Rosacea – The Basics

What is it?

Rosacea is a chronic, inflammatory skin disorder that is characterised by over-sensitive blood vessels.

It varies in symptoms and severity from simple tendency to flushing through to consistent redness, elevated dark red/brown lesions, spots and in severe cases sebaceous gland growth leading to disfigurement (whiskey nose!). It is often mistaken for acne but the difference is that there are no blackheads or whiteheads present in rosacea patients. It is very important to get a correct diagnosis of rosacea because while there is no cure at the moment, correct treatment can really slow down it’s progression.

There are many triggers that alone or combined can start episode’s of rosacea in people that are prone to it. These include:

  • Alcohol
  • Smoking
  • Sun Exposure
  • Inappropriate Skincare
  • Some Medications
  • Hormonal Activity
  • Spicy Foods
  • Some cosmetics
  • Stress
  • Extremes of temperature

What it is not:

There have been many theories over the years as to what causes rosacea but the fact is that we don’t yet know. Some working theories include skin mites or their by products and genetic factors, All we know for sure is that some people are just born with the potential to develop rosacea.

What can you do?

As well as isolating the trigger factors that are a relevant to you and avoiding them where possible, correct skincare can help.

It is a breakdown in the skin’s surface and protective barrier that aggravates the rosacea skin type. These can be strengthened with the right ingredients to minimise reactions and soothe inflammation. Look for ingredients such as liquorice, niacinamide, horse chestnut, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate and healing oils among others. Gentle cleansing is vitally important, stay away from foaming cleansers, I recommend using a cleansing oil such as my Skin Comfort Cleanser which won’t strip or aggravate the skin’s surface.

In the Skin Essentials by Mariga range the key products are Lipid Repair Concentrate which strengthens the skin’s outer defences and Hydra Collagen Serum which re-densifies the skin, strengthening it from within. Skin Comfort Cream is also useful in reducing inflammation while moisturising deeply without a greasy or sticky feel.

Rosacea is a huge subject, with as many variations as there are individual cases so I hope I have covered the basics for you. Do you have any questions, tips that work for you or stories to share? If so, please let us know 🙂