My (Less Than) Rosy Thoughts On Rosacea

Ever heard of Rosacea? For the longest time I knew my mums cheeks were the cause of Rosacea and I was not so lucky to soon realise I have the same. A friend of mine said she spends time every day applying blush for that fresh faced rosy cheek look, but for those of us with rosacea we spend time every day applying products to dull it down! I tend to always feel like I have been out for a 5k run and it can make me quite self conscious.

So what Is Rosacea?

I know it as red cheeks, made worse by the flushes of perimenopause, and it is actually super common. It can also vary from person to person and some have a slight rosy cheek to others having very sore skin that can look like a rash, acne, dermatitis or a breakout but it is not, that is simply the result of enlarged blood vessels. For some it is also not just specific to the cheeks and can appear on other parts of the face, neck and chest.

The redness can last for a little or long time and is thought to be caused by inflammation but, although research continues, there is no specific known cause only that it runs in the family (thanks mum – could have got me a new handbag or something).

After posting on my social media I was surprised how many people I knew who also had rosacea and all experienced flare ups from different triggers. Some of those triggers were stress, exercise, sun, wind, specific beauty products, bacterial reactions, certain foods with the strangest I heard being bananas. So the banana thing seemed odd to me but they said it is because bananas are high in histamine which can cause a flare up (other foods high in histamine are also cheese, chocolate, citrus fruits, tomatoes, strawberries, eggs, shellfish, processed meats, nuts, beans and I am sure loads more).

How Do You Treat Rosacea?

So after I looked how I treated it I found there is no cure for it. However, there are many products on the market now that help to control it or stop the things that can cause it to flare up.

• antibiotics prescribed by a GP depending on the severity (someone reached out to me saying they use ivermectin cream from the GP but did note they have very enlarged blood vessels from the condition and was told that this sort of cream would not usually be prescribed for less severe cases) – a lady I know uses doxycycline and says this has been a huge help for her
• laser treatment
• red light therapy
• dermatologist appointment for advice
• increase your SPF to at least 25/30 though this is more preventative
• brimonidine gels such as Mirvaso can help with redness (not for spots or more sever cases) by reducing the size of blood vessels that are inflamed 
• vitamin c beauty products

Items I Have Tried And Tested

You can go down a complete rabbit hole with this and I was lucky to know people who had already tried and tested products and could recommend based on their experience. The products I have used so far include:

• Vitamin C skincare – I felt like when I started looking for these they seemed to be everywhere so it was really easy to find. I used pretty much the whole range from Garnier. I did find that this didn’t change my rosacea at all and actually made my skin sting a little so I switched. Vitamin C helps with inflammation that can be the cause for a lot of people of rosacea.
• Dermatica skincare – I subscribe to these products and the way they work is to complete a short survey and the products you receive on a monthly basis are specific to your skin type. I have noticed a big difference in how my skin feels and looks and my sister also swears by this skincare too.
• Rosalique 3 in 1 Anti-Redness Miracle Formula SPF50 – this was an item I had looked at for a long time but for the price I wanted a recommendation and again a friend of mine used it, really rated it and then gifted me some for my birthday. This is a product developed specifically for red skin conditions. I also really recommend this and will be purchasing again when I run out!
• Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream – not actually a recommendation from me but again a friend uses this and it must be popular as I have tried to purchase it multiple times from various places and it is always sold out. The cream is colour correcting and also has SPF for protection.
• Estee Lauder Day Wear – this is my favourite! It has light coverage, vitamin C, SPF and was recommended to me at Duty Free when I tried to buy the Clinique cream above. The sales assistant said to me excuse me asking but are you looking for something for your rosacea (cue blushing more and making it worse – just kidding, she was lovely), and then said she would recommend this. Bonus to get it cheaper through duty free too!
• The Glow Mask from Nordic Luna – this is a relatively new present from me to me. Again I have a friend who has a red light mask, which I have used and life got in the way from buying one but now living in Sweden with the more harsh weather changes I needed something and this came recommended and had a huge saving in the January sales so it would have been rude not to! The mask has several settings, one of which is red light and this has anti-inflammatory effects, which can calm the skin and reduce inflammation. A mask like this is a non-invasive approach, gentle on the skin and great for people like me who are a coward and not up for needles! Plus I very much look forward to scaring my husband with this!