Having always had naturally flushed cheeks, you could have knocked me over with a feather when I was diagnosed with rosacea eight years ago. Rosacea is a chronic skin condition that causes redness, flushing and texture as well as much discomfort. I didn't realise there was a name and diagnosis for a face that had always felt normal to me.
After seeing a dermatologist, I promptly threw away my entire skincare routine and started a new, gentler one. I was amazed at how quickly my skin calmed. It takes trial and error, for sure, but having medical intervention made a huge difference to how calm my skin began to look.
Now, eight years on, I've spoken to countless experts, seen and tried just about everything, and have so many tips to share when it comes to managing redness successfully. This is what I wish I knew at the very beginning of my rosacea journey.
1. See an expert as soon as you can
So many of us feel a level of guilt or shame attached to seeing the doctor. It seems like a GP appointment should be reserved for the days when a limb is quite literally hanging off.
But the truth is, if your skin is affecting your day-to-day life, it requires the same care and attention as any other medical issue.
Rather than second-guessing the recommendations you see on TikTok, I recommend seeing a professional one-on-one for accurate advice. Each case of rosacea is unique to the individual and it needs to be treated on such a basis.
There are four types of rosacea (erythematotelangiectatic - redness/flushing, papulopustular - acne-like breakouts, phymatous - skin thickening, and ocular - eye irritation), and you could have one or a combination of several. I have two types: one that displays a texture-free degree of redness at all times, and another that flares up occasionally with a bumpy rash.
On top of the type of rosacea you have, your personal triggers are unique, and so a detailed consultation will help you to determine your best pathway to calmer skin.
There are lots of ways to see a medical professional. Here are some of my suggestions as your first port of call:
- Visit a pharmacist in-store at Boots nationwide, for free and with no appointment necessary. Pharmacists across the country have had additional training with Dr. Justine Hextall, one of my favourite consultant dermatologists, and they can give you initial guidance in the first instance.
- Use the Boots Online Doctor service. This allows you to send photos and anecdotes about your skin, and a clinician can assess your skin, prescribing medical treatment, if necessary, all for a small fee.
- Try Klira. This is a medicated skin treatment founded by Dr. Emma Craythorne, formulated by consultant dermatologists. In a similar premise, you undergo a thorough online consultation, and Klira will formulate a custom treatment for your skin based on what you might need. What makes this different is that they can treat several things at once, for example, maybe making you a treatment that targets the first signs of ageing as well as the rosacea itself.
2. Keep your routine simple
One of the huge advantages of a skin condition like rosacea is that it truly thrives on a small, simple skincare routine. You'll be doing yourself a favour if you strip everything right back, adapting a minimal, affordable routine and using it consistently.
As a general rule, you can't go wrong with French pharmacy brands such as La Roche Posay, Avene and Bioderma. Look for anything that supports barrier repair, offers deep hydration and is made to calm the skin. To begin, using a rich cream cleanser, a gentle moisturiser twice per day and then an SPF50 each morning is a brilliant place to start.
3. Start keeping a diary
It might sound trivial, but one of the most helpful things you can do for your skin is to keep a diary. Track how your skin is looking and feeling along with factors such as the weather, what you ate, and where you are in your menstrual cycle.
As time goes on, you'll start to notice patterns. Maybe your skin seems to flare when you've been out in the cold? Perhaps you notice more flushing in the days after you go for a few drinks with the girls? The more awareness you have of these patterns, the easier it is to manage your symptoms. By all means, you can still enjoy all of these activities, but you can at least do so knowing what the cause and effect will be on your skin.
What doesn't work for rosacea: being hard on yourself if things take a turn
Though I definitely notice positive changes when I implement all of these steps, the hard truth is that rosacea is unpredictable. Factors beyond your control, such as extreme weather or stress, can deeply impact your skin in no time at all.
The most important thing to remember is that your symptoms are temporary, and though there isn't a cure for rosacea, there are always steps you can take to make things better.
Try not to be disheartened by a redness flare-up. Instead, think back to what you know has worked before, implement steps or changes that have helped, and just remember that things will settle again.
Rosacea coverage advice – if you want it
If you want a coverage option for a rosacea flare-up, try to find something skincare-based that you like the look and feel of. If you'd rather not look like you're wearing makeup, as such, you might like the Dr. Jart Cicapair Treatment, £19.50. This comes out mint green and melts to an adaptable beige, designed to spot treat the areas of high colour and reduce the look of flushing.
If you're happy to have a full face of makeup on, Erborian's BB Cream, £20, is great for offering hydrating, lasting coverage. (Ironically, they also have an entire red-correct range and CC Cream, but I think the BB collection is much more effective when it comes to detracting from redness.)
Wherever you're at in your skin journey, the important thing to remember is that you aren't on your own. There is expert help out there, and so much that can be done to ease your symptoms.
A lot of rosacea goes beyond the visible. I'm all too familiar with tightness, hot skin and even itchy discomfort. If this sounds like you, please know that there is so much you can do to achieve more comfortable, happy skin, and in a relatively short space of time.
For more rosacea tips and resources, you might like this video I made for Instagram, or you can find my dedicated @RosaceaTok TikTok page here.
