By Suzanne Hall - MNZM - Internationally Acclaimed Natural Skin Care Scientist
How To Treat Rosacea (The Complete Guide)
If you're feeling a bit deflated after trying rosacea treatment after rosacea treatment that hasn't worked, please don't lose hope. After working with natural skin care and rosacea for almost 40 years, I know that it's 100% possible to have healthy beautiful skin which is free from the symptoms of rosacea.
And after 40 years, I know without a shadow of a doubt that the most effective, healthy, and long lasting rosacea treatment for rosacea is a holistic natural approach that addresses the causes, and not just the symptoms.
So, today I'll share what I've discovered about what rosacea is, what causes it, and how to treat it holistically.
What is rosacea?
Rosacea is a skin condition which most commonly begins with facial redness or flush across your face, cheeks, nose, forehead or chin (pre-rosacea).
Left untreated it can morph into rosacea with acne or vascular rosacea where the skin becomes more sensitive, sore, inflamed, scaly, itchy, the pores become enlarged, pimples and pustules appear. But it can get even worse with bumps, visible thickening of the skin, or red blisters appearing on your nose, cheek, forehead or chin, and rhinophyma.
The symptoms of rosacea, and the conditions that trigger rosacea flare ups vary from person to person. This is one reason why rosacea is so challenging to diagnose and treat.
Rosacea symptoms. Facial redness. Red flush across your face cheeks, nose, forehead or chin. May include pimples, pustules, scaly skin, itchy skin, inflammation, enlarged pores.
What causes rosacea?
Rosacea can be the result of a genetic pre-disposition. What we are seeing is an increase in rosacea symptoms for a multitude of other factors. It is a reflection of what is happening on the inside such as poor gut health. Approximately 6% of the population are affected by rosacea (both men and women), and this number is growing rapidly.
Urban pollution, EMFs, soil depletion, modern day highly processed foods and beverages, compromised water quality, and stress all contribute to rosacea flare ups - and these are all on the rise.
The triggers most likely to be directly associated with a rosacea flare up include excessive exposure to urban pollution and EMFs, spicy food (usually 1 or 2 specific spices which vary from person to person), some types of alcohol, sun, wind, stress, and toxins such as those found in many skin care products.
Our skin is our body’s first line of defence when dealing with toxins and stressors; and our face is often the most exposed.
Rosacea causes. Genetics, poor gut health, and triggers such as pollution, EMFs, spicy foods, alcohol, sun and wind, nutritional deficiencies, and stress.
What to look for in a rosacea treatment?
It's best to treat the causes of rosacea and not just the symptoms because -
1. Your rosacea could be progressing into a more sinister form of rosacea without you being aware of it. If your rosacea becomes worse, it will become more difficult to treat and hide.
2. The appearance and feel of your skin may improve in the short term (great if you have a special occasion etc coming up), but the result may be additional long term skin damage.
Treating one symptom often creates a new different symptom or condition, and can leave you feeling a little like a dog chasing its tail.
The ideal rosacea treatment. Addresses the causes of rosacea as well as the symptoms. It will simultaneously improve the appearance, feel, and long term health of your skin.
What rosacea treatments are available?
There are many options for treating rosacea - topical anti-biotics, oral anti-biotics, steroids, retinoids, laser and light therapies, skin care products and holistic approaches that include changes to diet and lifestyle.
Each has their own pros and cons which we go into in more depth in The Good, Bad and Ugly Of Rosacea Treatments. Just remember that the choice is always yours and it's best to go into it with your eyes wide open. We can't always rely on experts in their fields to provide an unbiased opinion. You may need some trial and error to figure out which is best for you.
A holistic approach to treating rosacea
Unfortunately, there are no silver bullets when it comes to a long-term rosacea solution. I found this out the hard way after years of suffering from rosacea, and trying almost every rosacea treatment known to mankind.
The ONLY solution that worked for me without causing long term damage was a holistic approach which addresses all of the causes of rosacea, and rosacea flare ups.
A holistic rosacea treatment includes four fundamental pillars. Let’s look at each of these in a little more detail -
A trigger is anything that results in a rosacea flare up. You will have rosacea triggers that are specific to you, so you’ll need to identify what your triggers are.
To do this I recommend keeping a diary of your exposure to triggers and your rosacea symptoms, flare ups and breakouts. Please bare in mind that symptoms may come and go depending on your stress levels, and some triggers and solutions take days to take effect.
