Rosacea: What I’ve Learnt So Far

Rosacea: What I’ve Learnt So Far

As I described in my last blog post, my rosacea is largely under control at the moment. I have altered my diet, habits and reactions to stress to accommodate it.

However, even when I’m not having a flare up, my skin is always red. This is partly due to my natural complexion but also down to the broken veins that come part and parcel with rosacea. Every time you flush, veins break in your face and these cannot be healed (they can be removed with scary lasers which I have accepted I will have to do at some point in the future).

Therefore I am on a constant quest to find cosmetics that 1) cover my redness without 2) aggravating my rosacea. This is a lot trickier than it sounds. Hopefully the following advice/tips will be helpful to anyone with rosacea or sensitive skin.

(Jan 2016 EDIT: Since I wrote this blog post, I have updated my skincare recommendations, if you’re interested please have a look HERE.)

One of the problems with rosacea is that it is so individual. I could recommend everything I use and others will find they cause flare ups. So I can only say what works for me! Also, please note that I am not a dermatologist or anything related to one, this is just through my own (extensive) research! I will get some photos of these products up tomorrow.

Avéne products are a god send. It’s a French brand that specialise in products for rosacea

  • I use the ‘Dermo-nettoyant lacte’ (check me out with my multilingual blog posts!) from the Antirougeurs range as a cleanser every night before bed
  • I use the ‘Relief Fort Concentrate’ when I’m trying to control a flush and soothe the swelling and reduce the appearance of the blood vessels
  • and I use the thermal water spray whenever I am having a flush – it really helps!

Simple products are also brilliant as they don’t have perfumes so they don’t aggravate sensitive skin. I use their ‘replenishing rich moisturiser’ every morning after I wash my face (with plain water).

Laidbare ‘From Dusk Till Dawn Vitamin e Serum’ – I wear this overnight and it is great. It contains Blackcurrant seed oil which is good for dry and irritated skin, and also evening primrose oil which reduces inflammation. It is one of my favourite ever discoveries.

Make up: Most primers and foundations sit in two camps: 1) they mask the redness (good) but sit on my face like a mask and make my skin very angry (bad!) or 2) don’t make my skin angry but don’t cover the redness – rendering themselves pointless! The best ones I’ve found are below:

Revlon ‘Photoready primer’ – this is the only primer I’ve tried that manages to cover some of my redness without sitting on top of my skin and aggravating it. It holds foundation perfectly and feels velvet soft.

L’Oreal ‘The Minerals True Match’ – I get on really well with the L’Oreal mineral foundation, but the ingredients do include talc AND bismuth oxychloride, both of which are suspected to actually cause itching and redness in sufferers*, so do get a tester done before buying some. It covers my redness completely (you heard me) but it is very drying so get moisturising before and after.

Maybelline ‘Fit Me’ Foundation – I was intrigued by this as it is not oil or wax based and was also advertised as being more lightweight than many highstreet foundations, allowing skin to breathe. I am really pleased with how it’s faring at the moment – it hasn’t caused any flushes and stays on well. It is quite sheer, so the coverage isn’t great but it’s not as drying as the L’Oreal.

Thank you for reading this. I am aware that this is a terribly long post and you may actually be asleep. If you are still reading to here, well done. Have a biscuit.

Any questions please let me know, I’m always open to advice/tips/comments!

Lex

* Here is the website I found my info on ingredients: http://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/beauty/skin-and-makeup/mineral-makeup1.htm   Apparently Bismuth is fine, but Bismuth oxychloride is baaaaad. Also avoid talc and mica.

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1 Comment

  1. Deborah Wilmshurst
    12th August 2016 / 6:09 am

    Very sad face this week ..I brought the range of la roche posay and my skin decided to have a reaction to it.My redness got worse and my ache rosacea decided to rear it’s head in full force I am currently taking anti histamine which calmed it down.Luckily I can take this product back to boots as the lovely ladies told me if I reacted I could have a refund.I’m on holiday this wk so going to go makeup free and just use plenty of sunfactor on my face.Still going to search for that range that will help my rosacea ,my next experiment is with aloe vera……watch this space!!

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Welcome to Talonted Lex, the go-to online destination for anyone seeking guidance and inspiration on managing rosacea.

From rosacea skincare tips and sensitive skin makeup tutorials to lifestyle adjustments for rosacea relief. Whether you’re looking for the best rosacea treatments, gentle skincare routines, or just a supportive community that understands your skin concerns, Talonted Lex is your ultimate guide.