Rosacea causes, treatments and triggers – a guide to the condition
When you have rosacea, controlling skin flare-ups and concealing redness may feel like a never-ending battle. And it may be more common than you think an estimated one in 10 people in the UK and Ireland have the skin condition.
So what causes it and, more importantly for those struggling, can it be treated? Heres the lowdown, from potential triggers to how it can be managed on a day-to-day basis.
What is rosacea?
Rosy cheeks and warm, flushed skin are some of the tell-tale signs that you might have rosacea. Rosacea is a chronic, inflammatory skin condition that is characterised by hypersensitive skin, red rosy cheeks, pimples and pustules. It’s a chronic condition, meaning that it cannot be “cured” per se but it can be eased. It’s not contagious.
Individuals who have rosacea will first start to experience flushing and widespread redness across their cheeks, nose and chin, but as the condition progresses people start to notice dilated blood vessels, pustules and blemishes. Over time, if the condition is left unmanaged, it can result in thickened skin, damage to the eyes and a mishapen, bulbous nose.
rosacea is frequently seen in fairer skin.
the flushing, redness and dilated blood vessels are immediately noticeable and can affect one’s self-confidence.
What’s The Difference Between Redness and Rosacea?
If you suffer from rosacea, you might find that you have flushing redness on your cheeks which noticeably deepens in colour after you have been in the sun, the wind or cold, after drinking alcohol, after eating spicy food, after exercise - those are the main triggers.
If you have a constantly high colour (rosiness in your cheeks), year-round, and without the other symptoms, then you likely don’t have rosacea!
What is Acne Rosacea?
Acne rosacea is the everyday term given to rosacea type 2, papulopustular rosacea. It’s a faux acne - not truly acne, but still needing care and attention.
It manifests as acne-like breakouts, with noticeably red skin. Skin can feel oilier than normal, and more sensitive. You might notice broken blood vessels, or raised patches or plaques of skin. Skin can feel oilier than normal, and more sensitive. You might notice broken blood vessels, or raised patches or plaques of skin.
What causes rosacea?
We don’t know the exact cause of rosacea, but we do know is that there are several things that can increase your risk of having it. Those who are most at risk are fair-skinned women between the ages of 20 and 50, but actually anybody can have it. Risk factors for rosacea that you can control include alcohol, spicy foods, UV radiation from the sun and your levels of stress.
There are many potential contributing factors of rosacea, an impaired skin barrier can allow irritants to enter the skin, causing inflammation, and free radical damage can also play a part in intensifying inflammation. That’s why we advise those with rosacea to implement daily sun protection as well as anti-pollution skincare in their regimes.
Abnormalities in blood flow through facial blood vessels can cause flushing and persistent redness, and having a family member with rosacea may also make you more prone to developing the condition. Rosacea has also been linked to certain bacteria found in the gut, which may play a role in developing it.
How to treat rosacea
As with most skin conditions, prevention is better than cure. Your skin is hypersensitive and so it is important to know which triggers are causing your skin to react and avoid them as much as possible.
It is also important to protect your skin’s defensive moisture barrier. You can do this by avoiding irritating soaps and instead switch to calming cleansers – why not try Èminence Organic Calm Skin Cleanser.
It’s also important to avoid harsh exfoliators and scrubs that are irritating skin that is already hypersensitive.
Avoid the sun like the plague and wear SPF every day, remembering to reapply it after two hours. Consider trying Caudalie’s Spf range, which is also anti aging!
If your rosacea starts to have an impact on your self-confidence and you’re not able to manage it on your own, then it may be time to see your doctor as well as your skin therapist. This is to prevent the the severe, longer-term complications of rosacea with increased stress about the skin condition, stress is a common trigger.
Antibiotics are sometimes prescribed, as their anti-inflammatory properties can help to take down redness. Specific skincare is often prescribed to rosacea patients, usually containing vitamin A like Environs Body Oil (which is the best for rosacea on the face)
Rosacea triggers
Anything that causes your rosacea to flare is called a trigger.
- Heat (weather AND baths both count here)
- Cold weather
- Wind
- Exercise
- Alcohol
- Spicy food
- Caffeine
- Stress
rosacea and diet
With many medical conditions, not just rosacea, you may try to manage the symptoms through your diet – dairy and acne being a prime example. I would advise Rosacea clients to closely assess and identify lifestyle and environmental factors that could exacerbate redness. In terms of diet, it is best to avoid spicy foods, hot drinks and alcohol, which can naturally cause flushing.