It’s important to understand and reduce your rosacea triggers as much as possible. This helps to prevent the overt dilation of the blood vessels, which results in your skin losing some elasticity. This loss of elasticity causes dilated capillaries on the face which then remain in a constant dilated state. The result is inflammation, and the telltale redness that rosacea is known for.
And remember, just because something has been identified as a common trigger, it doesn't mean that it is a trigger for you. It's not necessary to avoid all common triggers.
The most common rosacea triggers are:
A correct skin care regime is one that includes the use of “clean” skin care products that treat the symptoms of rosacea AND improve the health of your skin.
What do we mean by clean skin care products?
Well, there's quite a movement happening around “clean” skin care for good reason. Clean skin care products are those hair and skin care products that don’t include the “nasty” ingredients that anyone who values beautiful healthy skin, and overall health and wellbeing should stay well away from.
Nasty ingredients which are best to avoid include -
Oh, and please don’t assume that just because a dermatologist or doctor has recommended a product that it’s free from these ingredients and a “clean” product. This is often not part of their training, or on their radar.
Also, there’s a common misconception that all essential oils are bad for your skin. This is not the case. Some are to be avoided, and some are very beneficial. The essential oils to avoid if you have rosacea are Eucalyptus, Lemon, Lime, Grapefruit, Bergamot, Peppermint, Menthol, Wintergreen, Oregano and Sage.
All Power Skin Solutions are "clean", and certified as eco-friendly and safe by Safe Cosmetics Australia.
What do your rosacea skin care products need to do for you?
It’s common for skin care products to be promoted as a rosacea treatment when they're really only addressing some of the symptoms of rosacea such as reducing redness, soothing or calming. Don't get me wrong - it's important to address these symptoms.
But, the best rosacea skin care treatments go much further than that. Not only do they relieve the symptoms of rosacea, they restore the pH balance of your skin’s acid mantle, and stimulate the production of healthy new skin cells.
Your ideal rosacea skin care regime needs to
- cleanse without stripping natural oils from your skin
- protect your skin from damage
- provide deep hydration
- feed your skin with super nourishment (a super food for skin)
- detoxify, remove dead cells, and unclog pores without harsh scrubbing or exfoliation,
promote healing and regeneration
One thing you may not realise is that there is a difference between “active skin care” and “passive skin care”.
- Passive skin care can feel wonderful, but doesn’t improve the health of your skin.
- Active skin care gets to work changing the health and structure of your skin. It might feel warm and tingly, and may even cause a flush for up to 30 minutes. It feels like this because it’s increasing circulation and stimulating cell activity.
What is correct cleansing, and why is it so important?
Cleansing is so incredibly important when you have rosacea or acne, and there is definitely a correct way to cleanse your face.
Cleansing your face prepares your skin to receive the nutrients and goodness of whatever skincare products you’re using, and gives your skin a chance to breathe, heal and revitalise. Unfortunately many people over cleanse their skin, and use cleansing products that strip the natural oils which are essential for healthy skin. This upsets the balance of your acid mantle, and may also result in your body over-compensating by producing too much oil. This is what can contribute to oily, pimply skin.
One of the easiest and very best cleansers is natural unsweetened yoghurt – dairy or coconut yoghurt – both are fine.
Believe it or not, yoghurt is the perfect pH balance for your skin. It not only cleanses your skin, but a double cleanse with yoghurt also acts as a gentle exfoliant – clearing debris and pores, and reducing pore size. From a molecular level it contains some really beneficial ingredients for strengthening skin.
An effective and simple skin care routine
Skin care routines can be so complicated, can’t they? I much prefer a simple routine which is explained in more detail in our article on Rosacea Skin Care Regime.
But here's the regime in a nutshell -
In the evening I recommend a daily double cleanse with yoghurt, followed by use of the Power Super Mask or Manuka and Reishi Night Oil. It's absolutely brilliant.
In the morning a cleanse with just tepid water, followed by application of the Power Super Serum and Rosacea Support Moisturiser works fabulously. Simply apply your sunscreen, and/or mineral based foundation with zinc over the top.
The Cooling Anti-Redness Gel is fantastic to immediately calm and restore natural colour to red, inflamed, hot or itchy skin.
Here's why the regime is so effective -
The Power Mask with bee venom, manuka honey, and the unique NZ Halloysite clay is simply amazing for reducing and eliminating redness, clearing and refining pores, removing toxins, and improving the strength and health of skin.
