Rosacea is a chronic condition that affects the face, causing persistent redness and episodic flushing, initially starting with a tendency to blush easily. The condition causes dilated capillaries, resulting in general redness and well-defined blood vessels. The blood vessels covering these areas enlarge and dilate, producing facial thread veins, also called telangiectasia. Pimples can also occur on the face with rosacea, which resemble teenage acne, known as acne rosacea.
Symptoms often begins with flushing but other symptoms might be:
* Burning and stinging sensations
* Permanent redness
* Pimples (papules and pustules)
* Appearance of small blood vessels on the skin
Rosacea usually begins at any age over 30 and it shows as redness across the cheeks, nose, chin or forehead, tending to happen more often in women but is more severe in men. This condition can cause the face to become bright red and the skin can feel very sensitive, burn or even sting.
Cosmetic things that might help;
- Cleanse your face gently before applying your make-up. Find a cleanser that’s best suited to your skin type, avoiding any products with harsh chemicals. Try to choose only natural-based products that won’t make any rosacea flare ups worse. After cleansing, gently pat your face dry with a soft towel, without rubbing your face too harshly.
- The fewer ingredients in your moisturiser the better, and definitely use fragrance free. Ultimately, you simply need a moisturiser that’s gentle, rehydrates your skin and stops it from drying out.
- A primer will help your make-up sit nicely on your skin. A green-tinted primer, used only on the affected areas, can hide the redness before you apply your foundation.
- A good mineral-based foundation usually has fewer unwanted ingredients and will offer good coverage on your skin. Oil-based products might not hide the redness on your skin as effectively.
- When you apply your foundation, to avoid irritating your skin you should apply it with a make-up brush and not with your fingers. It’s important that you clean your brushes after every use, especially when you suffer from a skin condition, such as rosacea, that’s prone to flare-ups.
- You should choose your make-up carefully, as vibrant red lipsticks and bright eyeshadow will only magnify any remaining redness.
Laser treatment is an ideal solution to give effective therapy for this upsetting condition, and excellent results are easily obtained with the use of laser energies and expert techniques, not only in the cosmetic appearance but also a marked reduction in the upsetting flushing attacks of rosacea.
Advanced laser systems have a cooled sapphire window on the tip of the laser scope to further protect and cool the skin. Laser treatments cause only minimal discomfort, although when the laser pulses touch the skin some people might experience a minor stinging sensation, although topical anaesthetic cream can make treatments feel as comfortable as possible.