Rosacea: Expert Advice on Symptoms, Triggers & How to Calm Your Skin

If I were granted three wishes, one of them would definitely be for there to be a cure for rosacea. It is a skin condition that we still know very little about the “why” and one that frustrates me the most because it is, at the moment, incurable. While skincare cannot treat rosacea, a gentle, considered routine can help support skin that feels sensitive, reactive, or prone to visible redness. For many people, finding a routine that leaves their skin feeling comfortable can make a real difference to how they feel about their skin.

Rosacea is commonly classified into four types:

1. Vascular Rosacea is a more common form which presents itself with erythema and telangiectasia. Erythema skin is skin that has an all-over redness or flushing in the cheeks, nose, forehead or chin. It can present in all or just some of those areas. You may also find that there is some telangiectasia involved as well. This is where you can actually see more pronounced capillaries in the areas of flushing.

2. Papular and Pustular Rosacea will often have the flushing we see with Vascular Rosacea, but will also include pustules and papules on top of the flushed areas. This is often called Acne Rosacea.

3. Ocular Rosacea presents itself in the eyes, often creating watery and bloodshot eyes with increasing irritation and swelling around the eyelids.

4. Phymatous rosacea involves thickening of the skin; this often occurs on the nose, making it more bulbous.
   

Rosacea is more common in women, which is believed to be related to hormones – but men can have it more severely.

In my years of treating skin and having hundreds of rosacea clients, I have learned that every client's experience with rosacea is different, with different triggers and different approaches. It’s important to note that the mental impact can be huge, too, so I try to remind clients all the time that it is not their fault. If you are reading this, you did not do anything to give yourself rosacea, so please don’t beat yourself up about it. Rosacea is a medical skin condition, and anyone concerned about their symptoms should speak with a dermatologist or other qualified healthcare professional for individual advice and treatment.

These are all tips that have worked really well on my clients with rosacea to calm the symptoms down.

1. Clinisoothe. I cannot stress this enough. After cleansing, before serums and moisturizers. Clinisoothe+ is a gentle addition to a routine for skin that feels sensitive or looks visibly red. If you are not using it, get it STAT.

   

2. Stay away from gel and foaming cleansers. These can strip your acid mantle, and we need that acid mantle to protect us from our day-to-day environmental stressors, as well as to keep our lipid balance, well, balanced. A gentle cream or milk-based cleanser (preferably without a lot of fragrance) is what I recommend. Always remember to gently remove your cleanser with a lukewarm flannel. Please do not splash your cleanser off. It can lead to other problems like acne and blackheads. I have found LaRoche Posay's Toleriane Dermo Cleanser to be very gentle and it will also remove makeup.

3. Wash your sheets weekly. Skin with rosacea doesn’t need/want any extra bacteria, so clean sheets are very important. I recommend washing weekly in hot water.

4. Keep your gut in check. A good probiotic somewhere between 30-50 billion cultures for 90 days helps to reduce inflammation in the body, which will in turn help to reduce inflammation in the skin. I always recommend Wild Nutrition’s probiotics which are food-grown for better absorption. A healthy, well-functioning gut really does help to improve your skin's health.

5. A good quality PHA product (preferably one that isn’t formulated with an AHA) will help to reduce inflammation and hydrate the skin. Mortar & Milk’s PHA Barrier Repair Serum is obviously my favorite.

6. If you have rosacea, please do not use products with AHAs in them. I would also steer clear of dedicated retinol products.

7. Minimize really hot showers and baths, steam rooms and hot tubs. I would also try to reduce or remove spicy foods and keep high histamine foods to a minimum.

8. It is also a good idea to keep a food diary. Not necessarily a day-to-day diary, but when you have a flare-up write down everything that you ate and drank over the last 48 hours. Ultimately you should see a pattern.

9. There are a number of medications that your doctor can prescribe, but it’s important to note that while one may work for one person, it may not work for another, so it's important to not give up and to keep working with your dermatologist.

10. If you have papular/pustular rosacea, getting a little bit of mandelic acid in your routine can help with the spots. Exuviance’s Night Corrector is a great formula for anyone with congested skin. It uses mandelic acid along with PHAs to clear out the congested pores and reduce inflammation.

I know how frustrating it can be to receive a lot of different advice and still feel unsure about what your skin needs. Keeping your cosmetic skincare routine gentle and consistent can help support skin comfort, but it is important to remember that skincare products such as Clinisoothe+ Skin Purifier are not treatments for rosacea. For diagnosis, symptom management, and medical treatment, always speak with a qualified healthcare professional.

Try Clinisoothe+ Skin Purifier as a gentle addition to your daily skincare routine. Simply spritz generously onto clean skin after cleansing, allow it to dry naturally, and continue with your regular skincare. Clinisoothe+ helps support daily skin clarity, comfort, and hygiene and is suitable for sensitive and reactive skin.

 Clinisoothe+ Skin Purifier, $19.99/100ml

Pamela Marshall, our Resident Skin Health Expert, Clinical Aesthetician and Co-Founder of Mortar & Milk London.