7 ESSENTIAL SKIN-CARE TIPS FOR MANAGING ROSACEA

Rosacea is a common, often under-diagnosed skin condition that causes redness, flaky skin, flushing and small, pus-filled bumps on the face.  It most commonly affects middle-aged women with fair skin and is often mistaken for acne or other skin conditions. 

For those suffering with Rosacea, you are not alone. It's a super common condition with statistics showing as many as 18% of the global population are managing Rosacea on a daily basis.

Although there is no 'cure' for Rosacea, the good news is, it can be very successfully managed. 

Common Rosacea Symptoms

Although there are ranging symptoms of Rosacea depending on severity, the most noticeable signs are redness on the cheeks, nose, chin, and forehead. 

Other Common symptoms include :
  • Stinging and burning of your skin
  • Patches of rough dry skin
  • Small pustules
  • Enlarged pores
  • Broken blood vessels 
  • Bumps on your eyelids

Your Rosacea symptoms can come and go. They might flare up for a few weeks, fade, and then come back.

What triggers a Rosacea Flare?

Rosacea makes the skin extremely sensitive. Because of this sensitivity, many things can 'trigger' or cause Rosacea to flare. Time spent in the sun, stress, skincare and alcohol - are just some of the common triggers that can lead to unexpected flushing that may last hours, days, weeks or even longer. Triggers differ from person to person and often, there is no 'obvious' trigger and so it becomes a guessing game.

Common triggers include :
  • Sun exposure
  • Stress
  • Spicy foods
  • Alcohol / Red Wine
  • Foods containing histamines
  • Skincare ingredients
  • Haircare Products
  • Temperature extremes
  • Exercise

Treating Rosacea immediately is really important as the skin's protective barrier has been compromised, re-building this protective barrier is essential to aid your skin and it's recovery.

Re-building your skins barrier

Firstly, what does this mean?

The skin barrier is, as the name suggests, our skin's protection -  the outer surface of the skin. It has a 'brick and mortar' structure. The bricks are our skin cells and the mortar are our oils. When the mortar is damaged, from a multitude of reasons, it allows outside pollutants and irritants to enter and damage the skin cells. This is what we call 'a damaged skin barrier' and visible signs of this 'damage' include flaky, red, irritated and often itchy dry skin.

Re-building the skins barrier is essential to happy, hydrated glowing skin and of course, managing your Rosacea. Finding products that are super-gentle on the skin void of irritants and offering maximum hydration is paramount.

Below is my 7 essential tried and tested techniques to help managing Rosacea :

1. Moisturise Well & Often - The right Moisturiser is not purely cosmetic for Rosacea sufferers.  The secret to preventing Rosacea flares AND to speed  healing is to maximise hydration. Double your moisturiser use and you will see a dramatic reduction in flare-ups. A great tip is to keep a moisturiser and a bottle of water in your handbag.  Increase your hydration at the first signs of a flare-up. 

Women with Rosacea

2. Avoid washing your face with too hot or too cold water -  Use water that is just right! (Goldilocks was a genius)  Even better, use products that don’t require water, as it can be stripping.

3. For relief of an angry, red flare, an ice pack in a cloth can really help.

4. Be gentle with rosacea-affected skin -  Always apply products with a delicate touch.  And use very soft cloths and cotton.  Don't over exfoliate and when you do, use gentle exfoliators with spherical beads (Jojoba Beads) that don't have an abrasive surface, but will gently remove dead skin cells and aid with moisturiser absorption.

5. Certain foods or situations may be your rosacea trigger -  Stress, chilli and other foods, alcohol, irritating cosmetic and laundry ingredients, sun exposure and dramatic temperatures are common triggers for Rosacea. Keeping a food/general diary may help you identify potential triggers and then avoid if you can. 

6. Look for skincare products which are suitable for Sensitive skin - Avoid irritant ingredients and fragrance in your skincare, make up & sunscreen as they are common triggers.  Pare your skincare back to basics. A gentle cleanser and moisturiser is all you will need and slowly introduce a gentle exfoliator.  Your skin is likely to be sensitive to products it could tolerate before so keep everything as gentle and chemical free as possible to help your skin barrier recover.

Cleanser for rosacea

7. Always patch-test skincare products -  And only on non-irritated skin.  Irritated skin is irritated and will always react. 

AND Sometimes, you may need to see a Doctor -  Some cases respond very well to antibiotic creams and other prescription products.

In Rosacea, like all skin-sensitivities, prevention is the best cure.  So now as we head into Autumn, start paying more attention to your skin and keep your skin well hydrated in anticipation for the colder months ahead.

We have created QED Skincare’s Ultra-Sensitive rangecombining Shoshana's many years of Pharmacy experience with extensive Scientific research.  QED Products have been formulated from plant-based, unscented ingredients to soothe and protect even the most highly sensitive and re-active skin.

SHOP ALL THE PRODUCTS IN THIS ARTICLE:

  1. Moisturiser for Rosacea- QED Ultra-Sensitive Face Balm
  2. Gentle Exfoliator for Rosacea - QED Skincare Ultra-Sensitive Exfoliating Balm
  3. Gentle Oil-based Cleanser for Rosacea - QED Skincare Ultra-Sensitive Cleansing Oil
  4. All Rosacea recommended products  -  QED Skincare Rosacea Range