Living with Rosacea & Searching for Solutions to Redness

I have rosy cheeks. My mum has rosy cheeks. However, this isn’t just a nice healthy glow they can (at times) burn bright red and this is my experience of living with Rosacea. My face can feel irritated and it can make me feel uncomfortable and embarrassed by my face.

As a teenager, I was lucky with my skin, not one for spots and not one for really oily skin. I never wore much make-up as I simply didn’t need it. I was more interested in playing hockey than spending hours on my face. However, now I am rarely seen without foundation because of my rosy cheeks and rosacea flare-ups are known as the common skin disease Rosacea.

selfie of Emma and Sarah jagger both wearing black Emma is living with rosacea which is visible on her cheeks

Living with Rosacea

I have been living with rosacea which is a relatively common skin condition for many years, the first sign of rosacea probably arrived in my early 20’s. The exact cause of rosacea is unknown but it does tend to run in families. I can see that my nan and mum both had redness of the face which demonstrates that there is evidence rosacea is genetic and affects other family members too. Severe rosacea seems to plague fair-skinned individuals more which didn’t surprise me as I am very fair, it is also more prevalent in those with sensitive skin generally. The physical symptoms vary but for me, the redness and flushing is the most annoying symptom.

What is Rosacea?

Rosacea is a common chronic inflammatory skin condition that affects about 1 in 10 people. It causes facial redness and red bumps under the skin. I recently attended a talk where we discussed how rosacea made us feel and agreed that even if others don’t notice – we, ourselves, are aware of how it makes us feel. Dr Dawn Harper was also on hand alongside a dermatologist to listen to our rosacea symptoms and discuss how the chronic condition affects sufferers and they explained that there is a number of common triggers to watch out for and they also shared that rosacea patients should seek out topical treatments.

Both the GP and dermatologist encouraged that we should not feel bad for going to see our GP about skin conditions, as getting a diagnosis of rosacea is often the first step to medical treatment and we will be offered treatment options.

I had raised, during our conversation, that it is something many mums would ignore because we do not class it as an illness, we are not sick and so it seems like vanity to seek help. However, we were encouraged that there are treatments and we should seek them out because how we feel is vital to our wellbeing and emotional health in addition to physical health.

Symptoms Of Rosacea

If you are wondering if you have rosacea or looking at what the symptoms are of this skin disorder here is a quick breakdown of some you can look out for. It is widely thought that rosacea is due to your immune system breaking down although there are definitive environmental factors that cause a flare-up.

  • Redness and blushing across your cheeks, nose and forehead and sometimes the chin.
  • Visible blood vessels that look broken
  • Sometimes you may experience stinging feeling water or some skincare products
  • You may also experience dry skin
  • Some swelling may occur especially around the eyes, so you need to keep an eye on that as it can cause eye problems in a small number of cases.
  • There may be orange or yellow patches on the skin
  • You may experience dry eyelids or crusts around the roots of eyelashes – this could be Blepharitis.
  • You also may experience thickened skin this happens after many years and mainly around the nose.

Best Treatment For Rosacea

Whilst I do not suffer like some with rosacea it is enough to make me feel self-conscious with my fair skin. My cheeks often feel hot too which is part of the condition. 

Therefore when I was invited to meet with specialists including a dermatologist, celebrity make-up artist Sarah Jagger and TV medic Dr Dawn Harper to learn more about rosacea and the treatments available I dragged myself out of bed early and headed to London for the day.  

During today’s coffee and cakes at the fabulous BB Bakery in Covent Garden I talked to others who suffer from rosacea and was told about some of the newer treatments available and also given some findings from recent research on how rosacea makes people feel.

Rosacea cannot be cured but treatment from a GP can help control the symptoms. It can get worse if it’s not treated, so never feel bad for asking for support and proper treatment.

For severe cases of rosacea a GP may suggest:

  • prescriptions for creams and gels you put on your skin
  • taking oral antibiotics for 6 to 16 weeks
  • IPL (intense pulsed light) treatment – this may not be available on the NHS but laser treatment can be very effective for some skin symptoms. Lasers will treat the surface of your skin.

