Rosacea

[charliebear78]

I have this on my nose..it has become a problem this last year or so.
Daily I have horrible spots,redness and enlarged pores,also blackheads.
I am using a cream called fineca which seems to help for a time anyway.
I cleanse and tone, also exfoliate once or twice a week and use face washes.
I have been told it is caused by oily skin and using moisturizers won't help but I think my skin is dry?
I do moisturise but tend to miss my nose if possible when applying.
I also apply retinol(however also been told what I can buy over the counter won't be enough)
Can anyone help?
I am close to booking a consultation where they will get me to use their products but want to hear from real people and what worked for you.

I paired my skincare right back so just stuck with spf and a retinol (well I use tretinoin anyway).
Although I also did go for a consultation and got the ZO skincare stuff which started it all and it really is good. The rosatrol is the stuff I still use from the range and not found anything to compare it to really. I use that morning and evening that I’m not using the tret.
Oil isn’t good but I think neither is using loads of harsh products at once.

I had mild rosacea and Dr Hauschka got rid of it. I think that you need to use products that are as gentle as possible, and also try products that restore your skin’s microbiome such as the Nue Co.
I would really avoid any retinols for now, you need to get your skin back to its natural state, no peeling, nothing aggressive, no scrubs. I would avoid any chemical sunscreens too, use a mineral one if necessary, either a powder or something like the REN mineral screen. Give it six months to heal and calm down before trying anything like a retinol.

Finacea is the same as the Ordinary's Niacinamide, so that's a much cheaper option.

Sorry, I haven't got my rosacea act together, so I can't contribute anything else...

Ooo thank you.
Always good to know of a cheaper option

Yes the Z0
Skin care is what I would be using if I decide to have the consultation.
Can you give me any idea how much that is before I decide and is it really worth it? Thank you

What worked for me was stopping using anything on my skin. This was before I knew I needed spf everyday. But I stopped cleansing, moisturising, everything. I’d just splash my face with water morning and evening and pat dry. I didn’t wear make up (I rarely do anyway)

If you don’t feel you can do that I’d park back to the most minimal you can. Splash face with cool water in the morning and apply an spf. Evening wash with a gentle face wash (I find the Body Shop camomile cleanser good - the solid one in a tin) and light moisturiser (Simple is good). Avoid all exfoliating and I’d avoid retinols too.

Also avoiding things that aggravate it. Red wine sets mine off

pare back. Not park back!

Thanks for all the advice.
I never used to bother using anything other than water on my face..
Skin seems to be worse the more I use!
Will give it all a try

Stop using everything except CeraVe. If you want to wash your face then just use CeraVe lotion and tepid water and a flannel, followed by CeraVe cream. Do it for 3 weeks and see if there's a difference. Mine improved 80% doing this. Ditch everything ! Then see the GP if this doesn't help as there's a cream called Soolantra that gives good results.

Rosacea definitely isn't caused by oily skin - there are various schools of thought about what causes it, but it's either a reaction to tiny demodex mites, or a sensitivity already existing in your skin, triggered by spicy foods, hot weather, stress, caffeine, alcohol, etc. You can get antibiotics from the GP which work for some people; I used them successfully for a while but didn't want to be on them longterm. Other GPs prescribe Metrogel cream which did nothing for me, but works for others. Finacea is azelaic acid, so the antibacterial properties treat the symptoms - the spots, etc - but probably won't solve the problem itself.

Mine cleared up almost completely by using Soolantra which contains an active ingredient called ivermectin which is used agriculturally to kill sheep mites - I lean towards the demodex mites theory, for this reason. You can get it online or ask the GP for a prescription, although they'll probably try to prescribe the ABs/Metrogel first.

In the mean time, wash with something soothing like Cerave or Cetaphil, and follow up with a gentle moisturiser; try cutting out sugars; use a sunscreen; avoid retinols.

I've found the best thing in to not use anything. I don't cleanse, moisturise or anything. The only thing I use is la roche posay thermal water spray, this is the best my skin has been in 3 years

I have found the la roche posay rosiliac range good. My skin is much less red and whitehead-y. Its been a long process though.

www.skinshop.co.uk/kalme
I find this range for roseacre helps me!

Just get Soolantra, you are wasting your money on anything else.
You can get it from Superdrug online via their drs.

Ivermectin cream (Soolantra brand) and a course of oral antibiotics are the only things that have shifted my rosacea. Everything else otc made it much worse.

Out of interest to those who still use nothing on their skin. What do you do about spf? I’m super fair skinned and had a brush with skin cancer in my late 20s, so I use spf everyday now. So I feel I need to wash that off in the evenings…

Soolantra was recommended to me on here and it's the only treatment which has ever worked. I ordered it easily online via independent pharmacy.
Thank you to the helpful mumsnetters who advised me to try it.

Cetaphil face wash. Be really gentle with your skin. See a GP.

Stop with the exfoliation

Another one that ordered soolantra from an online pharmacy after reading about it on here. It is amazing, all the little bumps have gone and now most of the redness! The MUA for my wedding couldn't believe the difference in my skin in the couple of months between the trial and wedding

Soolantra + hypoallergenic factor 50 powder sunblock.

I got soolantra on prescription though.

I think overuse of products and using things that are quite heavy duty on skin causes many skin problems. There is this focus on regimes involving many different steps now, a lot of skin types will not cope with this, and react by overproduction of oil to counteract the dryness, or with irritation at best and rosacea at worst.
Of course makeup or sunscreens need to be cleaned off, but i think a lot of fairer skin types in particular are better left alone as much as possible, using the bare minimum of products with the lowest number of ingredients.

@Claudia84

I paired my skincare right back so just stuck with spf and a retinol (well I use tretinoin anyway). Although I also did go for a consultation and got the ZO skincare stuff which started it all and it really is good. The rosatrol is the stuff I still use from the range and not found anything to compare it to really. I use that morning and evening that I’m not using the tret. Oil isn’t good but I think neither is using loads of harsh products at once.

I have been recommended zo too by a consultant derm- when you say ‘that’s what started it all’ do you mean it sparked rosacea or what helped it?

Keen to try a full sample pack but its £140!