Rosacea is an awful skin condition that not only affects how we look, but how we feel about ourselves too. It took me a long time to deal with my own Rosacea. However, I did deal with it and I would like to show you how you can too.
What is Rosacea?
Rosacea is a skin condition that can affect you at any age, however, it is predominantly symptomatic between the ages of 30 – 60.
The usual tell tale symptoms of Rosacea are:
- Red, flushed cheeks
- Noticeable small veins (dilated blood vessels) sitting just below the skin surface
- Spots/lumps/bumps/pustules.
You will often find that Rosacea is focused on the center of your face. It looks almost like a butterfly as it spreads over your nose and across your cheeks. I also suffered with it on my chin and it can cause your eyes to swell too.
Once you develop Rosacea, you are stuck with it. You will always have it.
However you can still treat it. You can clear your skin of symptoms.
My Rosacea Story.
Up until having my third and final child, I had what you would call ‘normal-ish’ skin.
Due to my obsession with skincare, I had happily spent years trialing, testing, researching all kinds of ingredients and actives. With absolutely no skin issues I might add.
Then I gave birth to my daughter 5 years ago and it all changed (in so many different ways, but we are focusing on skin today!)
It was like a switch had been flipped and all of a sudden I went from having normal, happy skin, to having Red, lumpy and bumpy, seriously angry skin.
I was heartbroken. Considering my life long passion for skincare, now everything I applied seemed to make things worse.
Eventually, I gave up and took myself off to the doctors.
I was diagnosed with Rosacea and sent on my way with an information leaflet and a topical cream.
What I quickly became to realise was just how much of an impact a simple skin condition can have on your mental health.
I became so upset by my appearance, I didn’t want to leave the house.
My husband, sisters, friends and family all tried to reassure me:
“Oh it’s just a few spots Nat, stop being silly”.
Only it wasn’t just a few spots. Those spots were giant, angry, puss-filled blisters. They were sore and I was making them worse in my failed attempts to cover them with makeup.
So many people think that you must be extremely vain to get so worked up over a skin condition. However, I believe that ‘those people’ have never actually experienced a skin condition before.
It can take over your life. If you let it.
Research.
After a while of hiding and feeling extremely sorry for myself, I decided I needed to take back control.
I spent a lot of time researching which became very frustrating.
I struggled to find the information I needed. Many websites would just try to ‘sell’ me their products aimed at Rosacea skin rather than give any advice.
In addition, there were so many people recommending skincare products for Rosacea that had never actually experienced it. How could I trust them?
There was so much conflicting information that I just became more and more confused.
However, I was somewhat lucky in the sense that I did have a lot of knowledge and experience when it came to skincare and skincare ingredients. This did work in my favor.
How I cleared my Rosacea.
What became quite apparent was that just because a skin care product has been developed specifically for Rosacea, does not mean that this product will work for you. I learned this the hard way.
In the early days, I purchased a wide variety of such products, and most of them my skin hated.
So I decided to focus not on Rosacea as a whole, but on its individual issues. This process is what cleared my skin.
Let me explain:
- Firstly, Rosacea needs hydration. Therefore I started to look for products that contained ingredients like Hyaluronic acid and Glycerin.
- After that, I focused on anti-bacterial ingredients such as Zinc, Tea tree, and some silicones.
- In addition, I wanted anti-inflammatory ingredients such as licorice extract, Green tea, and Chamomile.
I decided to create a skincare routine that would provide hydration, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory ingredients. I wanted to target every aspect of my Rosacea.
However, I absolutely did not want this new skincare routine to contain any irritants such as fragrance, alcohol, or SLS.
My Rosacea skincare routine.
This is a beautiful, hydrating gel cleanser that is so gentle, even on angry Rosacea skin. It does not strip the skin or interfere with the skin’s PH balance and contains Hyaluronic acid.
This is pricy however it contained two essential ingredients. Hyaluronic acid and licorice extract. SkinCeuticals provides fantastic science-backed skincare and is a brand that I trust.
La Roche Posay Serozinc Facial Toner:
This product gave me an easy and gentle way to add an anti-bacterial element to my routine. It is extremely gentle and lightweight.
The Ordinary Natural Moisturising Factors:
This is the ultimate hydrating moisturiser that sinks beautifully into the skin and does not cause any irritation.
The Results.
In addition to using my prescribed topical cream, I followed the above skincare routine consistently. I did not deviate.
Within two weeks I started to notice very small improvements. My spots did not seem to be as angry and some of the redness and inflammation seemed to dissipate.
Another two weeks in and I had started to notice significant improvements. I only had a couple of spots and the redness had calmed down significantly.
It took around three months of consistency before I could confidently state that my Rosacea was on its way out.
There was still some redness and under the skin veins but gone was the angry complexion I had been dealing with.
I slowly started to include more active skincare ingredients such as Vitamin C and Niacinamide, as an addition to the above routine. Still avoiding fragrances and alcohols.
I had finally taken back control and I felt really, really good about it.
To Summarise.
Nobody can completely rid themselves of Rosacea. It is here to stay.
However we can control the flare-ups and maintain a clear complexion.
Whilst my skincare routine has now changed since five years ago, I still stick to the same principles by avoiding irritants and making sure my routine includes hydration, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory ingredients.
I really hope this post will help others who are in the position I was.
I am not selling any skincare products here. I am not even using affiliate links. I purchased all of the above skincare mentioned with my own money and I am recommending them so that they will hopefully help others.
If you need any advice or further recommendations I would be happy to help. You can contact me at [email protected]
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If you are interested in what my skincare routine looks like now, I have this covered here.
Also, I recommend taking a look at this post which contains a list of comedogenic ingredients you should avoid when dealing with acne, congestion, or Rosacea.