#8: Take A Load Off, Fanny

A newsletter filled with things I want to share with you

Photo by Clark Young on Unsplash

We’re coming to the end of August and I’m already having that annual back-to-school feeling, even though I haven’t been in education in well over a decade! I know that most people use January as a reset point for their yearly goals and achievements, but I always think of September as a stronger, more meaningful checkpoint in my year. I’m focusing on what I want to achieve before the end of the year, what I want to let go of, and what needs time and effort now in order for me to reap the rewards next year.

This edition of my newsletter contains: A song recommendation, some real rosacea faces, an article about the negative side of wellness culture, some thoughts on being ‘bad at summer’, a helpful article about the differences between acne and rosacea, make up recommendations for rosacea, and a great book.

Links in this newsletter may be affiliate - this means that I get a small commission if you order through my links. It’s a great way to support my work at no extra cost to you and I appreciate it!

Take a load off, Fanny… My current song on repeat - and the source of my newsletter title - is The Weight by Jackie DeShannon (a cover of a The Band song). The perfect chilled end-of-summer song.

Faces like yours: did you know that the National Rosacea Society has a free image library so that journalists, researchers, content creators, and medical professionals can find and use accurate photos of rosacea skin? I wish some of the brands who repeatedly, illegally steal my images for their own use would know about this… But I’m sharing it here so you can have a look and see the many faces of rosacea and hopefully feel less alone. I remember when I was first diagnosed, my face was the only example of rosacea I had ever seen, I’m so thankful that information and support is so much more freely available to us now.

Is wellness culture fuelling a health anxiety crisis? I found this Dazed article really interesting, looking at our obsession with wellness (and all that entails) and whether that fixation can be having the opposite impact. From speaking to hundreds of thousands of rosaceans over the years - and from my own experiences - it’s really easy to slip into obsessive behaviours and thought patterns when you are lead to believe that your health is your responsibility and therefore any ‘failings’ are also your fault.

Hands up if you’re bad at summer?

Every year I feel guilty that I dont make the most of summer, but if you find this season hard I’m here to tell you that you don’t have to pretend. We are legion! I put together some tips for surviving summer in this post (below) if you need them:

talontedlex

A post shared by @talontedlex

Is it acne or rosacea? This article by Dr Anjali Mahto (Consultant Dermatologist and all round wonderful person) breaks it down in simple terms, including why it’s so crucial to get an official diagnosis. I’ve spoken to so many people over the years who assumed that they had acne and were ‘treating’ their skin accordingly, but inevitably making their rosacea more irritated.

Make up for rosacea: This blog post has been the most read article on my website this year, which is unsuprising as make up is a huge topic that I’m asked about almost daily. This post breaks down my make up recommendations into high, medium, and low coverage so there’s something there for everyone.

And finally, a book recommendation. I’m only halfway through Green Dot by Madeleine Gray but I’m really enjoying it. Described as “an irresistible and messy love story about the terrible allure of wanting something that promises nothing”, it’s funny, bleak, relatable, sad, and frustrating. If you loved Fleabag, this is definitely one for you.

Thank you so much for being here for another newsletter. There are now over 1000 of you subscribed to Rosacea Club (!!) and it honestly makes me so happy. My goal is to reach 2000 by the end of the year, which is hugely ambitious and potentially ridiculous, but if you’d like to help me get there I would really appreciate it if you shared a link to my Substack with a friend, or if you’re just reading this from a link I shared, please do consider subscribing. You’ll get an email when I post, so you won’t miss anything!

If you don’t want to share this post with others (or just don’t know anyone else with rosacea), then comments and likes really do help. They let Substack know that people find this interesting/fun/worth promoting to others. The tiniest things make a huge difference!