Pebbly Skin at 55

Q. I am 55 years old and in the last year or so my skin has developed a sort of "pebbly" look. It is not acne; rather, it's an uneven, puffy or pebble-like look to my cheeks.

Fairly smooth to the touch, though. It's just looking increasingly bad.

I use Retin-A a couple times a week. Also, I have very sensitive skin. Any idea what this condition could be or what I could do about it?

I asked my dermatologist about a year ago and it seemed as if she either didn't know or didn't think anything could be done. Thank you for your help.

A. Without seeing you, it's hard to say for sure, but it could be a condition known as Acne Rosacea, which causes redness, bumpiness, and unevenness/blotchiness of the face, primarily in the cheeks and nose region.

If this is in fact the case, there is excellent medicine for the condition to get your skin back to looking more like "normal".

If your past dermatologist wasn't helpful, I would recommend seeing a different dermatologist because regardless of what is causing this problem it should be treatable.

You need a physician who cares and will look at you closely and prescribe the right treatment!