When rosacea attacks, it blitzes in full-force. From every direction. Redness appears because of abnormally increased blood flow to the skin. Raw flushing and bumps develop because of surface irritation. Then all these symptoms are amplified by inflammation. Your skin is assaulted from the inside as well as the outside.
This means your nutrition, your exercise, your sleep, your hormones, your skincare, your environment—everything!—can affect your rosacea.
To defeat rosacea you’ll need a well-rounded strategy that covers many fronts. In honor of National Rosacea Awareness Month, BodyLase® has pulled together our best rosacea tips. Stop irritating your delicate skin and find out how to erase redness now.
External Rosacea Triggers
Avoid all external irritants. Though the source of this skin disorder is internal, external factors can greatly irritate your skin. By following some tips you might be able to drastically reduce your rosacea symptoms. Help your skin find freedom from discomfort.
- Stay out of direct sunlight. Warmth and irritation from the sun’s rays can cause rosacea flares.
- Humidity can disturb your rosacea. Both excess humidity and extreme dryness are reported irritants for rosacea sufferers. Try avoiding both extremes.
- Don’t slather on a makeup or skincare product that makes your rosacea worse. Listen to your skin. If it’s telling you that it’s irritated by something, stop using it immediately.
Internal Rosacea Triggers
Many rosacea patients report food triggers. To control and minimize your rosacea symptoms, discover what your own internal triggers are.
- A diet high in carbohydrates and sugars is a reported to cause rosacea flare-ups. These carbohydrates and sugars can cause large insulin spikes. Excess insulin can lead to inflammation.
- Foods high in tryptophan or vitamin B3 (like coffees and cereal to name a few) stimulate prostaglandin production, which in turn causes your blood vessels to dilate.
- Alcohol causes temporary flushing as surface blood vessels dilate. But alcohol can also cause inflammation, which contributes to lingering redness and prolonged irritation.
- Processed foods and fast foods are filled with unsaturated vegetable oils. These are high in the linoleic acid, a type of omega-6 fatty acid that is pro-inflammatory. To avoid inflammation, it’s good to avoid foods with linoleic acid.
Rosacea Nutrition
Get to the bottom of your disorder by talking with your doctor or nutritionist about ways you could boost your anti-inflammatory response and your immune system. Avoiding pro-inflammatory nutrients while seeking out anti-inflammatory nutrients is a great start.
- Gamma linolenic acid (GLA), another type of omega-6 fatty acid, is an anti-inflammatory nutrient unlike it’s pro-inflammatory counterpart linoleic acid. Evening primrose oil and borage oil are a great source of GLA.
- Vitamin D3 is also identified as an important nutrient in anti-inflammatory responses. It is also said to boost your immune system.
Rosacea Skincare
Skincare is an crucial step of managing and soothing your rosacea. It can make or break your redness. Since everyone’s skin is different, it’s important to learn what products are good for your skin and what products deserve a kick to the curb.
Here are some things to look for: gentle products that don’t irritate or dry out the skin, hydrating products that relieve dryness associated with rosacea, soothing products that can calm inflammation, and camouflaging products that can conceal redness.
The following are our favorite rosacea skincare products:
Obagi Rosaclear System
- Obagi Metronidazole Gel 0.75% has antibiotic and anti-inflammatory properties that help calm advanced rosacea-related inflammations, redness and bumps.
- Obagi Rosaclear Gentle Cleanser is a non-irritating, non-stripping cleanser. It is specially formulated so it will not dry out sensitive skin.
- Obagi Rosaclear Hydrating Complexion Corrector is a double-duty moisturizer that’s soothes and offers a little redness-coverage. Anti-inflammatory effects are delivered by allantion (extracted from comfrey plants), licorice, aloe, lavender, and sea whip.
Avene Rosacea Products
- Avene Antirougeurs Anti-Redness Dermo-Cleansing Fluid is a cleanser that’s free of any abrasive cleansing ingredients. It offers a soothing, hydrating clean.
- Avene Diroseal Anti-Redness Skincare Lotion is a non-irritating moisturizer that includes a green tint to neutralize any redness.
For more information on time-tested rosacea-reducing products and methods, stop by our BodyLase® spas in Raleigh-Durham and Cary.
April Rosacea Special
To help you calm rosacea redness and erase broken veins, we’re offering a Rosacea Special for March 2012. Buy 3 treatments and get one free! Get an IPL package and save $299. Or grab a laser facial package and save $199. Also, you can enjoy our special 2D treatment, which combines both IPL and laser facial in one great all-around rosacea-combatting treatment, and you’ll save $349. Our rosacea special also lets you share with friend! Call us to grab your deal today.
