Dermatologist recommended: the best skincare for rosacea.
The Ultimate Guide to Skincare for Rosacea: Tips and Tricks from West Dermatology
Do you suffer from rosacea? This common, chronic skin condition causes us to blush for all the wrong reasons. Affecting both men and women, rosacea is characterized by persistent facial redness, visible blood vessels, sensitive or burning skin, small bumps and pimples, and uneven skin texture. The most commonly affected areas are the central cheeks, nose, chin and central forehead.
Before embarking on a skincare or treatment regimen, it’s always best to see a board-certified dermatologist to have your skin evaluated thoroughly. Everyone’s skin is slightly different and a treatment strategy should be tailored specifically for you for the best results.
Often when I assess a patient with rosacea, their skin is very deconditioned – ultra-sensitive to products and dull in terms of overall complexion. Patients usually tell me that because they are so sensitive, they’ve avoided using products altogether and often are only using water to wash their face. I spend a lot of time educating about the importance of gentle cleansing, moisturizing, and sunscreen use on a daily basis, as this has been shown to help with the overall health of rosacea-prone skin. For someone this deconditioned, I normally start with very bland, easy to use, gentle, pharmaceutical grade skin products. One of my favourite go-to brands is La Roche Posay – the Toleriane line is excellent for cleansing and moisturizing very sensitive skin. Beginning with these two basic steps twice daily is an excellent starting point. An extra tip is to use lukewarm water when cleansing the skin. If the water is too hot, that can lead to increased redness and further worsening of symptoms.
When it comes to picking a sunscreen for rosacea-prone skin, I often suggest mineral sunscreens. These are generally less irritating and more tolerable for rosacea patients compared to sunscreens with chemical filters. I like to choose a sunscreen that includes anti-irritant or calming ingredients, as well as a slight tint to help mask some of the redness on the face. Some of my favourites are the Avène High Protection Tinted Compact and Colorescience All Calm.
After several weeks of using this very basic skincare regimen, I will try to add more active, medical-grade skincare to further improve results. Gradually, we want to incorporate antioxidants that help protect the skin against environmental damage such as UV radiation and pollution, introduce some exfoliation to improve overall glow and skin tone, and add in peptides or growth factors to help promote collagen production. My favourite antioxidants for rosacea-prone skin are the Skinbetter Science Alto Defense Serum™ and ZO Skin Health® Rozatrol. Eventually, the goal is to include a retinol in the skin care routine to further promote collagen growth. Retinols have been shown to be beneficial for rosacea patients but it often takes time to incorporate this into the routine. It’s important to improve the overall skin health first before adding in a retinol.
The most incredible results for rosacea patients happen when we use our BroadBand Light (BBL) laser device. BBL or IPL is often extremely impactful for my rosacea patients with very sensitive skin. Treatments are performed monthly and often patients require a series of 3-5 treatments to achieve the results they’re hoping for. The goal is to decrease redness and broken blood vessels on the face to improve overall skin tone. Patients consistently describe skin that feels heartier, healthier, and overall less sensitive. Starting on a series of IPL treatments has such a profound impact that this is often the point at which we can begin to add in more skincare products with active ingredients.
I hope this has given you some insight into the steps we can take to help you feel comfortable and confident in your skin. I’d love to help you develop a plan to manage your rosacea—please feel free to request a consultation.