The Power Super Serum is like a superfood for your skin containing natural anti-inflammatories, anti-microbials, and anti-oxidants and more, to provide exceptional nourishment and hydration.
And the Night Oil features the legendary Reishi Mushroom known for it's powers of rejuvenation and regeneration.
Not only do these products address the symptoms of rosacea, they strengthen and heal your skin, and boost the production of healthy new skin cells to both heal and treat rosacea.
By identifying the foods and beverages that trigger your rosacea flare ups you’ll soon be quite aware of what you should avoid wherever possible. But what’s rarely spoken of are the nutritional deficiencies that aggravate your rosacea and may be preventing your skin from being as healthy and beautiful as it can be. Just as we feed the skin from the outside, we also need to feed the skin from the inside.
And as a general rule of thumb, it’s best to increase your intake of green leafy vegetables to include 3 serves per day, include cis fatty acids such as olive oil and avocado in your diet daily, and stay away from trans-fatty acids and sugar.
In fact, do you know that sugar causes acidity and inflammation which will aggravate your rosacea and contribute to an increased incidence and severity of flare ups. And when we say sugar - that includes white bread, white rice, artificial sweeteners and may even include honey.
I’ve found that a really simple way to include the nutrition I need for my skin is to add the Ultimate Skin Smoothie to my diet at least 2-3 times per week.
It can be quite tempting to rely on powder mixes and supplements but it’s incredibly important to include fresh produce in your regime. Supplements and powders can be used to provide a nutritional boost, but are not a replacement for fresh produce. This is because our skin and body needs enzymes to digest and soothe the skin. Powders are great nutrients, but please use alongside fresh produce.
You’ll notice you don’t need as much, and you’ll get an enhanced effect.
Rosacea symptoms are your body’s defense system telling you that something is wrong. It can prompt some really good healthy choices that actually could be life saving by avoiding unhealthy habits. It's important to love and accept your skin, to feel grateful for the job it does, and look after it. Only then can it be the best and most beautiful that it can be.
As a rosacea sufferer I spent years feeling bad about myself, losing self confidence and self esteem. One of my greatest rewards for the work I do is hearing from customers about how their confidence and self esteem is growing.
For some though, even when the skin is healed and beautiful the psychological scars may remain. It really saddens me when I see photos from rosacea sufferers who can't see their beauty, even when their skin starts healing. We get so used to seeing the faults in our skin, and that isn't helpful.
I know it sounds a little woowoo, but if you're struggling to love your skin try speaking lovingly to yourself and your skin.
Try this ... write on your mirror or say out loud when you apply your skincare … “thank you body for helping me be healthier. My skin is getting stronger and more beautiful every day.”
Or you can write your own positive statement that feels right for you to try?
Does It Work?
I’ve been recommending this holistic approach and rosacea skin care regime for the past year, and it’s working brilliantly for more than 95% of people who have tried it. Occasionally I hear from customers who need a little extra help, and we need to tweak the regime a little for them. It’s a bit like detective work to figure it out, but we're happy to help and we almost always get there.
Even after 40 years, it still makes my heart melt when I hear from people like Olivia who tell us that she's had a life transformation from using our products.
Olivia was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease and rosacea. She described her skin as lobster red, puffy, sore, bumpy cheeks and neck.
She couldn't even cover it with makeup due to the bumps. The time lag between the two photos below is just two weeks of using the Rosacea Power Pack and yoghurt cleanse.
You can read more about Olivia's story in her testimonial at the bottom of this article, as well as many others.
Do you have a question?
If you still have questions about how to treat your rosacea, please do take advantage of our expertise and experience by requesting your Free Personal Rosacea Assessment. And if you have any questions about the Rosacea Power Pack, and other rosacea products please drop the team and I a note to potentnature@powerskinsolutions.com.
I'm so looking forward to helping you to bring out the best in your skin with a holistic approach, and beautiful high potency natural skin care.
All my love,
Suzanne Hall - MNZM
Founder - Power Skin Solutions
Winner 28 International Skin Care Awards
Leaders in holistic, high potency, natural solutions which restore and maintain beautiful healthy skin.
Rosacea Skin Care Products
Related Posts
3 Ways To Fix Dry Or Scaly Winter Skin On Face
Sunscreen Tips For Your Face
