This is a guide for Rosacea and sensitive skin sufferers. In this blog I talk about Rosacea skin and help you understand the skin condition better and give you advice regarding good skincare routines to help calm and soothe your skin. Plus looking at lifestyle changes to improve the health of your skin. In many cases, I have decreased the symptoms and strengthened my client's skin barrier to help calm and reduce future flare-ups.
If you feel you may be suffering from Rosacea , please speak to your GP or Dermatologist.
What Is Rosacea?
Rosacea is an inflammatory skin disease often presenting itself as redness and broken capillaries across the centre of the face, cheeks, nose and sometimes between the eyebrows and onto the forehead. Rosacea is commonly passed to us through genetics but can also be worsened by skin damage, like unsuitable skincare, sun damage or environment factors.
Sometimes this condition if mild can be mistaken for just a flushed, rosie looking skin. But when this condition is extreme, Inflammatory Rosacea or acne rosacea skins experience breakouts known as papules and pustules large sore red lumps under the skin or broken above the skin that remains red but worsens when heated up by taking a hot shower or exercise. Even the cold weather can really effect this skin condition.
The affected areas will become the weakness of the skins natural barrier. Any type of simulatant can worsen this skin condition like alcohol, caffein, high blood pressure to mention just a few.
Causes And Factors Of Rosacea
Lifestyle
Here are some lifestyle factors to consider if you are suffering from Rosacea. Are you suffering from an allergy to ingredients in products applied topically or food/drink which you are consuming? Is your Rosacea seasonal? Does heating, cold weather or pollen affect your flare-ups?
Keeping a skin diary can help you to understand if your skin is reacting or worsening after eating, drinking, using a specific product or taking a particular medication.
I have had many clients find out that their Rosacea is worsened and reactive to the extreme weather from the hot summers to cold winters. But everyone's skin is different, so you must find your trigger. Avoid stimulants like coffee, tea, and alcohol, as these can aggravate Rosacea and cause heat and blood stimulation to the area making symptoms worse.
Tips On Adjusting Your Lifestyle To Be Kinder To Rosacea
Reduce friction on your skin by using soft and gentle sponges while washing. Use soft towels and pat your skin dry rather than rubbing it on your skin. A great way of reducing friction on your face and helping with the symptoms of Rosacea is to sleep on a 100% silk pillowcase. Silk is a natural material that is skin-friendly, antibacterial, less friction, and breathable, providing ultimate comfort, and keeping your skin hydrated and cooler.
Avoid hot water on your skin, and use cool/tepid water to avoid stimulating too much blood and warmth in the area. Avoid shampoo and shower gel washing over your Rosacea. These products will irritate and usually include Lanolin and drying foaming ingredients. Move on to more natural hair and body products. I highly recommend NEOM shampoo, conditioner, and body washes as these are natural organic products.
Stress and Rosacea
I can not talk about Rosacea and sensitive skin without talking about stress. It's essential to also look at your lifestyle and stress level.
Stress comes in many different formats. Including working very long hours, and lack of sleep or rest. Emotional stress from breakups, loss, grief and depression. Hormones play a large part in how we feel and sleep.
Sleep and Rosacea
Sleep and rest are essential to your stress level, and your skin needs rest to regulate, renew and strengthen. Most people don't realise that the hours we spend asleep are actually among our most constructive, certain areas of our brains work their hardest during sleep, and skin is the best time to repair and regenerate itself at night.
In short, quality sleep is crucial to both skin health and your overall health.
Skincare To Help Relieve And Improve Facial Rosacea
Many Rosacea sufferers avoid products altogether because they have used inappropriate products high in a fragrance that stings and worsens their skin condition.
Alternatively, they only use products lacking in anything but at least do not sting.
I want to help you use products that will not only not sting or worsen your Rosacea but also help ease, soothe, and reduce your flare-ups, leaving you with healthy and comfortable skin.
So when working with reactive and sometimes open, sore skin, we need to take things slow and introduce calming products into your routine.
