6 Essential Tips for Treating Rosacea

Rosacea is skin redness caused by over-circulation of the blood, resulting in visible dilated capillaries close to the surface of the skin. It is genetic, but is made more prominent by sun exposure, extreme temperatures, hot showers, spicy foods, caffeine, alcohol, cigarettes, and irritating chemical ingredients in skin care. The incidence of Rosacea on the rise (it now affects around 14 million Americans); but, if cared for properly, can be kept to a minimum. Here are my top 6 rosacea treatment tips:

1) Adjust Your Routine. Many people inadvertently over exfoliate their skin. So, if you have rosacea, it’s important to make sure you are not making your skin more sensitive by over exfoliating. Skin peels, retinols, and microdermabrasion can break down the protective barrier, causing the skin to be more inflamed and reactive, and should be kept to a minimum.

2) Always Patch Test Products. Before using any product on your skin, do a patch test. Rub a small amount of product on the side of your neck and wait 24 hours. If redness or irritation occurs, avoid using the product.

3) Pay Attention to Ingredients. Do you have a difficult time finding products that don’t itch and burn? The #1 reason that people are sensitive to products is perfume/fragrance additives. (At Vasseur Skincare, we use none of these sensitizers.) Other ingredients to avoid are:

• Acetylaled Lanolin
• Discodium Monoocleanido PEG 2 Sulfosuccinate
• Ethylheryl Palmitate
• Polvglyceryt.3-Dilisostearate
• Bexydecyl Alcohol
• Ceteareth 20
• Cetearyl Alcohol+
• Glyceryl 3 Dilsostearate
• Isopropyl Palmitate
• Isostearyl lsostearate
• SO Alcohol 40
• Sodium Hydroxide
• Sodium Laureth Sulfate
• Steareth 10
• Stearyl Alcohol
• Cocoa Butter
• Lauric Acid
• Methyl Paraban/Propyl Paraben
• Myrilstyl Lactate
• Myrlstyl Myrlstate
• PEG 200 and Dilaurate Xylene

4) Ice Your face and Keep Your Skin Care Products Cold. Icing your face in the morning and evening will help decrease inflammation and redness. Also, try keeping your skin care products in the refrigerator (as an added bonus, this will also keep your skin care products fresh longer!). Cleansing and moisturizing with cool-temperature products will constrict the capillaries to ease redness and irritation.

5) Avoid lifestyle sensitizers. Avoid eating spicy foods, smoking, drinking alcohol, or spending time outdoors in hot weather when you want to keep your skin looking calm. Also, when washing your face, use cool water.

6) Find the Right Skin Care Regime. The right skin care products are essential to managing rosacea. Because Vasseur Skincare products are freshly made without any of the harsh chemicals found in most skin care products, our line is great for those with rosacea or extremely sensitive skin. Here is the Vasseur Skincare product regime I recommend for those with Roseaca:

• Olive Oil Cleanser (AM & PM). Our gentle, ph-balanced Olive Oil Cleanser is healing and anti-inflammatory.
• ALA Cream (AM). Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA) decreases skin redness and inflammation.
• Hydro Gel (AM) Our cool, soothing moisturizer that won’t aggravate the skin.
• Ester C Cream (PM). A soothing Vitamin C enriched cream that corrects sun damage and keeps you looking young.
• Benzo Sensitive (AS NEEDED). If you are acne prone, we make a special made-to-order sensitive formula of our Benzoclear. To purchase, note “Benzo Sensitive” in the order comments box when checking out with Benzoclear 5 in your shopping cart.