5 Essential Tips for Managing Rosacea Flare-ups

Rosacea is unpredictable.

You never know how your skin will look in the morning or how long it will take for your next flare-up to go away.

Although rosacea isn’t life-threatening, a National Rosacea Society article based on a survey showed a link between lower self-esteem and rosacea flare-ups.

But you’re not alone. Over 16 million Americans have been diagnosed with at least one of the rosacea subtypes. And even though it isn’t curable, rosacea can be kept under control with the help of a specialist and a few tweaks to your lifestyle. 

At New Image Medical Spa, Surinder Sandhu, MD, has the experience to help you deal with rosacea. We’ve put together five tips to help you make rosacea flare-ups easier to deal with.

1. Look for triggers 

One of the easiest ways to manage flare-ups is to look for triggers. Luckily, there’s quite a lot of information out there on what can make your rosacea go wild. 

According to a survey of 1,066 rosacea patients, the following are the most common triggers:

• Sun exposure
• Stress 
• Extreme temperatures 
• Spicy foods
• Humidity 

But this list is not exhaustive. One of the best ways to find out what makes your rosacea worse is to keep a diary of how your skin reacts to certain foods, temperatures, and skin care products. This way, you’ll find a pattern and get better at preventing flare-ups. 

2. Avoid working out when it is too hot or too cold 

Hot weather worsens flushing, as do hot springs, saunas, and cold weather. So before you start exercising, make sure you won’t be sweating much or freezing outside while you’re at it.

And since the nature of the workout can worsen your flare-up, focus on lower-impact exercises or opt for water sports if you still want to burn calories without risking more redness and inflammation. 

3. Get a personalized treatment plan 

Because there are four subtypes of rosacea and symptoms vary a lot, Dr. Sandhu tailors your treatment to your type of rosacea and your skin type. 

If you’re suffering from redness and flushness, both brimonidine cream and hydrochloride cream can help relieve the redness for at least 10 hours after application. 

When it comes to pustules caused by rosacea, isotretinoin or metronidazole (an antibiotic) is usually the first line of treatment. Other antibiotics may also be prescribed. 

For rosacea that affects the eyes, prescription drops are usually part of the treatment plan. 

Lastly, the rarest type of rosacea — the one responsible for the thickening of the skin — is treated topically with creams, but it may also require surgical procedures in more advanced cases. 

Rosacea is an incurable chronic disease, but fortunately, we don’t have to increase medications over time because they don’t lose their effectiveness. 

4. Read skin care labels before putting anything on your skin

During a flare-up, you might instinctively look for your favorite foundation, moisturizer, or cooling gel. But before you apply anything to your skin, make sure you don’t use products with the following ingredients:

• Peppermint
• Eucalyptus 
• Clove oil 
• Alcohol 
• Witch hazel 
• Salicylic acid
• Glycolic acid 
• Fragrance 
• Silicones 
• Urea 

Instead, look for products that contain few irritants and come with an SPF filter, because sun exposure will worsen your flare-up.

5. Moisturize no matter what skin type you are

Having oily skin doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t need a moisturizer.

Oily skin can be a sign of dehydration, as sebaceous glands work hard to compensate for the lack of moisture in your skin. As a result, your skin gets oilier, so you might think that you need astringent products to get rid of the problem. Sadly, this only makes things worse during a flare-up, dehydrating your skin even more. 

Instead, use a gentle cleanser (one that doesn’t leave your skin feeling tight after using), and opt for a moisturizer that contains a humectant (glycerin or hyaluronic acid) to attract the moisture from the air back to your skin.

Rosacea is not a lifetime sentence

Yes, rosacea can be hard to manage. There are so many skin care ingredients, foods, and environmental factors that can make it worse. But with the help of a specialist like Dr. Surinder Sandhu, you can pinpoint what causes your flare-ups in the first place and get personalized, long-term treatment. 

If you want expert advice regarding how to manage your rosacea, you can call New Image Medical Spa for more information, or book an online appointment with us.