Beware Of This Treatment For Rosacea

You might be fooled into thinking that Mirvaso is just an innocent beauty cream to help treat the symptoms of rosacea, but the truth is far from it. It’s a drug and a powerful one at that. Just as powerful as any pill you would swallow… and the side effects can be just as bad – and these won’t just affect your health, but will be all over your face too!

Red signal

Last year the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Mirvaso as a prescription facial cream to treat rosacea – a skin condition that can cause parts of your face, like your nose and cheeks, to become inflamed and red. Some people can get facial flushing, and others small bumps or pimples.

At first, Mirvaso was not very popular. It did remove or reduce facial redness – for a while, anyway – but only after long-term use… which came at a very high price. However, after using the cream, people started getting “horrific rebound” reactions. Facial redness that was worse than ever before… and burning… like really bad sunburn.

One user wrote that she used “a very small amount” for only three days. Now the “rebound is affecting my whole face” including parts that were never red before. Another user said she is “still paying the price” for using this “dangerous, dangerous ingredient.”

That main ingredient in Mirvaso is a drug called brimonidine, previously used in eye drops to treat glaucoma. So it’s a very powerful drug. So powerful that one of Mirvaso’s side effects is severe low blood pressure.

But it doesn’t stop there… Mirvaso’s label says that it should be used “with caution” if someone has heart disease, poor blood flow in the heart or brain and certain immune-system diseases. It can also be deadly if ingested, especially for children.

As I mentioned earlier, Mirvaso didn’t take off in the way its manufacturer, Galderma Laboratories, had hoped. But now, it’s “under new management.” Galderma Laboratories was recently taken over by Nestle – the Big Food company that usually brings us chocolate…

Nestle paid almost $4 billion in the takeover, saying it was anxious to get into the skin-care business. Suffice to say, when Big Food branches out to pharmaceuticals… that’s when we ought to get really scared. In their latest advertising campaign for Mirvaso, Nestle has been pulling out all the stops… treating it like it’s just another one of its food products.

None of Nestle’s alluring ads showing before and after images, beauty blogs, contests and slick promotions mentions anything about the risks of Mirvaso… First, there are the flashing internet banner ads saying “REDISWRONG.COM.” (As if people with rosacea aren’t self-conscious enough!)

Then the website says “It’s time to right the wrong!” And shows a red turtle and red-spotted Dalmatian.

But that’s not all. It is also “sponsoring” beauty bloggers to write adverts for Mirvaso, disguised as helpful tips.

One gives skincare advice and then sneaks in that the “real trick” is to try Mirvaso to see results “quickly” so you can look great for a night out.

Not only is this devious – it may not even be legal! In the US, there are very specific rules that must be followed when advertising prescription drugs. Especially ones that can cause a dangerous drop in your blood pressure, make your face hot and flushed, and is unsafe for people with any kind of heart or circulatory disease!

Luckily, in the UK, this kind of prescription drug advertising is illegal, so you won’t be seeing any of these dubious beauty blogs around… Unfortunately, that doesn’t stop people from selling it online. A simple online search will point you in the direction of numerous websites where you can have an online ‘consultation’ with a so-called doctor. All you need to do is fill out a questionnaire and submit a photograph of your face… and voila!

Do not fall for it… Not when you see a television ad campaign, not when you read about it on a ‘beauty’ blog and not when you find it quickly and easily online. Mirvaso is far from an innocent facial cream… it’s a prescription drug with very real side effects…

If you do suffer from rosacea, speak to your doctor about your treatment options. Sometimes a few dietary changes can do wonders to improve the condition, as well as avoiding scented and alcohol-based facial products.

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Bear in mind all the material in this email alert is provided for information purposes only. We are not addressing anyone’s personal situation. Please consult with your own physician before acting on any recommendations contained herein.

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Sources:

“It’s time to break up with your makeup + enter to win a trip to the Emmy’s” Sarah Scoop, June 9, 2014, sarahscoop.com

“Nestle’s Galderma skin-care buy shows health challenge” Matthew Boyle, February 12, 2014, Bloomberg, bloomberg.com

“Diet higher in protein may be linked to lower risk of stroke” American Academy of Neurology, June 1, 2013, sciencedaily.com