I like to start my clients who suffer with Rosacea on a 3-step skincare routine first. This includes:
- Cleanse
- Tone
- Moisturise
Firstly this is to introduce Dermalogica and to allow the skin's natural ph balance and barrier to start to repair and strengthen with the help of the soothing ingredients in these Dermalogica products.
Step 1 - Cleanse
Your personalised cleanser removes environmental pollutants from your skin's surface and into the pores. This is important to all skin types, but more so if your Eczema reacts to products, pollen or anything else that invisibly lays on your skin.
Dermalogica Ultracalming Cleanser for Rosacea
Ultracalming Cleanser will soothe, calm, strengthen your natural barrier and reduce redness while cleansing without drying your skin.
This is a gentle cleansing gel/cream for reactive skin types. This pH-balanced, non-foaming cleanser helps calm and relax reactive, sensitised or overprocessed skin. Delicately fortifies skin's protective barrier without leaving an irritating residue and easily rinses away or wipes off, making it ideal for Rosacea sufferers.
Main ingredients that will help with Rosacea skin
- Provitamin B5 - aids repair and hydrates your skin
- Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract - contains cooling agents that help soothe and calm irritated skin.
- Lavendula Angustifolia (Lavender) Fruit Extract - has antiseptic and disinfectant qualities and can also be used to de-sensitise skin.
- Rubus Idaeus (Raspberry) Fruit - is a soothing extract that helps calm sensitive skin and aggravation.
How to use DERMALOGICA ULTRACALMING CLEANSER
- 1 - Apply half a tablespoon amount into your hands and massage over damp skin.
- 2 - Use damp sponges to remove, rinse and pat dry your skin with a towel.
- 3 - Follow with your prescribed toner.
Step 2 - Tone
Hydrate and condition your skin with a refreshing, hydrating and soothing toner. Toners prep your skin by leaving it slightly damp, ready for your serums and moisturisers to be absorbed more efficiently. It helps products spread further, meaning your favourite moisturiser goes in better and lasts longer.
Dermalogica Ultracalming Mist for Rosacea
A soothing, hydrating mist that quickly relieves inflammation, discomfort and sensitivity while helping to calm redness, stinging and aggravated skin. Ultracalming mist also helps with Dryness, Dehydration and Redness.
Main ingredients that will help with Rosacea skin
- Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel - acts as an anti-inflammatory while moisturising, soothing and calming.
- Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Extract - soothes and protects the skin.
- Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice - is a skin-soothing agent.
- Glycerol - delivers powerful prebiotic benefits, supporting the skin's natural defences and providing food to help the skin's good bacteria flourish.
How to use DERMALOGICA ULTRACALMING MIST
- After cleansing, spritz over dry skin. Then for added benefits, press into the skin.
- Follow with your prescribed moisturiser.
- Moisturise
Step 3 Moisturise
Moisturise, calm, nourish and protect your skin with one of Dermalogica's brilliant moisturisers.
Morning moisturisers must (usually) contain an SPF sun protection. Still, I understand that Rosacea sufferers find it very hard to find a product that doesn't sting their skin because of the active ingredients in these products.
So if a client has exceptionally reactive skin, I like to start them off on a non-SPF product called Calm Water Gel to use in the morning and evening. Then once my client's skin starts to repair, calm and rebuild its natural barrier, we can introduce an SPF morning moisturiser.
Calm water gel for Rosacea skins
A weightless water-gel moisturiser that hydrates dry, sensitive skin. The refreshing gel formula transforms into a skin-quenching fluid upon application, forming a weightless barrier against environmental assault. Calm water gel increases and locks in moisture.
Main ingredients that will help with Rosacea skin
- Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract and Glycerin - moisturising complex helps enhance skin hydration
- Opuntia Ficus-Indica (Cactus Pear) Stem Extract - helps soothe sensitivity and imparts water-binding properties to help support healthy moisture balance.
- Sodium Hyaluronate and Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate - form a Dual Hyaluronic Acid technology that works in different skin surface layers to increase and lock in moisture.
