Thread: Rosacea, bane of my existence...

What do you use on your skin? Anything over the counter that tones down the redness?

Oh honey,don´t be sad!

I have no less than 6 friends that have Rosacea-I´ll mail them,
BRB with their tips:)

thanks emma, I'm at my wits end.

I'm currently getting good results with daily high-SPF, and a topical gel called Prosacea. Prosacea contains sulphur and aloe vera gel, so the antibiotic boost from the sulphur may not last forever, but it works pretty well for me so far!..g.:

I have problems with this too....Bare Minerals is the best thing ever for me, it covers the flare-ups and I use the big Kabuki brush and it works great.

I have also found that diet can cause rosacea flare-ups. Caffine, red wine, spicey foods can cause it. Also, really hot weather or really cold weather. I notice that the cold really affects me, especially when I was living in PA and we had bad winters.

Also, drinking tons of water is always good for your skin.

Over the years I have used all kinds of things. Prosacea worked sort of well for me, but not as well as Metrocream (less drying than Metrogel). Metro (antibiotic cream) keeps the bumps and lumps at bay on my cheeks, chin and chest. I also use antioxidant serum that helps with the redness. My dermatologist suggested that before putting on stage makeup I apply some Afrin nasal spray to the red areas as it will shrink the capillaries and reduce the redness. He also suggested Cover FX makeup. In the past I have also used Vitamin K cream. That does help but takes quite a while to show results.

Stress, lack of sleep, red wine, hot foods, hot humid weather, feeling rushed all make my cheeks start glowing red.

Bare Minerals worked great for me for a long time but I am 62 and starting to deal with dryness and some fine line issues.

Lets see, what else. I use yellow tone concealer and finishing powder. Green is supposed to neutralize red but only looks like green to me. Yellow is mellow.

Souzan

I use Eryacne gel. Its an antibiotic gel. it cleared mine up so fast and If I start to get a breakout I use it asap and its gone. You need a prescription for it. My tube has lasted for years

I only have very mild rosacea, but it is really helped by only using mineral-based sunblocks on my face. The active ingredients should only be zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide.

I use Noritate topical cream, and try to avoid triggers like red wine, coffee, very hot water, etc. I second drinking lots of water, it does really help.

I always feel like my rosacea flares up when the seasons change too.

Anyone find anything NOT prescription that's been helpful?

I'm developing some rosacea as I get *ahem* older. Not bad enough that I feel like I need to see a dermatologist (since I don't have insurance) but enough that I'm needing some help.

I've heard lactic acid peels are helpful (as opposed to other peels that irritate rosacea). Anyone try it?

Originally Posted by Lauren_

Anyone find anything NOT prescription that's been helpful?

I'm developing some rosacea as I get *ahem* older. Not bad enough that I feel like I need to see a dermatologist (since I don't have insurance) but enough that I'm needing some help.

I've heard lactic acid peels are helpful (as opposed to other peels that irritate rosacea). Anyone try it?

This is the antioxidant serum for redness that I am using. Scroll down to the anti-redness product: Derma E - Natural Bodycare

Got it at health food store. It does seem to help.

Thanks Souzan. Holy moly that's expensive! I can't afford to get older. LOL

Originally Posted by Lauren_

Thanks Souzan. Holy moly that's expensive! I can't afford to get older. LOL

Oops, I didn't even look at the price. Its about $22 at my health food store.

Originally Posted by Souzan

Oops, I didn't even look at the price. Its about $22 at my health food store.

Whew! I'll look there then!

I started getting bumps on my nose a few years ago. My mom had a prescription for Finacea and gave it to me since it didn't work for her. It helped me a lot, but I've run out of it so I have to either go to the derm or try something else. I tracked down some Prosacea today (it was rather difficult to find in my town) and I'm really hoping it works; I have a couple bumps right now and i'd like to see them go away!

My friend uses something from Clinique to deal with her rosacea. She likes it a lot. I'll see if I can contact her to find out which product it is.

My derm got me on a prescription for metrocream. This has change my life because before if my face was exposed to the sun for a short little bit of time my whole face broke out in the worst welts. I also use Bare Minerals, been using for 10 years. It really has been great because it actually improved my skin.

Originally Posted by Lauren_

Anyone find anything NOT prescription that's been helpful?

I'm developing some rosacea as I get *ahem* older. Not bad enough that I feel like I need to see a dermatologist (since I don't have insurance) but enough that I'm needing some help.

I've heard lactic acid peels are helpful (as opposed to other peels that irritate rosacea). Anyone try it?

The Prosacea sounds like it's prescription, but it's not. At $10/tube, it's not cheap, but it's not crazy expensive, either.

Originally Posted by da Sage

The Prosacea sounds like it's prescription, but it's not. At $10/tube, it's not cheap, but it's not crazy expensive, either.