The GP may refer you to a skin specialist (dermatologist) if treatments are not working or you have a number of flare-ups.

photo of model walking in a street and being looked at by other people playing a part in a Experience My Rosacea event in London, 20 April 2016.
Celebrity makeup artist Sarah Jagger takes part in a Experience My Rosacea event in London, 20 April 2016.
Celebrity makeup artist Sarah Jagger takes talking to audience
Celebrity makeup artist Sarah Jagger takes part in a Experience My Rosacea event in London, 20 April 2016.

Can You Wear Make-Up with Rosacea?

Yes, there are many things you can still do with your skin if you have Rosacea. You can still wear make-up depending on how severe the conditions are, how sensitive your skin is and what your GP recommends.

It is said that mineral makeup is a better choice for skin with rosacea. It doesn’t contain irritating ingredients and so works better with your skin.

You can find a number of different brands and treatments which you can find and use to help make you look and feel the person you want to be. Speak to your GP, friends who may have experienced the same difficulties and find reliable sources to help find what is most suitable for you. There are now a number of skin care products that offer coverage for sensitive skin.

How To Cover Rosacea?

I learnt a few tricks of the trade from Sarah such as to layer make up for best results and not go for a really heavy foundation, I wear Estee Lauder double wear and it works really well for me. It was suggested to use a silicone base and a primer before a BB cream or similar. Sarah said that there are a number of her red carpet famous faces that suffer from rosacea and agreed that we are lucky now that make up has improved.

It was a really interesting discussion and although my rosacea is quite mild it is good to know that there are treatments available if it is causing anyone real concerns. You can also find out more information at experience my rosacea.

Things To Help Rosacea

Rosacea, as you might have been told or guessed, is not caused by poor hygiene or even passed from one person to another.

It isn’t even proven to be hereditary, though it is said that it can be four times more likely for you to get rosacea if someone in your family has it.

Here are some ways you can help keep your rosacea under control and help control those triggers;

  • Wear high SPF suncream or 30 SPF everyday suncream
  • Try and cover your face when going out in cold weather

Be careful of the skin products you use and be gentle with your skin. I use gentle cleansers and never use harsh abrasive scrubs on my skin. I love using cleansing balm like this one from Elemis.

  • Try and manage the stress in your life as stress is known to cause flare-ups
  • Try to avoid too much heat or sunlight or humid conditions where possible.

Rosacea Triggers

If you are prone to rosacea there are a number of well-researched triggers because patients experience flare-ups. You will need to do some detective work to pinpoint your own triggers as not all will affect everyone. Make a note of your personal triggers and monitor them over time. Therefore it is best to avoid the following:

  1. Spicy Foods are a common trigger
  2. Red wine is another known trigger that causes skin irritation.
  3. Heavy exercise can trigger a flare, therefore I don’t wear make up when training and I wash my face with cool water afterwards.
  4. Other hot drinks can also be a trigger but thankfully that doesn’t affect me.
  5. Hot weather and sun exposure can affect some people.
  6. Finally emotional stress can also result in unwanted redness.

There are a number of ways to manage rosacea as we have shown and you should always seek medical advice with any health condition, but there are now many better skincare products and solutions that will help cover the inevitable flare ups.

For more information on causes, treatments and more information on Rosacea click here for the NHS website.

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3 Responses

  1. I’ve never worn make up myself, I would actually be scared it would make my skin worse! People definitely do stare at bad skin.
    As someone who suffers from acne, eczema and rosacea, I’ve never had any qualms about going to the doctor for help and I would do the same with my kids. If it’s affecting people’s self-esteem they should definitely ask for help.

  2. I had no idea the condition was so common. I also have a mild form of Rosacea and have to be careful about what products I use on my skin to avoid aggravating it.

  3. Thank you for sharing such a nice post.. It is easy to overlook this condition and not many are aware of this. Always better to get treatment and professional help than experimenting with products!

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