Rosacea is a common skin condition that causes redness and irritation of the skin. Many people have no idea that they have it, as it goes undiagnosed frequently. With proper skin care, redness and rosacea can be minimized. It is estimated that rosacea affects more than 14 million people in the United States alone. If you have rosacea or think you might have it, there are great skin care options available that can help.
What are the symptoms of Rosacea?
People with Rosacea experience some and sometimes all of the following symptoms:
- Redness
- Dilated blood vessels on the cheeks and around the nose
- Easy flushing of the skin
- Red acne-like bumps
- Burning and stinging of the skin
- Red swollen eyelids
What triggers Rosacea?
There are lots of things that can trigger symptoms of rosacea. Not everyone has them, but many do. If you can identify your triggers, avoiding them can help minimize the disease.
- Sun exposure
- Heat exposure (saunas, steam rooms)
- Exercise
- Friction (scrubbing with abrasive washcloths, sponges or brushes, microdermabrasion)
- Chemical Peels
- Skin Care products with acids, botanicals, fruit extracts, alcohols and some sunscreens
- Fragrances in skin care products, laundry detergent, shampoo
What products should I avoid if I have Rosacea?
It is important to avoid skin care ingredients that make redness worse. These include:
- Alpha- and beta-hydroxy acids (like glycolic, lactic and salicylic acid)
- Products with fragrances
- Botanicals
- Menthol, alcohols and urea
- Fruit extracts
- Chemical sunscreens
- Vitamin C (can often potentiate redness)
- Retinols and Tretinoin
- Sodium laurel sulfate (often found in shampoos and toothpaste)
What products are recommended if I have rosacea?
It is possible to use great anti-aging products and decrease redness and other symptoms of rosacea and at the same time stimulate collagen and improve the appearance of your skin.
- Gentle cleansers– a high-quality medical grade gentle cleanser – we recommend Sente’s Daily Soothing Cleanser– it is gentle and cleans the skin without irritation
- Serums with anti-oxidants
- Serums that minimize redness: Sente Dermal Repair Cream and Hydrafirm serum both have been shown in studies to decrease redness as well as supporting anti-aging goals like stimulating collagen.
- Platelet-Derived Exosomes: there is a new product developed out of the Mayo Clinic called [plated] that contains exosomes from platelets– these are little packets of stimulatory factors and growth factors that can stimulate collagen production, healing and decrease redness. Though these are on the pricey side, they have proven to be highly effective for both healing and anti-aging.
- Soothing and Calming moisturizers– ones that include ceramides and anti-oxidants and lack the usual irritating ingredients like retinols and acids.
- High-quality medical-grade physical sun blocks. We recommend EltaMD sun blocks– they are high-quality, medical grade, fragrance-free and will not make you break out!
Top Rosacea Tips:
- Use the redness-decreasing products recommended above
- Avoid redness-inducing products listed above
- Test products on your skin before using them on your face: for any new product, test it out on your skin somewhere you don’t get rosacea, but nearby like on your neck. Use a small amount and wait 2-3 days. Sometimes skin reactions can be delayed. If your skin tolerates it well, go ahead and use it on your face.
- Wear sun block 365 days/year! Of course we recommend this for everyone for anti-aging, because the sun accounts for so much of the aging your skin experiences. But this will also decrease the sun’s effect on your rosacea.
- Use a gentle moisturizer twice each day.
- Avoid abrasives and physical exfoliating and anything that requires friction– be gentle to your skin!
Do I need a prescription for my rosacea?
If you follow the steps described in this article, often you can keep rosacea at bay without any prescription medicines. There are many prescription topicals that are FDA-approved for the treatment of rosacea. If rosacea is a problem despite great skin care, these can be used to decrease the redness and appearance of dilated vessels and acne rosacea.
The most common topical prescriptions for rosacea are generally used for the bumps and pimples associated with moderate to severe rosacea:
- Metronidazole
- Azelaic Acid
- Ivermectin
Sometimes, your doctor will prescribe oral doxycycline, an antibiotic that also has anti-inflammatory properties. This is often prescribed for ocular rosacea (seen inside the eyelid).
Can lasers treat redness and rosacea?
Intense Pulsed Light (IPL)
One very effective treatment for rosacea is Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) or Broadband Light (Sciton’s BBL). IPL/BBL is an energy device that is similar to a laser. While lasers use a single wavelength of light, IPL and BBL use a band of light wavelengths. The treatment is well-tolerated without any topical anesthetic, with minimal discomfort. The skin is immediately quite red, but this fades over the next few hours. The baseline redness of the skin, along with dilated vessels and red spots then fade over the next 1-2 weeks. Often a series of treatments is needed to maximize the effectiveness of the IPL or BBL procedure. We often recommend a series of 3, about a month apart, but this can vary.
“Red” Lasers
There are several different types of lasers that can also be used to treat redness. Often a Pulsed Dye laser (Candela’s Vbeam) or KTP laser is used for red lesions on the skin. These are both lasers that have wavelengths that are able to target the red color of the lesion. These lasers tend to be more expensive than IPL, and are usually found in dermatology offices.
Can diet help with Rosacea?
Because Rosacea is a chronic inflammatory disease, consuming an anti-inflammatory diet can be helpful to minimize flare-ups. Foods and supplements high in omega-3 fatty acids and linoleic acid have anti-inflammatory properties and can help reduce inflammation in the entire body, not just the skin. This includes many oils like fish oil and flaxseed oil. In addition, avoiding highly inflammatory foods, such as foods containing lectins like wheat gluten, will also reduce inflammation in the body. This means avoiding refined carbohydrates, such as breads, pasta and pastries– not so easy, but if you tend to suffer from inflammatory diseases, eating an anti-inflammatory diet is often an important part of keeping symptoms at bay.
Summary
- Rosacea is a chronic inflammatory disease of the skin and eyes that causes redness
- Avoid skin care products containing acids, fragrances, and irritating ingredients
- Avoid friction-causing physical exfoliation, like scrubbing with rough sponges
- Figure out your Rosacea triggers and try to avoid them
- Use skin care products that soothe and calm the skin, and ingredients that actively reduce redness. Moisturize twice each day.
- Eat lots of healthy foods, ideally with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory ingredients like fish oil, and minimize inflammatory foods like bread and pasta.
- Consider Intense Pulsed Light or laser treatments if needed
- Ask your doctor about topical medications for moderate to severe symptoms