How to use DERMALOGICA CALM WATER GEL
- Gently massage half a tablespoon amount of calm water gel moisturiser into your face, neck and across your chest.
Skincare progression after 4-6 months
To continue to calm and strengthen your skin, I suggest After 4-6 months of doing the above 3-step skincare routine, you can then start to think about adding in the following;
Exfoliants - to improve the texture, look and function of the skin. The Dermalogica Daily Milkfoliant is a calming vegan face exfoliating powder that polishes the skin while supporting the skin's moisture barrier. Vegan milky powder exfoliant with Oats and Coconut activates upon contact with water, releasing botanical extracts to help polish away dead skin cells.
Serums - Concentrated Serum for that extra bit of tender loving care. The Dermalogica Ultracalming serum is the solution for skin sensitivity. This super-concentrated Serum helps calm, restore and defend sensitised skin. Our exclusive UltraCalming™ Complex contains Oats and botanicals to ease sensitisation, as peptides plus Oil of Evening Primrose, Sunflower Seed, and Avocado extracts help defend against future assaults.
Moisturiser with SPF - A moisturiser containing SPF for the morning to protect your skin from the damaging sun rays. Then you would continue using the clam water gel as your evening moisturiser.
The Dermalogica Invisible Physical Defence SPF30 is an invisible, weightless defence blending effortlessly on skin, featuring only non-nano Zinc Oxide. Say goodbye to a thick, white residue with this physical SPF formula that provides added blue light protection and helps soothe the effects of environmental aggressors. Bio-active Mushroom Complex helps soothe skin and reduce UV-induced redness and dryness. Antioxidant Green Tea helps defend the skin against free radical damage.
When discussing sensitive skin and SPF, I must discuss the chemical and physical ingredients in SPF sun protection products. These products are more advanced and active in light of what they do.
- Chemical - these ingredients inhabit the Sun's UV rays from the skin. Avobenzone Octinoxate and Oxybenzone are all chemical sunscreens.
- Physical - sunscreens are more likely to suit more sensitive skin types as these reflex the rays from the skin. Titanium Dioxide and zinc oxide are physical sunscreens.
What Results Can You Get From Using Dermalogica To Help Soothe Rosacea?
Below are some photo's of two of my clients showing their results.
This image above is one of my clients showing her results after a two month period after switching to Dermalogica. Before she had contacted me she had really been suffering with one continually flare up. Now her skin is settled and healthy and she has her confidence back. Her flare ups are very rare and very short lived. Her key products are Ultracalming cleanser and Calm water gel.
"The most amazing products. So gentle on my skin, soothing for my redness and effective for any imperfections/bumps/spots. My results speak for themselves and my confidence has shot up, I couldn't be more thankful to Nicola" Laura
This image above is one of my clients who suffers from extreme Rosacea. This is showing her results after one Pro Power Peel treatment. Before she had contacted me she had really been suffering with one continually flare up. She now uses dermalogica and has done for many years which has settled her skin down making it more healthy.
After a few years on calming her skin down and reducing her flare ups we decided to preform a Pro Power Peel treatment on her to encourage cell regeneration with better functioning cells and the results were amazing. The Pro Power Peel treatment has improved the function of her skin making it even healthier and calmer. It has also improved the texture and hydration of her skin.
"I have used Ultra Calming Cleanser for many years and sincerely hope it is never discontinued because it is a star player in my daily routine for cleansing my sensitive skin. It glides over the skin like a lightweight water gel, cooling and cleansing at the same time. Don't be fooled by the lightweight because it is extremely capable to deep clean without the redness" Michelle
"The calm water gel is a must for everyone who has sensitive skin and craves locked in moisture for extremely dry skin. Use sparingly because it glides on like refreshing water and the light weight gel is cooling at the same time as locking in the skin quenching fluid that makes your skin feel instantly hydrated" Michelle
If you would like to read more about the Pro Power Peel treatment then please read my blog
Ask A Question
I hope you have found this blog useful and now have a better understanding of Rosacea troubled skin.
Leave me a comment below if you have any questions about your skincare routine.