What is Rosacea?
Rosacea is a common skin condition that affects over 10% of fair-skinned people. This condition causes redness and often small, red, pus-filled bumps on the face. Although it is similar to acne, eczema, and even skin allergies, treatment methods are very different. Rosacea symptoms one should look out for include flushing, hyper-reactivity, persistent redness, pimples and pustules, inflamed blood vessels and facial swelling.
Types of Rosacea:
- Papulopustular rosacea involves redness, swelling, and breakouts which are similar to acne.
- Erythematotelangiectatic rosacea features redness and flushing, with visible blood vessels.
- Phymatous rosacea causes the skin to thicken and develop a bumpy like texture.
- Ocular rosacea targets the eyes, causing them to look watery or bloodshot and can often leave the eyes feeling irritated along with a burning sensation.
- Ocular rosacea can cause persistently dry, sensitive eyes, and cysts may form on the eyelids.
What Causes Rosacea?
UV exposure, alcohol, and extreme temperatures are all contributors to inflammatory triggers within the skin. Other factors like, fair skin, family history, abnormalities in facial blood vessels, and Helicobacter pylori in the gut are all contributors to this condition. Clinical studies have shown that irritated gut flora along with an inflammatory diet, alcohol, smoking and taking antibiotics/ steroid medications all come “hand in hand” with rosacea.
Although there is no cure for rosacea, there are many things you can do to relieve some of the symptoms. Depending on how severe your case of rosacea is, you can treat it with the combination of medical creams assigned by your dermatologist, lifestyle and diet changes, and by avoiding skincare products which irritate and cause inflammation to your skin.
How can you treat Rosacea?
The first step you should do when treating rosacea is to see your dermatologist and get a diagnosis. Then, you should look at your skincare regime to see if you are using any harsh products that are possibly irritating your skin. Normally, people who suffer from rosacea should generally wash their skin once a day to remove dirt and other irritants. By washing your face too often, this can have opposite effects and end up drying your skin even more. Thus, causing more harm and irritation to your skin. If you are unsure on which cleansers, you should or shouldn’t use, I advise you start by talking to your dermatologist so they can point you in the right direction or look at the back of the cleansers in the store and make sure the ingredients in the back are especially gentle. PH neutral soaps are great options for balancing and calming the skin, when followed by a hyaluronic based serum like our Serum RICHE, it will boost hydration in the skin and then follow with a gentle moisturizer.
Ingredients like glycolic acid, fragrance and harsh preservatives should be avoided as well as treatments including chemical acid peels and harsh exfoliant treatments.
Are there any professional treatments for Rosacea?
Laser treatments done by a dermatologist are often a good place to start; but this is for patients with visible blood vessels. Although this procedure might cause mild pain, most patients can tolerate it without any anesthetic. Laser therapy uses intense pulsed light to treat and shrink visible blood vessels and reduce redness. Laser therapy may cause some bruising, crusting of the skin, swelling, tenderness, and very rarely infection but these complications will disappear after following weeks, although infection of the skin might need antibiotics.
Other Factors?
When looking at factors that cause rosacea, stress and diet are both big contributors to inflammation and redness. It is helpful to look at your diet and analyze the foods you are eating that trigger or cause flare ups within your skin. For instance- spicy food and beverages, alcohol, caffeine, and certain spices should all be taken into consideration when looking to reduce redness. Along with external factors such as triggers of stress and anxiety, UV exposure, intense exercise, hot baths and saunas can all be factors for worsening rosacea symptoms.
By being aware of all these triggers, following an anti-inflammatory diet along with a good and high-quality skincare regime, one should begin to see a significant decrease in redness and inflammation of the skin.
If your concern is acne:
Try to reduce your consumption of sugary foods, foods high in dairy content, and alcohol. You should be eating more spinach and kale, beans, nuts, and sweet potatoes! All of these foods will fight acne and give you beautiful skin.
If your concern is reducing redness:
Try to reduce your consumption of citrus fruits and juices, tomatoes, chocolate, cheese, hot peppers, and carrots. You should be eating more healthy fats, berries, and whole grains. These foods will fight redness and calm your skin from within.
If your concern is dull skin:
Try to reduce your consumption of sugary foods, fried foods, and alcohol. You should be eating more salmon, sweet potatoes, turmeric, celery, avocado, whole grains. These foods will brighten your skin and give it a healthy glow!
