Rosacea!

[MarisaGeek]

Any tips on treating and covering Rosacea?

[EdAj77Geek]

I would recommend a good dermatologist in your area, and to seek treatment. It is defined as a chronic long-term disease, which needs treatment. They are not quite sure of the underlying cause as to whether it is an allergic reaction to the bugs in or your skin or something else that causes this disease. They have gels that are topically applied to reduce the redness and to control any breakouts associated with rosacea. Avoid alcohol, spicy foods, and prolonged sun exposure. The treatements perscribed by dermatologists help to control the symptoms, which is important. Sunscreen is a must. Your derm would also be able to recommend makeup that would not exacerbate your symptoms.

[CheriGeek]

Hi there,
In addition to the advice already listed, here are some tips and tricks for living with Rosacea. I have mild-to-moderate Rosacea and also Ocular Rosacea (rosacea on my eyelids and in the eyes) so I am speaking from experience.

First, here are some things to do to reduce the flushed/pink/redness (some already mentioned) if they cause a flair:

Hot baths/showers – keep the temperature warm to tepid to reduce flushing
Hot drinks/soups can cause flair; stick to cold drinks
Alcohol causes flair
Keep your environment cool; the heat causes flair.
Exercise in a temperature controlled environment

A really great tip is to use a clean wash cloth every time you wash your face. Letting your wash cloth air dry then reusing greatly increases the risk of getting bacteria on your face. So I keep a stack of clean soft wash cloths in my bathroom and use a clean one each day. I have a basket on my counter where I put the used ones and once a week I wash them. Also be sure to wash your face towels in fragrance free laundry soap and use fragrance free fabric softener. I also have a hand towel that is used for my face only and I replace that every 2 or 3 days.

Skincare – suggestions in addition to your dermatologist’s treatment program. I have very dry sensitive skin. Be sure to gently wash and moisturize your face twice daily. Wash off all makeup before going to bed.

Use a very gentle cleanser. Many doctors suggest Cetaphil. I do not use anything with soaps and prefer plant-based cleansers. I really like Neutrogena Naturals, Earth Science Creamy A-D-E cleanser, and Yes to Cucumbers (see below).

Use moisturizers that will not irritate your skin. Again many doctors suggest Cetaphil. I like Earth Science Almond-Aloe Moisturizer and Yes to Cucumbers (see below).

For both face wash and moisturizers I really like the Yes to Cucumbers line (sensitive skin line of Yes to Carrots). They have all natural ingredients and the cucumber line is very calming on my skin. Their moisturizer is awesome and gentle. The new Simple line also looks promising.

Eucerin has a line that is supposed to reduce redness. I do not like their facewash and find it to be drying and really harsh on my skin. The moisturizer is too light for me but might be OK if you do not have dry skin. Clinique also has a line to reduce redness but I have not tried them. I prefer the more natural products.

Watch out for products that have Retinol, Alpha Hydroxy Acids (anti-age), and benzyl peroxide (acne) unless prescribed by your doctor as they will likely irritate rosacea skin.

I have been using the Simple line of eye cream and it is very moisturizing and gentle. I also want to try the Yes to Cucumbers soothing eye cream.

My other go-to products are grapeseed oil and pure aloe vera gel. These you need to get from the natural food store. Grapeseed oil is awesome for all skin but especially sensitive skin and naturally anti-aging. It also treats acne and it an awesome moisturizer. I put this around my eyes and on my eyelids every night. It is also a fantastic makeup remover. Just put on a cotton ball and gently swipe over your eyelids. Pure aloe (the natural kind, not the neon green stuff at the drug store) is very cooling and moisturizing so great for skin flair and irritation. I also use this on my eyelids as well as entire face at times.

I also use hydrocortisone cream for flair or itchy skin on my cheeks but not eyelids as it can thin the eyelid skin. For my eyelids I will use neosporin cream with pain relief if they are burning from eye makeup irritation. It is soothing, moisturizing, and also prevents bacteria from forming.

Makeup – makeup is a real challenge with rosacea, especially if your skin is very dry and sensitive. Here are my experiences but everyone is different so you may need to experiment.

Primer – I use the Monistat chafing relief powder that Marlena suggests as it is fragrance free and non-irritating. The dimethicone is also a skin protectant.

Eye Primer – I can sometimes use UD Primer Potion but other times get some irritation. Recently I have started using a primer from Boots No. 7′s Botanical line called Soothing and Calming Eyebase. This is contains argan oil and is fragrance free. Seems to be working well so far.

Foundation – I have used Revlon Color Stay without any irritation but I find it to be too drying. I recently switched to Neutrogena Healthy Skin. I find this foundation works much better to keep my skin hydrated but it does not cover the redness as well. My skin feels so much better with this though.

Concealer – Currently using the Neutrogena Healthy Skin 3-in-1 concealer. I also use the Coastal Scents Quad but find it to be a bit drying at times. The green and white concealers are pretty good though.

Powder & Blush – Due to dry skin I have stopped using any powder. I also skip blush because I have enough color as it is

Eyeshadow – This is the tough one. I can’t use any drug store ones without irritation. I mostly wear Tarte but have recently learned I can wear the MUG ones (yay). I primarily stick to light earthtones (cream, taupe, light peach, light pink) with a bit of medium to darker brown smudged on the outside edges. My mug faves are vanilla bean, purely naked, shimma shimma, and brown sugar). The more color pigmentation the more changes of irritation. There are days my eyelids cannot take eyeshadow and on those days I skip it.

Eyeliner – I don’t personally use a lot of eyeliner as I find it too irritating. I have a lot of problems with eyelid irritation so I stick just to shadow.

Mascara – The Tarte mascara is good for sensitive eyes as well as the Urban Decay Skyscraper mascara. Try several until you find one that does not irritate your eyes then stick with that! I have found the only drug-store ones I can use are a couple of the Rimmel formulas.

Lips – Fortunately I can wear pretty much any lipstick/lip gloss. I do have dry lips so tend to wear lip butters and lip gloss for the most part.

I am super fair with pink/flushed rosacea. I have come to the point where I just tone down the pink not try to completely cover it because I don’t like the cakey look to completely cover it up. My skin is so dry that it gets worse when I have on heavy face makeup. I also carry around tinted moisturizer and use that instead of powder for touch ups. This really helps for the dry itchy skin.

Due to the rosacea on my eyelids I can’t do all the eye makeup that I would like. Instead I have taken to keeping the eyes simple and when I want to wear more color I put on a bright lipstick. I have also found that even though I have very cool undertones, sometimes wearing warmer tones like a peachy pink lip gloss helps detract from the pink flushing. I got that idea from Marlena when she talks about doing opposite warm/cool between eyes and cheeks/lips and she is right it does help to balance the colors out!

Hope this gives you some ideas. Let me know if you have other specific questions as I am glad to help.

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