Coming up on the cold, wind-chilled days of fall and winter can be especially difficult for those of us that suffer from rosacea. Rosacea is sometime referred to as “The curse of the Celts” as fair skinned men and women from Celtic descent are often the ones that suffer. Rosacea is characterized by flushing, pimply bumps and spider-like broken blood vessels of the face. Men can have a red, bulbous nose often associated with alcoholism.
Treatment involves a visit to the doctor for a topical cream and oral antibiotic. However, this condition existed long before antibiotics and other courses of treatment can be quite helpful. I have read and heard of a number of individuals who are not helped by the “doctor route.”
When you Feel a Flare Up
Apply a cold compress. Soak a cloth or paper towel in ice-cold water and apply it to the flushed areas of your face. The cold will constrict the dilated blood vessels and halt the inflammatory process.
Use tinted makeup. If you’re prone to frequent flare-ups, use a green-tinted under-foundation cover, available at beauty supply stores, for everyday wear. The green combines with any red in your face and neutralizes it completely.
PREVENT FUTURE FLARE-UPS
Fortunately, keeping rosacea under control can be as simple as treating your skin gently and avoiding anything that’s known to trigger a flush.Here’s what women doctors suggest.
Find a gentle cleanser. Use a liquid facial cleanser that contains sodium lauryl sulfate or disodium lauryl sulfosuccinate, such as Skincare System’s Gentle Purifying Cleanser. Both ingredients will clean your skin gently and without any stimulation that might cause flushing.
Soothe your skin with chamomile. Since chamomile is known to soothe rosacea-prone skin, using cleansers, soaps and moisturizers containing chamomile, an herb related to the ragweed family. One caution though: If you are allergic to ragweed, you should avoid these cleansers.
Avoid abrasives. Any type of abrasion can cause a flush. So leave abrasive products such as scrubs, buff puffs or cleansing powders to others.
Keep wrinkle creams to a minimum. If you have rosacea and want to use an anti-aging cream that contains alpha hydroxy acids to prevent wrinkles, proceed cautiously. Read product labels carefully and only buy creams that keep the percentage of acid under 2.5 percent. If package directions urge you to use the cream twice a day, don’t push your luck. Use it once a day, tops. If there is any redness at all, discontinue using the product.
Gently apply a cucumber moisturizer. After you cleanse your skin (and also if you apply an alpha hydroxy acid preparation), smooth on moisturizers that contain cucumber extracts. Although no one knows why, cucumber lotions soothe rosacea-prone skin.
Select cosmetics for sensitive skin. Since the chemicals used in most cosmetics will irritate rosacea-prone skin, use only cosmetics that are labeled “for sensitive skin.” Although not chemical-free, they usually have fewer and less-irritating chemicals than regular makeup. Mineral make-up can be an alternative, as well.
Stay in the shade. Stay out of the sun, period. The sun will set off a flare-up–and no cover-up or sunscreen will prevent it.
Use only a titanium dioxide sunscreen. Even in the shade, you’re exposed to indirect sunlight, so use a sunscreen whenever you go outside. Avoid all the chemical sunscreens and stick to a sunscreen that lists titanium dioxide as its major ingredient. It’s less irritating to rosacea-prone skin.
Stay cool. Since heat is a major cause of flare-ups, dress in layers of light clothes that you can peel off to keep your body cool, no matter where you are. And take tepid (not hot) baths and showers.
Avoid wool. If you have rosacea, you’re better off avoiding wool–it tends to keep you too warm and seems to cause redness and rashes in those who have rosacea.
Choose cool food. Spicy food is known to make those with rosacea flush, so avoid it as much as possible. Avoid foods prepared with chili peppers, Tabasco sauce, horseradish and the like.
