Managing rosacea is known to be one of the toughest challenges when it comes to skin conditions, and even though you are pretty much guaranteed annual flare ups, summer tends to give sufferers the most grief. According to the National Rosacea Society, signs and symptoms can vary from patient to patient. Flushing and redness are common for some, while others are inundated with bumps, pimples and or thickening of the skin.
It’s critical to begin to manage your rosacea, and even though it can be daunting and concerning, just know that there are many different types of treatments available for you out there. From antibiotics to laser treatments, creams, serums and gels, many professionals have dedicated their lives to treating these kinds of skin conditions, and many have done so with great success.
In this article, we’ll give you the knowledge you need to combat this condition in the safest and best ways possible.
Just what is rosacea?
According to mayoclinic.org, “Rosacea (roe-ZAY-she-uh) is a common skin condition that causes blushing or flushing and visible blood vessels in your face. It may also produce small, pus-filled bumps. These signs and symptoms may flare up for weeks to months and then go away for a while. Rosacea can be mistaken for acne, other skin problems or natural ruddiness.
Rosacea can affect anyone. But it’s most common in middle-aged white women. There’s no cure for rosacea, but treatment can control and reduce the signs and symptoms.People with rosacea tend to flush or blush, especially when they feel nervous or anxious, when they drink alcohol, eat spicy food or after they are in the sun. Cold, dry weather can also make rosacea flare up. Having dry, itchy, and sensitive skin that reacts to skincare products are also commonly reported symptoms.”
Most often, it affects females with lighter skin above the age of 30, although it is entirely possible for it to develop at any age. For the over 50s men, rosacea tends to manifest as bulbous, thickened, reddened, lumpy skin on the nose (referred to as ‘rhinophyma’).
While rosacea is not as common as perhaps other skin conditions can be, it affects around 10% of the population of Australia and sadly enough, no cure for the condition exists. Rosacea can however be managed with topical creams, serums and gels to reduce the resultant bumpy skin, inflammation, and redness.
According to the ncbi, the “[p]sychosocial effects of the disease can be severe and debilitating. It has already been described that rosacea can be associated with embarrassment, emotional distress, low self-esteem and avoidance of social situations. All these factors can lead to psychiatric disorders such as depression and anxiety.”
Treating Rosacea
Let’s take a look at the various ways rosacea is treated in this day and age. Currently, there are 4 major ways that the condition is managed:
Antibiotics
Commonly used antibiotics such as doxycycline, minocycline, erythromycin and clarithromycin, as well as others, are administered to patients with rosacea. This is not to say that the antimicrobial properties are what they are used for, but rather their anti-inflammatory properties. See the NCBI for more information.
Custom Blended Prescription Creams
These days, it is commonly accepted that rosacea is treated by medical doctors and dermatologists alike. We strongly recommend that you do just that. With the nature of rosacea being what it is, and coupled with the fact that it tends to affect different people differently, making use of store-bought, and mass-marketed branded solutions will, more often than not, yield poor results.
There are many online tele-health providers out there whose main objective is to help patients suffering with skin conditions. One such provider is Qr8 Mediskin. Australian owned and run, we have found them to be the best overall provider of tele-health services when it comes to skin conditions. They have helped thousands of patients with a variety of skin conditions, and successfully so.
“Qr8 MediSkin is a service that provides access to custom prescription skin treatments, with decades of scientific evidence that they work, and a support service so you can maximise the benefits of your treatment quickly and safely. Our products are only available on a doctor’s prescription. They are not over-the-counter skincare or cosmetics. We treat acne, signs of ageing & sun damage, melasma, pigmentation and rosacea.”
Essential Ingredients
Retinoids – After being able to manage your rosacea, prescription strength retinoids should be used as they are the among the best tools on the market for managing this condition.
Metronidazole – An antiprotozoal, topical antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory.
Azelaic acid – Kills bacteria, minimises spots, calms inflammation, and unclogs pores.
Niacinamide – reduces and nurses inflammation as well as improves the function of the skin barrier.
Laser Therapy
Laser is used to make enlarged blood vessels less visible, but this treatment doesn’t come without its side effects. Laser treatment can often induce swelling and bruising that lasts for several days. The full effect of the treatment may not be noticed for weeks, and in patients with dark skin, this treatment can lead to long-term or permanent discolouration of the skin.
Sunscreen
As we know that exposure to UV rays of the sun causes flare ups, making use of sunscreen offering protection of more than SPF 30 is the way to go. Make sure this is applied after any topical treatment being used to treat the condition.
Lifestyle Changes That Help
With no known cure for rosacea being available on the current market, we have to focus our energies on managing the symptoms, and thankfully, this can be done with a few simple lifestyle changes:
Exercise
Unfortunately, exercising tends to cause flare ups with rosacea, and this is mainly due to the increased amount of blood flow throughout the body, especially when exercising outside in the heat.
Here’s how you can get around this issue:
- Exercise when it’s cooler outside, either in the morning or late afternoon/evening.
- Exercise indoors in AC.
- Avoid steam rooms and saunas
Food and beverage
- Avoid alcohol
- Avoid spicy food where possible, or limit your intake
- Limit the amount of hot beverages you consume
- Histamines are the enemy, so learn to avoid the foods that contain them
Outdoors
- Use sunscreen
- Make use of sunglasses and hats
- Ensure you have a decent skin barrier when out in the cold (moisturise).
Rosacea is for life, but we hope that through the advice we have given you, you are able to find solace in the fact there is help out there, and it works.
