Recommended products to help with Rosacea for home care

Below are some of the products I recommend to clients who suffer from Rosacea. Using these in conjunction with professional treatments will help the overall health of your skin and maintain a healthy appearance.

Rosacea

Rosacea is a chronic skin inflammation that can make you run for cover at a time when spending time outside with friends is all you want to do. Even indoors, it’s hard to ignore your red, bumpy face when you’re staring at your own reflection on every video call!

Are you tired of rosacea running your life? Let’s discuss what causes rosacea, who is most at risk, and how you can avoid the main triggers.

What Does Rosacea Look Like?

There are four main rosacea subtypes, and each affects a different part of the face with different tell-tale symptoms. You might find your symptoms switch from one subtype to another, or experience more than one at a time.

To further complicate matters, some subtypes look a lot like acne, although the best way to treat this skin condition is almost the opposite of conventional acne treatments.

This type of rosacea shows up as redness in the center of your face. You may see broken blood vessels, experience a stinging sensation, and your skin may be swollen and sensitive.

The 4 Types of Rosacea:

Erythematotelangiectatic rosacea (ETR)

This type of rosacea shows up as redness in the center of your face. You may see broken blood vessels, experience a stinging sensation, and your skin may be swollen and sensitive.

Papulopustular rosacea

With a look similar to a typical acne breakout, Papulopustular rosacea gives you pus-filled bumps and a bonus of red, oily skin with visible broken blood vessels. Women in their late 40’s and 50’s are the most often affected by this type.

Rhinophyma rosacea

Often wrongly associated with excessive alcohol consumption, Rhinophyma rosacea primarily affects the nose. It causes the skin on your nose to become thickened and bumpy, with visible pores and broken blood vessels. This subtype usually occurs alongside at least one other subtype and affects more men than women.

Ocular rosacea

Ocular rosacea affects the eyes of up to 60% of rosacea sufferers, often going undiagnosed as it mimics seasonal allergy symptoms (although the symptoms are experienced year-round). It irritates the eyes, making them bloodshot and watery, often accompanied by burning or stinging. If you suspect you may be suffering from ocular rosacea, it is important to visit your health practitioner to check it out, as this type can cause corneal damage if left to run rampant.

What Causes Rosacea?

Although there is no single cause of rosacea, genetics and environmental factors play a strong role among other factors.

The Role of Genetics in Rosacea

Women are more likely to get rosacea in general, while men might be less likely to have it, but the risk of rosacea symptoms being severe is higher.

Studies show that you may be four times more likely to have rosacea if it runs in your family, with genetics being a factor most often in middle-aged women of Celtic or Scandinavian ancestry, in particular if they have a personal history with acne.

Recent genetic research has identified a number of genes that affect the immune system, inflammation, protein metabolism and how stress affects the cells. However it is important to remember that your genes only indicate what you are predisposed to, and do not indicate how that predisposition will play out. Environmental factors such as pollution, stress and lifestyle all play a role in gene expression.

Immune System

Research has identified that those with rosacea are more likely to have an overactive immune system. The body’s immune system is designed to protect you from threats, but if it becomes overactive, your body will respond to its own tissues as if it were a foreign invader.

Inflammation is the body’s way of ‘smoking out’ the invaders with heat. But when inflammation gets out of hand internally, it may show up externally on your face.

The number of microbes in our bodies outnumber our own cells 10 to 1. Most of the time the various “good” and “bad“ strains play well together, the good bacteria balancing out the bad, and forming symbiotic microbial ecosystems. But when things get out of balance, the bad bacteria can take over.

The Microbiome & Rosacea

Good & Bad Bacteria

You may have heard about the microbiome in reference to the communities of bacteria in our intestinal tract, but we have a whole other microbial community on our skin as well. It is the largest organ after all, and there’s room for a thriving skin microbiome.

H. Pylori

Studies also show that the parasitic bacteria H pylori, known to cause stomach ulcers, is seen much more frequently in those with rosacea.

Demodex Skin Mites

A microscopic skin mite called demodex has also been implicated in rosacea. We all host these mites, which like to hang out on our facial skin and in our eyelashes and eyebrows. If you’ve ever wondered why your eye makeup naturally fades, these mites are the reason!

Studies show that those with rosacea have large numbers of these mites on their skin, but they are not actually to blame. The real culprits are the bacteria they carry (bacillus oleronius).

https://www.ewg.org/consumer-guides

https://www.rosacea.org/