A Guide To Understanding Rosacea
Starting to realise you have a tendency to blush or flush more easily than others? This can be a sign of Rosacea. Rosacea is a common skin condition that affects millions of people worldwide. It’s characterised by facial redness, visible blood vessels and small bumps or pimples that often resemble acne. Despite how common it is, many people are unaware of what rosacea is, how it’s caused, and how to manage its symptoms.
What is Rosacea?
Rosacea is an inflammatory skin concern that causes blushing or flushing, and visible blood vessels in your face. It may also produce small, pus-filled bumps. But unlike acne, rosacea doesn’t scar. As of today, there’s no permanent cure for Rosacea, but there are treatments and best practices that can help manage the signs and symptoms.
Types of Rosacea
There are four types of rosacea, Erythematotelangiectatic, Papulopustular, Phymatous and Ocular, and it’s possible to experience a combination of all four types at the same time.
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Erythematotelangiectatic Rosacea: Characterised by persistent redness from small blood vessels beneath the skin’s surface becoming enlarged and visible. If the condition isn’t treated, the redness can get more persistent, cover more skin, and become permanent.
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Papulopustular Rosacea: Associated with “whitehead” pustules, these typically appear on the cheeks, chin, and forehead. Facial redness and flushing may also appear. This type of rosacea is frequently misidentified as acne, and it can take a long time to go away if the condition is severe.
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Phymatous Rosacea: This can cause the skin to thicken and scar, making it bumpy, swollen, and sometimes discoloured. This type of rosacea is rare but treatable and often affects the nose. It’s more common in men than women.
- Ocular Rosacea: Mostly affecting the eyes, this type of rosacea can cause persistent dryness, sensitivity, and cyst formation, resulting in your eye looking watery or bloodshot.
What Can Trigger Rosacea?
According to the National Rosacea Society, there are environmental factors that can trigger rosacea or worsen symptoms. The list is extensive, so it’s important to remember that while you may be sensitive to one or more of these, it’s not necessary for you to avoid or remove these factors from your life. Keeping a diary to identify patterns when your condition flares up can be a useful tool to know what to avoid.
Some of the most common triggers include:
- Alcohol
- Hot drinks
- Coffee and tea
- Spicy foods
- Overexposure to sunlight
- Anxiety
- Emotional stress
- Overheating, especially in bed at night
Symptoms
The main signs and symptoms of rosacea include:
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Facial blushing or flushing: This is often seen in the central part of your face, and it can be difficult to see on those with darker skin tones.
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Visible veins: Also known as spider veins, these can appear on your nose and cheeks.
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Swollen bumps: Many people with rosacea also develop pimples containing pus on their faces. The mistake most people make is to diagnose this solely as acne when it’s also likely due to rosacea.
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Burning sensation: In areas where the skin is affected, it can feel hot and tender.
- Eye problems: Also known as ocular rosacea, people may experience dry, irritated, swollen eyes and eyelids. Sometimes this can precede the skin symptoms.
Often, these symptoms may flare up for weeks or months and then go away for a while. These signs and symptoms may also be mistaken for natural redness, acne, or other skin conditions.
How to Treat/Manage Rosacea?
Lifestyle
More than 90% of rosacea patients have reported their condition has lowered their self-confidence and self-esteem, and 41% said it had caused them to avoid public contact or cancel social engagements.
There’s a clear emotional effect that one can experience which is important to be aware of. Being on top of rosacea and managing it accordingly can alleviate additional stress and anxiety that may worsen the condition. Ways to manage some emotional factors of the condition include meditation, breathing practices, talking to trusted people, and attending therapy and coaching sessions if needed.
On a daily basis, there are actions you can take to support the treatment and management of your skin. Some lifestyle measures that people with rosacea often take include avoiding direct sun exposure and intense heat (even from cooking), avoiding heavy forms of exercise, reducing alcohol consumption and eating spicy foods, as well as avoiding hot baths.
Given rosacea is a skin condition associated with inflammation, creating habits that reduce overall inflammation in the body can benefit your complexion. Incorporate a healthy diet with reduced amounts of inflammatory foods (highly processed, packaged foods, ones containing lots of refined sugars, and fried foods), stay hydrated, move your body and get enough sleep.
Skincare
Consistent, gentle skin care, and effective use of makeup can make a significant difference in managing rosacea. On the other hand, using the wrong products on your face can negatively impact your lipid barrier and worsen your condition. Your topical treatment should focus on nourishing your skin daily with lipid-loving ingredients including:
The Secret Regime for Managing Rosacea
As we’ve learnt, rosacea is an inflammatory skin condition that can unfortunately flare up with the introduction of additional active ingredients. This is why it’s vital to strengthen your lipid barrier and use nourishing ingredients daily.
Here’s The Secret regime we recommend to support your skin’s journey:
The Essentials
This prescription solution has been carefully formulated to alleviate stressed skin. Under the inflammatory condition of Rosacea, the cream can aid in restoring skin cells to build a healthier and calmer complexion. The combination of antibiotics and anti-inflammatories gently removes dead skin cells and harmful bacteria to get stronger and more resilient skin. The results are longer-lasting.
Day Brightening Elixir Sensitive
Our Brightening Elixir is your daytime Secret to luminous skin, and this variation is formulated specifically for those with skin on the sensitive side. The mix of prescription and active ingredients gently removes dead skin cells and harmful bacteria that contribute to inflammation on the skin’s surface and pores. It is intended to support the outcomes of your active Night Cream, enhance results, and further glow your complexion.
Also known as beauty sleep captured in a bottle, this potent formula was designed to be your morning pick me up, depuffing, brightening, and hydrating eye contour. The vasoconstrictor ingredients reduce the swelling of blood vessels for a tightening effect. As a result, your skin is protected from the free radicals it is exposed to during the day to prevent ageing and environmental damage.
Hydrating Duo
This combo is rich in antioxidants, natural oils, and essential fatty acids. It is designed to complement our prescription range or to be used as stand-alone products. The restorative Face Oil and re-formulated Face Serum nurture and support your skin by strengthening your lipid barrier.
Meet Claudine and Jade - check out the transformations they’ve had after incorporating The Secret products into their skincare regime to address rosacea (along with inflammation and pigmentation):
To read more of our Real Results and client’s testimonies click here.
Whether you’re looking to add the perfect products to your skincare routine, treat a specific concern, or are interested in finding out if medical grade and prescription skincare is the right option for you, The Secret is here to guide you on your journey to clear, glowing skin.
If you have any questions or would like to get in touch, please contact us online.
