At the height of one of the happiest times of her life, awaiting the birth of her first child, Aimee Skaggs was hit with a devastating facial skin condition.

"All through my pregnancy, my complexion became redder and redder, until it was almost purple," Skaggs said. "I tried not to let it get me down. I was excited about my first child and didn't want to feel as though the only thing I cared about was how I looked."

But her complexion got worse. Boil-like pimples developed that were actually painful. "I remember days I would just cry," Skaggs said. She turned to a friend in the beauty field and tried facial scrubs, hot compresses and facials, only to make her condition even more severe.

After her baby was born, her complexion continued to deteriorate. She sought help from a local dermatologist, who diagnosed her condition as rosacea, and prescribed oral and topical antibiotics. Because Skaggs was nursing her newborn, she chose not to take the oral medication and used only the topical medication.

"I couldn't believe the difference in my face," Skaggs said. "After using the medication and a new skin-care routine for just a month, the redness was reduced and the bumps and pimples started clearing up."

When Skaggs learned she was pregnant a second time, she was at first concerned. However, she soon found continuing her revised skin-care routine and complying with her medication kept her rosacea under control. She also knows what her personal rosacea triggers are -- including emotional stress and chocolate peanut butter cups -- and takes care to avoid them.

"When I look back at pictures of myself during my first pregnancy, I wonder how I made it through. Getting medical treatment has made an incredible difference for me," she said.