Rosey cheeks might be all the rage right now when it comes to the makeup department, but when you are dealing with persistent redness from rosacea, it’s less than glamours. The skin condition is not uncommon and more than ever people are sharing their experiences on social media where fellow rosacea stuffers raise awareness of what the skin condition actually entails.
Do you experience unexplained symptoms like; flare ups, dry and sore skin or an ongoing battle of skincare products that don’t seem to do a lot – these are just a few of a long list of issues a lot people who battle with the condition on a daily basis. But that’s just on the surface, underneath it can leave you feel slightly embarrassed, when redness look as though you’ve met with the fiery-red flush of a thousand suns; which lead to you wanting to avoid certain situations or feelings of anxiety. Unfortunately for us girlies, this skin condition tend to be much prevalent is women.
A typical flare-up can be found on the checks, chin, forehead and nose, and it doesn’t just take the form of facial redness, sometimes rosacea can create textured bumps on the surface of the skin – causing swelling and sensitivity. The most common triggers can include; stress, alcohol, exercise, spicy food and extreme temperature changes. I.e. jumping out of a really hot shower into a cold room.
What is rosacea?
Rosacea is a skin condition that causes an appearance of redness, prominent blood vessels and acne-type sport, but the key thing to remember is that not everyone who has the condition will experience every single symptoms featured mentioned above, or stuffer to the same degree.
The first signs of rosacea include:
- A blushed redness that appears across the nose, cheeks, forehead, chin, neck and chest that comes and goes, usually lasting for a few minutes each time – your face may also feel warm, hot or painful
- A burning or stinging feeling when using water or skincare products
Other symptoms can include:
- swelling, especially around the eyes
- dry skin
- yellow-orange patches on the skin
- sore eyelids or crusts around roots of eyelashes – this could be blepharitis
- thickened skin, mainly on the nose (usually appears after many years)
Why can rosacea be misinterpreted as eczema or dermatitis?
Often, the reason why rosacea is mistaken for eczema or dermatitis is because these skin conditions present an appearance of inflammation and redness.
Are there any effective treatments for managing and improving rosacea?
There are a variety of different treatments that can help improve the appearance of rosacea like; medical creams, prescription tablets, light and laser therapies, camouflage makeup products/techniques and for more serve cases, clinical psychologist where possible. What it basically comes down to is the end goal, and that is to get back the control over your skin, instead of letting the skin problems take completely controls.
Should makeup be avoided?
Okay, right… a green concealer is great for counteracting redness and can also help to tone down the appearance of inflammation, but with that being said, it alway advised to try and wear as little makeup as possible – helps to avoid irritating spots and drying out skin.
Things you can do, that could help with symptoms…
- try to avoid heat, sunlight or humid conditions if possible
- wear a high SPF sunscreen of at least SPF 30 every day
- use gentle skincare products for sensitive skin
- try to cover your face in cold weather
- clean your eyelids at least once a day if you have blepharitis
- take steps to manage stress
Things to avoid, that could trigger symptoms to flare up…
Unfortunately it’s known what causes rosacea, but is know is that some things can make symptoms worse.
Here’s a few common triggers for rosacea include:
- spicy foods
- alcohol
- hot drinks
- sunlight
- hot or cold temperatures
- being stressed
- aerobic exercise, like running
