How to calm and conceal rosacea flare-ups
If you have rosacea, your GP or skin specialist will deploy topical creams, antibiotics and other treatments, often for months at a time, to control symptoms.
But there are things you can do to help yourself - Mumsnetters have plenty of tried-and-tested tips for calming and concealing rosacea flare-ups.
What is rosacea?
We'll let one Mumsnetter describe what rosacea is like: "Rosacea can vary in severity for me. A mild flare can mean patches of bright red across my cheekbones, and nose and chin, looking like I am permanently embarrassed. A severe flare means that I develop pustules in these areas, on top of the red rash. It's called papulopustular rosacea, and I can be left with tiny red thread veins across these patches."
Skincare ranges that Mumsnetters recommend to calm rosacea
- Body Shop Aloe Vera range
- Rosacea Care
- Faith in Nature
- Bare Escentuals
- Dr Hauschka
"Akamuti products are completely free of anything chemical." skandi1
Make-up to conceal rosacea
- Bobbi Brown Corrector
- Estée Lauder Idealist serum for uneven skin tone and scarring
- LilyLolo green powder
- Bare Escentuals mineral make-up
"Try to resist the urge to slap lots of cover-up on. I found that my skin got a lot better when I stopped doing all kinds of things to it" dreamingbohemian
Cleansers
- Clinique Redness Solutions cleanser
- Avene Extremely Gentle Cleanser
- Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser
- La Roche Posay gel cleanser
Moisturisers
- Clinique Superdefense moisturiser
- E45 Itch Relief cream
"Use a moisturiser with SPF." winemakesmeclever
Sunscreen
- Green People sunscreen
- Ultrasun factor 50
Oils and soaps
- Argan oil
- Nip + Fab Multi-Fix Oil
- Deep Sea Cosmetics mud soap
"Try a facial oil instead of a face wash or soap." lightrain
Rosacea skincare regimes
- Make an aspirin face mask by crushing non-dissolvable aspirin and use a couple of times a week to reduce redness
- Put pure aloe vera gel on your skin
- Apply make-up with fingers rather than a brush/sponge
- Don't use exfoliators, scrubs or rough towels on your face
- Wash your eyelids and eyebrows with baby shampoo and warm water
Lifestyle factors that can help to reduce your rosacea
- Drink less alcohol, particularly wine
- Reduce your sugar intake
- Stop eating spicy foods - chilli etc.
- Minimise stress
- Exercise
- Drink more water
- Get plenty of sleep
- Wear sunscreen
- Take zinc supplements
- Take cooler showers or baths – avoid extreme heat
- Monitor your diet to see if certain food types aggravate the skin
What Mumsnetters say about dealing with rosacea
- I was a terrible state and I am fine now - I only get flushing when I drink wine or get stressed. It's not all doom and gloom at all, so don't give up looking for what works for you. I have great skin now and my eyes are fine. I appreciate my skin every day. Procrastinating
- I think mine is very bad and noticeable but the reality is most people don't notice. I recently confided in a very good friend who was amazed and said I always looked so flawless. Perhaps she was being kind, but she looked genuinely surprised. skandi1
- It's clear that it is a question of trial and error and finding what works for you. For what it's worth, when I first got it (five years ago) I was really upset and freaked myself out - it is actually really manageable, and no longer bothers me. harrietlichman
- I have been clear of any significant symptoms for about six or seven years at least now. So a success story to the extent that I hadn't even thought about it for years. This contrasts with being extremely self-conscious about it every day at one point. Lovingfreedom
If there's a product you swear by to calm your rosacea, please share by adding it to our Style and beauty product reviews
