Dealing with persistent redness, visible blood vessels, or skin that feels extremely sensitive? You might be experiencing rosacea, a common but often misunderstood skin condition. Here at STORY, we want to help you understand what’s going on and how we can work together to soothe and manage your skin. We spoke with Lucy, our skin expert from STORY clinics Southwell, to break down everything you need to know about rosacea.
What exactly is Rosacea?
Lucy explains that rosacea is a persistent inflammatory skin condition that primarily affects the face. It often causes redness that doesn’t easily fade, and tiny blood vessels may become visible near the surface. It can feel like a constant blush, and your skin might react more strongly to things that wouldn’t normally cause irritation. Rosacea tends to come and go, with periods of calmer skin followed by flare-ups, often triggered by factors such as weather, diet, stress or skincare.
Different Types of Rosacea:
Rosacea can manifest in a few different ways:
- The Red flush (Erythematotelangiectatic rosacea): The most common type, characterised by persistent redness and visible small blood vessels.
- Bumps and pimples (Papulopustular rosacea): Red bumps and pus-filled spots can appear, resembling breakouts.
- Thickening skin (Phymatous rosacea): A rarer form where skin can thicken, often on the nose.
- Painful eyes (Ocular rosacea): Affects the eyes with redness, dryness, burning, itching, and potential vision issues. It can be linked to blepharitis and may require specialist care from an ophthalmologist.
Who Does Rosacea Usually Affect?
Rosacea is quite common, it is believed to affect around 1 in 10 adults in the UK. While frequently noticed in women after 30, it can affect anyone. It’s important to know that rosacea can affect all skin types, though it might be underreported in darker skin tones.
What Can Trigger a Rosacea Flare-Up?
Many things can trigger rosacea, and individual triggers vary. Common ones include sun exposure, extreme weather, spicy foods, alcohol, caffeine, cheese, stress, intense exercise, and hot drinks. Harsh skincare products with alcohol, strong fragrances, or harsh exfoliants can also worsen symptoms. Lucy states “We usually advise our clients who think they might have rosacea to keep a diary of any flare-ups to try and pinpoint the cause and limit that trigger whatever it may be”.
How To Know if it’s Rosacea?
Typically, dermatologists, skin experts or your GP would diagnose rosacea through facial assessment, family history, and lifestyle review. However, complex cases might require a dermatologist referral. To help identify any skin conditions, you can book a skin consultation and skin analysis with one of our skin experts.
Rosacea Look-Alikes
Rosacea can be mistaken for conditions like acne (though rosacea lacks blackheads/whiteheads and is more about redness), seborrheic dermatitis (a condition which causes flaky skin), or lupus (an autoimmune condition with systemic symptoms). Accurate diagnosis is crucial for effective treatment.
Rosacea and Acne: Are They Connected?
“Rosacea is commonly mistaken for acne, which can be really damaging because those two conditions should be treated very differently.” Skin Expert Lucy explains. Rosacea and acne are distinct conditions with different causes. Rosacea is primarily inflammatory and vascular, while acne involves oil, clogged pores, and bacteria. However, some rosacea forms can have acne-like bumps that don’t respond to typical acne treatments.
The Best Skin Treatments for Rosacea
Several gentle skin and injectable treatments can help manage rosacea symptoms by reducing redness, targeting blood vessels, and calming inflammation. These include:
Gentle Microneedling: Helps rosacea by stimulating collagen and elastin for stronger skin, improving the skin’s protective barrier, potentially reducing redness and visible blood vessels over time, and enhancing the absorption of soothing skincare. Important: Must be gentle and avoided during flare-ups.
Profhilo®: Helps rosacea by deeply hydrating the skin from within, offering anti-inflammatory properties to calm skin, strengthening the skin barrier, and improving overall skin quality and resilience.
Polynucleotides: Help rosacea by reducing inflammation through regulating immune responses, enhancing skin barrier function by stimulating collagen, promoting skin regeneration and repair, and potentially improving microcirculation to reduce redness.
IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) Lasers: Help rosacea by targeting and reducing visible blood vessels (threadveins), decreasing overall inflammation, potentially improving skin texture and tone.
Lucy advises “Of course the most important thing for any skin condition but especially rosacea is a suitable SPF everyday, we advise an absolute minimum of a 40 SPF and the formulation should be suitable for sensitive skin. However, products are determined on a case by case basis, so it’s best to visit our clinic for a consultation to receive advice on this”.
STORY’s specialised laser facials effectively target acne and redness, promoting clearer and healthier skin by soothing irritation and encouraging a balanced complexion. These treatments can be incorporated into a comprehensive treatment plan that is tailored to your specific needs and skin goals. As Lucy advises, “Another common misconception we see with Rosacea is that people think that it can be treated in only one treatment,” so it’s always best to consult with a skin expert to discuss a treatment plan that’s right for you.
Dealing with Both Rosacea and Breakouts
Treating both rosacea and breakouts requires a gentle approach. Often, rosacea-calming treatments like light therapy can help. However, prescription creams or medications might also be needed for the breakouts.
Treatments to Avoid if You Have Rosacea
Avoid harsh chemical peels, strong retinoids, abrasive exfoliants, and high-heat treatments. Certain active skincare ingredients like high concentrations of vitamin C or salicylic acid might also be best avoided as this can increase irritation and inflammation.
How We Can Help You
At STORY Clinic, our goal is to help you understand and manage your rosacea with gentle and effective methods. If you are unsure if you may have rosacea or which treatments or products are best for you, book a consultation with our skin experts for expert advice and a personalised treatment plan.