when did rosacea start affecting you?

i wanted to share my story as i haven’t seen anything quite like it on this sub yet, and i was curious about everyone else.

i’m pretty sure i got rosacea from covid or from masking up during covid in 2020/2021 (yes it is diagnosed). i had struggled with acne as a teen and around the time covid hit my hormones had finally relaxed and my skin was looking better. it wasn’t perfect my any means but the worst felt over. once i had to start wearing masks every day i noticed i was getting a bunch of “whiteheads” on my nose, accompanied by redness, which i thought was from the mask rubbing against it all day. i had tried disposable masks but it felt wasteful, switched to fabric ones but i never felt like they were clean. after mask mandates were over the redness spread to my cheeks and has never left since.

i did catch covid once during this time that my derm suggested could be cause. how comprised immune systems can do weird things. she didn’t think it was the mask itself, but the redness had persisted before the covid hit. unfortunately i have moments where im still very red, but azelaic acid has helped. it was her first suggestion and derms are expensive so i unfortunately couldn’t try anything else. i use otc now.

so im just curious about what everybody else’s stories are! or if anyone has experienced something similar to me.