary to gain approval for these
procedures and produce a fact sheet that rosaceans can present to
their health insurance companies to get them to change their policy on
allowable treatments for rosacea. If you are interested in helping,
please visit the forum at http://rosaceagroup.org

Feature
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Shaving: depilation at its finest

-Get a good rotary head electric razor, a wet/dry one if possible so
you can use it in the shower. Dr Nase uses and recommends the
Panasonic Linear Razor by Sharper Image.

-You can use a shaving lotion to allow the shaver to glide easily
over your face. Recommended lotions are jojoba oil, an aloe-based
shaving cream or Edge Gel for Sensitive skin. Don't use anything
containing alcohol.

-You can shave before bed time, in the shower or after having a shower.

-Shave with light, short strokes in the direction of hair growth.
Shaving with the grain helps prevent ingrown hairs, razor burn and
cuts. Instead of shaving against the grain to get a close shave, shave
twice.

-If you use a blade, make sure your face is coated with a thin
stream of hot water before applying shaving cream. Give the cream a
few minutes to settle in. Use a sharp razor that has a double blade
attached to it. Take your time and rinse with cold water, not hot.
Allowing the steam of a shower or hot towel to soften the follicles of
a tough beard can be a better preparation.

-Don't forget to shave gently. Too frequent shaving will irritate skin.

Disclaimer
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The Rosacea Community Newsletter contains articles on many medical
topics; however, no warranty whatsoever is made that any of the
articles are accurate. There is absolutely no assurance that any
statement contained in an article touching on medical matters is true,
correct or precise. Even if a statement made about medicine is
accurate, it may not apply to you or your symptoms.

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