Rosacea: Causes, Treatments, Make up Solutions

There are only a few lucky women out there who just happen to have a perfect skin (fortunately for them, unfortunately for those outside the lucky group!). The ugly truth is that a lot of women all over the world are struggling with different skin problems. Today I want to focus on a problem I am very familiar with - Rosacea. 

Before I begin I just have to say that I have the feeling that rosacea is a rather neglected skin problem. Everywhere I look there is a lot of talk, advice and products directed to treat acne and spots (not to mention anti - aging niche). So this post is dedicated to all the ladies who know and can relate to the problem of rosacea. 

Image taken from www.paiskincarereviews.org

Let's start with the definition of Rosacea - It's a chronic skin condition that is characterized by redness in the center of the face, but later on can progress to overall face redness. Rosacea affects both - men and women,  but mostly women. Rosacea progresses with age - the older you are the worse it gets. 

In the modern day society scientists came up with the way to fight it - laser treatment...BUT..this is so far the only efficient way and it can get really pricey. Other skincare or make up products can only reduce the appearance of  rosacea or prevent it from getting spread.  

This is my rosacea. It's not very bad (not yet), but it's definitely noticeable without make up. So I was looking into this subject for quite a while now. I went to the dermatologist and had a good talk about the causes and measures that can be taken to help. 

First of all, rosacea is something that, most of the time, is genetic and runs in the family. My dad has it and my mum, so no way out there. Although, when I was younger the redness was noticeably less - just a few capillaries showing through but ,as I got older I got more and more redness. So I asked my doctor why this happens and it turns out there are many reasons for that: 

1. Sun exposure is a number one factor;

2. Harsh weather conditions (wind, cold temperatures or sudden temperature changes) ;

3. Nutrition - unfortunately, rosacea sufferers should follow a very strict diet - no fried, spicy or fat food, no soda, no certain vegetables (onion, garlic etc.), very hot drinks are not advised (hot tea, coffee). Besides any stomach diseases (like gastritis) is direct redness booster :(

4. Alcohol consumption - alcohol increases the blood pressure and widens the capillaries (even breaks them sometimes), which makes you face even more red. An although red wine can be good for the heart, it's definitely not good for the tone of your face.

5. Hot bath, sauna - heat widens and breaks the capillaries, increases redness.

6. Smoking - everybody knows- smoking is not good for the skin condition, it makes skin tired and reduces collagen levels in the skin etc.

7. Certain skin care products - it's not about the skin care, it's about the ingredients in the skin care, like alcohol, which aggravates the skin, bringing redness. 

I want to share with you how I reduce the appearance of rosacea with help of skin care and make up. I went to dermatologist asking for help and she said the only thing that can help dramatically is laser treatment, but there are ways to prevent the redness getting bigger. 

The first thing she recommended was the Bioderma Sensibio lotion. Yes, I know that Bioderma is a very famous and hyped skin care product at the moment. But a lot of people don't know that it has rosacea helping properties. It doesn't change the current situation of the skin, but if you use it regularly it doesn't allow any more redness to appear. I know that Bioderma is hard to get in the States, but it's available all over Europe in regular pharmacies. 

The second product is from a German brand called Eucerin. They have different multiple ranges for hair, body and face. This particular one is for redness, it has a green tint to it (green neutralizes red). It's not a very special product, there are many like this one on the market (I know Clinique makes something like that), but this one is reasonably priced and does the job. 

 I've tried to apply the green moisturizer first and then apply a foundation, but I it did look a bit patchy and not very flattering on the skin ,so I tried to mix it together and it worked for me.

I do half a pump of moisturizer and half a pump of foundation, mix it with the foundation brush and the apply it to my face either with fingers or with a brush. It tones down the redness, so here is the result:

After the redness is down, you can proceed with the rest of the make up. I applied blush and some mascara.

With pink blush on the cheeks

I am sorry that the post is soo long, I just have a lot to say since I have been looking into this subject for a long time. I hope you enjoyed and if you have any questions I will be happy to answer. xo