Skin care recommendations for very sensitive red skin, please

[ShoulddaStuckwithDogs]

I'm totally clueless about this stuff. I've been using Clarins for years and it always stings my cheeks. Recently I heard about rosacea and wonder if I have that? I have a red nose and little, red but flat spots on my cheeks - like red marks under the skin giving the impression of rosy cheeks. My face is super-sensitive to most products, esp sun cream, and dehydrated. I read that rosacea is inflamed by the sun and I should wear sunblock and moisturiser every day but everything I try stings/burns my cheeks. I saw a recommendation for La Roche Posay Anthelios sun cream but that burns too. Please help - the counters are no help because everyone just recommends their own products! Thanks.

My skin gets really sore in the wind or if I've had a late night. I always use La Roche Posay Cicaplast Baume. It's so soothing and calming. Worth a try if your skin doesn't tolerate many products.

If you do a search for rosacea on the S&B boards, you'll find loads of skincare recs - it's a bit trial and error because different skintypes with rosacea respond to different things. Sun can be a trigger, but so can stress, sugars, red wine, coffee, spicy food, lack of sleep - take your pick!

What's worked for me has been

• getting antibiotics/azaelic acid gel from the GP for bad break outs
• Cetaphil cleanser, or other gentle cleansers
• Paula's Choice 1% BHA lotion as a step between cleanser and serum
• a calming serum (Avene or Paula's Choice)
• still trying to find an ideal moisturiser - UltraSun SPF50 was my summer choice, and was calming and hydrating enough

Avene, La Roche Posay and the Body Shop all do good budget redness ranges, if you have to work through a few to find something that suits you. Gentleness is key - I've had to lay off the Clarisonic and can't use very aggressive 'anti-ageing' skincare.

Hope you find something that works - it's grim, rosacea...

I second La Roche Posey I am very, very fussy about skincare and it is one of the best brands out there and very reasonable too.

I second the Ultrasun recommendation. I have found the 30spf best for my incredibly reactive and eczema prone skin (50 is too thick for me). I know it's expensive, but a bottle lasts be a couple of months. On the skincare front I have recently switched to Organic Surge products, and so far everything seems to be ok. I also use Balance me products, and if all else fails = Aveeno. I have been underwhelmed by all the French pharmacy brands/products I have tried, much to my frustration!

Definitely see your GP, who will be able to say whether it's rosacea or not, and if it is they can start you on a treatment.

My skin is also very sensitive, so I find the less I put on it, the better it is. I have to use paraben free products, so I make sure that any hair or skin products I use are paraben and sls free - my hair touches my face, after all.

What works for my rosacea (and has all but sent it packing) is azaelic acid (finacea) from the GP, and lyclear dermal cream from the pharmacist.

After reading about the success of a new cream called Soolantra for rosacea, which has an a scabies treatment as its base (ivermectin), I started using Lyclear. My dermatologist would have recommended Soolantra, but it has parabens! He said lyclear works the same way.

Thanks for all your kind recommendations. Although my skin is super-sensitive the redness doesn't look too bad so I thought the GP might think I'm being a bit of a princess if I consulted him?!

I don't think he'll think it's princess-y at all. GPs see and treat plenty of cases of rosacea, and are happy to advise on triggers etc. Your skin is causing you problems, you've tried self-care, so the next logical step is to see if there is an underlying cause, in your case possibly rosacea.

One thing to note, if it is rosacea, GPs commonly prescribe a metronidazole cream or gel. Some people find that it helps, but it can make you more sensitive to sunlight, so it would also be worth mentioning the problems you are having with sun creams.

I use mineral sunblocks rather than chemical ones. Mineral sunblocks use ingredients like zinc or titanium dioxide to create a physical barrier. They aren't absorbed into the skin like chemical sunblocks, so are much less likely to cause a reaction. Lots of people here recommend green people products (I use a paraben free children's sunblock).

I'd recommend having a look around Caroline Hirons blog carolinehirons.com for answers to product recommendations for all kind of skin issues.

I use body shop natural organically gel cleanser, body shop vitamin e serum oil then eucerin tinted moisturiser for red skim (moisturiser is green go offset your red). I also use trilogy softening toner morn and night instead of clarins ultra soft toner which still irritated my skin if I use it more than once a week.

Diet could also be aggravating red skin, something to consider. Or just combine great skincare routine with a bit of makeup to hide a multitude of sins!!

Thank you!