Skincare Woes | How to Beat Rosacea

I've written many times about my struggles with skin problems which for some reason worsened as I hit thirty. Not as thirty-three-year-old, my skin is starting to balance itself however, it doesn't stop me worrying that those past problems could return.

I started my menstrual cycle very young at age nine. This meant that my skin was also temperamental from a young age. While my friends were all fresh faced I was a blotchy, bumpy and bright red young lady. It was always commented on that my cheeks were red, the slightest difference in heat or coldness made my cheeks burn bright red which in turn made me embarrassed which, as you guessed it - made them even redder.

Growing up I was very insecure about everything, the redness of my cheeks only made me quieter than my friends and even the slightest bit of attention such as the teacher calling out my name in class, or as I grew older, my work colleagues drawing attention to me for both good or bad reasons resulted in the big bright red flush that I was known for. I hated it. There seemed to be nothing I could do and the only positive that I could see from this was I never had to purchase blusher.

As I grew in confidence and visited the doctor about my issues I was given a range of skin treatments to try out. Everything from diets to try, topical creams and gels to tablets and capsules. Some worked and some didn't. It was pretty much hit-or-miss but having spoken to others that suffered from acne and rosacea there seemed to be a light at the end of the tunnel as many of them were in remission from these conditions. It was simply finding what worked for me that would be the resolve to my skincare issues and let me be clear, it was tough going.

So what is rosacea?

Rosacea is similar to adult acne but it doesn't have exactly the same symptoms. Unlike acne rosacea causes redness of the face (or the cheeks for many people) which is brought about by a flushing sensation that can at times burn. Each time it flushes the burn or intensity can vary.

Other symptoms of rosacea can include tiny little red pimples across the central part of your face, some sufferers have mistaken this for the lupus butterfly rash. For some though they may never have pimples but may find fine red lines (telangiectasias) on the face, especially on the cheeks and around the nose. You can get these treated with laser's at beauty salons if they are causing you any upset.

Unlike acne rosacea is incurable but, it can be controlled and managed so it goes into remission. Changes in lifestyle, diet, stress or temperatures can cause flare ups but I found that changes in hormones were what worsened mine. Of course, your lifestyle, stress, and diet can affect your hormones causing an imbalance which leads to a flare up. It's a vicious circle.

Again when it came to treatments for me personally, it was a change in my diet (I went through allergy testing to find out my problematic foods), meditation to reduce my stress, antibiotics which helped reduce nasty bacterias and calm the immune system - more so it was erythromycin that really helped as it's a skin based antibiotic, and treatment gels that helped me. You can check out more about these treatments such as the Mirvaso Gel online .

I would definitely advise anyone who thinks they have rosacea or who has been diagnosed with rosacea to re-assess their own lifestyle. Look at what could be causing your condition to flare by writing a diary, use apps such as Fitness Pal to log foods and drinks as well as symptoms and find a pattern. Nightshade foods can cause inflammation so take a look into those, find ways to reduce your own stress by either reducing what you do, ask for help, go to counselling if need be or find some calm in an exercise class or even yoga in your own home.

If you're still struggling with rosacea or acne, then definitely go to see your dermatologist or skin care professional. Don't be scared to speak up about your worries with your skin as keeping it hidden will only make it worse.