AH! Thank you, I'll look for that too.

Originally Posted by Lauren_

Anyone find anything NOT prescription that's been helpful?

I'm developing some rosacea as I get *ahem* older. Not bad enough that I feel like I need to see a dermatologist (since I don't have insurance) but enough that I'm needing some help.

I've heard lactic acid peels are helpful (as opposed to other peels that irritate rosacea). Anyone try it?

My friend uses Clinique Redness Solutions Daily Relief Cream. It's pricey, though, at 40 bucks a pop... but a little bit goes a long way according to her.

Any breakouts from the prosecea? I'll check my drugstores for it

Originally Posted by kemintiri

Any breakouts from the prosecea? I'll check my drugstores for it

I found it to be somewhat drying. And it has a sulphur smell.

You might also consider taking burdock supplements. It's an old remedy for a variety of skin issues. I started taking it for some issues with excema, and I noticed a difference. My mom, who has rosecea, started taking it as well, and says it's really helped her. You can get burdock at healthfood or vitamin stores.

In addition, I've used aloe gel for my skin for years, mom also started using it, saying it has helped soothe some of her flares. Again, also available relatively cheap.

I have heard that Evening Primrose oil, taken internally, helps, sometimes dramatically. I haven't tried it myself.

When I stopped eating sugar and wheat and otherwise cleaned up my diet, my rosacea almost disappeared. I usually only get the flushing when I am upset emotionally. I still drink coffee, eat spicy foods and sit in the hot tub.

In *some* women, rosacea can be a symptom of imbalance between estrogen and progesterone. In particular, if there's not enough progesterone in the body to balance the estrogen, this could result in rosacea. Another possible issue could be excess estrogen. If you fix the hormone imbalance, then the rosacea goes away on its own.

Other symptoms that might suggest this could be your issue include migraine headaches (especially if they coincide with your cycle), foggy thinking, depression/anxiety, mood swings, insomnia, weepiness, heavy bleeding, development of belly fat disproportional to where you are otherwise gaining weight, rapid or unexplained weight gain, etc.

If you think this could be your situation, I'd suggest talking to an endocrinologist. Extra-high estrogen levels can increase risk of breast cancer in some people, so it's a good idea to deal with it.

Other ways to deal with the above symptoms:

Discard any plastic containers with a recycling number of 1, 2, or 5, especially if you use them for heating food. When heated, these can release chemicals into your food that mimic the effects of estrogen in your body.

Avoid drinking bottled water that has been sitting in a hot car. The plastic of the water bottle may release chemicals into the water that mimic the effects of estrogen in your body when it gets hot.

Avoid soy. It can create an estrogen-like effect in your body.

Beware of personal care products (body lotions, shampoos, etc.) that contain lavender or tea tree oil. These can mimic the effects of estrogen in your body.

I found this bit on intestinal bacteria EXTREMELY interesting. Has anyone had any testing/treatment along these lines?

Rosacea - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Originally Posted by Lauren_

I found this bit on intestinal bacteria EXTREMELY interesting. Has anyone had any testing/treatment along these lines?

Rosacea - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lauren, I have actually found that when I take acidophilus pearls daily, my rosacea improves. I have very few active bumps. Mine is more the redness from capillaries.

My order of Cover Fx makeup arrives today from Sephora so I am going to see how well that works to cover the redness.

I can't get Prosacea in Canada. Damn! I've asked two pharmacists and they both told me that it's not available here. :o(

Originally Posted by kemintiri

I can't get Prosacea in Canada. Damn! I've asked two pharmacists and they both told me that it's not available here. :o(

Drugstore.com carries it, and they ship to Canada. Warning: They have buy one get one half off sales running on many cosmetic brands including loreal hip, so you could posssibly get sucked in and spend more than you set out to. Not that I just did that or anything...

The tips I recieved from friends were already posted on this thread.
(medicatons,taking oil supplements,using sunscreen and such)

But I have a tip as a makeup artist:South Korean BB cream!

It´s a kind of skintinted calming cream with built in physical sunsceen(zink and titanium dioxide)that I sometime use as a moisturizer/primer/concealer/foundation/sunscreen when I´m in a hurry.
Worked with no problems on rosacea skin AND it covers much more than a tinted moisturizer.

Blemish Balm Cream: What is a BB Cream?

Some rosacea clients are sensitive against bismuth oxychloride that are the covering/shiny agent in many mineral makeup brands.
Three of my friends are using brushes/concealer/foundation with no rosacea flareup trouble from this brand:
base - try me free

Are you close to MAC nuance NC15?
I have one BB cream(Missha M Perfect Cover spf 42) left I could give to you since I do makeup very seldom nowadays:)