Diet has been a big change for me,I’ve mostly removed dairy from my diet as it has an instant effect on my skin. I’m gluten intolerant (along with a few other foods), and that intolerance often triggers my rosacea, so by removing these ingredients I’ve improved my skin. Keep a food diary so you can easily identify what your trigger foods are.
Best skincare for rosacea
Skincare routines can aggravate or soothe redness-prone skin. Using a soap-free, pH balanced cleanser helps to keep the skin’s protective barrier intact so as not to irritate the skin. Occlusive moisturisers [those that block the skin’s water loss] can also help to restore this protective barrier to enhance the skin’s defences against the environment.
High SPF sunscreens are also advised as the sun can aggravate the condition. It is also good to avoid irritating ingredients such as menthol, camphor, strong fragrances and sodium lauryl sulfate.
When it comes to specific brands and products We recommend an online skin consultation so that we can personalise a custom made skincare routine for you with the right skin ingredients to treat your skin concerns as well as keeping the rosacea at bay.
Best make-up for rosacea
without a doubt if you have rosacea you need to look at the ingredients in your make up too! I’d highly recommend the following from Jane Iredale
1. Glow time bb cream- a medium buildable coverage with a dewy finish. Made with skincare benefits as well as coverage and an spf 25.
2. loose mineral powder- this foundation is my saving grace when I’m having an inflammatory breakout, the coverage is amazing and completely covers the redness and has spf 20. The ingredients in this make up are anti inflammatory so it’s not only protecting my skin but helping to bring down the redness too!
five tips to help manage flare ups:
- Rose quartz facial tools, such as a roller or a Gua Sha, are ideal for skin conditions such as rosacea because they’re so cooling on the skin. They regulate the skin and help instantly calm any redness. For an extra cool hit, try popping them in the fridge for 15 minutes before you use it.
- Look for nutrients in your diet that help strengthen the immune system and guard against inflammation. I love rosemary – it’s high in carnosolic acid, which helps combat free radicals (one of the main causes of DNA damage) and reduce rosacea flare ups. Supplement them if you aren’t getting them in your diet!
- Maybe the most difficult one, but avoid touching your face too much. Cleanse with warm or tepid water and use cleansers and concealers developed for sensitive skin
- Don’t forget your spf- you will need products that help limit exposure and protect against UV during a flare up. The fragile capillaries of rosacea sufferers can be easily damaged by UV, resulting in thread veins and reddened skin. Products rich in Vitamin B3 will also help protect from infrared, which has the same effect as UV rays. My top picks are Environs Rad Shield (mineral based spf), èminence red currant spf moisturiser and Caudalie’s spf 50.
- Learn what your personal triggers are so you know where it’s stemming from, if it’s diet know that when you eat certain foods the days following will bring on a flare up and don’t stress about it!
My top 4 products for rosacea
1. Probiotic powder/ skin youth biome/ clear skin biome- these are probiotics with skin benefits. These will not only bring good flora balance in the gut but also will address skin concerns like dehydration, aging and breakouts. After a skin consultation we’ll decide which is your best option.
2. Environs Body Oil mixed with Environs dermalac lotion- fortified with vitamin a, c and e in an oil form so it will penetrate into the skin differently with a higher potency of vitamin a from day one, with a lower chance of a retinol response. Mix with equal dilution of dermalac lotion which is a lactic acid based lotion which will hydrate the skin and speed up the new cell renewal process. These will help promote healthier cells from the growth stage.
3. Vitamin c internally and on the skin topically- vitamin c is a rockstar ingredient for rosacea. vitamin c will help build up the skins immunity and strengthen the blood capillaries so in turn will help with less flushing on the skin. Take 1 skin vit c supplement daily and add in a vitamin c based serum like, environs mela even cream or Èminence Citrus & kale potent c & e serum which will bring down inflammation and redness as well as hydrating and plumping the skin.
4. Skin omegas- these are high in omega 3&6 which are anti inflammatory which will help bring down a flare up and also are hydrating and will help repair the skins protective barrier.
if you feel you may have rosacea you will need to visit your doctor who will diagnose weather or not you have it. As a skin therapist we can’t give you a diagnosis but we can advise you on what skincare to use and triggers and some tips and tricks for dealing with and covering the redness. (Yes I’d prefer to heal the redness but sometimes we need to cover it and look in the mirror and feel a little better until we get to the root source)
rosacea will unfortunately not just disappear but we can help reduce the redness and side effects.
I have attended numerous workshops and courses on rosacea and as a suffer myself I’ve done lots of research.
if you have any questions please do reach out to me Via private message or email me info@skinandtonic.ie
Stephanie 💋