Rosacea: Why is my face broken out? I am 54!
Today’s conversation about “I have Rosacea, what can I do?” is a post sponsored by Galderma Laboratories, L.P., the maker of Soolantra® Cream, on a rosacea treatment. I have rosacea and I know that many of my readers do as well and will find this information useful.
I have rosacea. It’s a condition that makes my peaches and cream complexion appear to have bumps, pimples and redness. While for me it comes and goes, rosacea is a chronic inflammatory skin condition that doesn’t go away without treatment. It’s really annoying as I have spent my entire life protecting my skin from the sun to keep it nice and reduce wrinkling…and now I have this skin condition that looks like acne (it’s not)!
Rosacea Stats*
- 1 in 20 Americans (16 million) are affected by rosacea (wow, that’s 5%!)
- Many rosacea suffers feel low self-esteem (75%) and embarrassment (70%)
- Nearly half (49%) of rosacea sufferers think they have acne (get diagnosed!)
- Even professional interactions can be affected, 60% of those surveyed agreed
* Stats gathered from the National Rosacea Society (NRS) and Galderma Laboratories, L.P.
Rosacea Triggers
- Sun Exposure: Make sure to wear your sunscreen (at least 30 SPF). I found that long rides in a car, with the sun beating on one side of my face, really leads to rosacea flare-ups.
- Certain Foods: Common ones include red wine, spicy food, hot liquids, cheese, and chocolate. (I haven’t found that food triggers my rosacea necessarily but on the other hand maybe I just don’t want to give up red wine, cheese or chocolate! Keep a food journal to figure out what food triggers you may have.)
- Skin Care Products: (I found this one to be a big one for me.) Avoid scrubs and products with too many ingredients (this was a surprise!). Products with alcohol, witch hazel, fragrances, and mint oils are irritants for many people with rosacea. Wash your face with an alcohol- and fragrance-free cleanser, rinse with lukewarm water, and blot dry with a soft cotton towel
- Family History: If you have rosacea, it is a high likelihood that other members of your family do as well. While anyone can get rosacea, those with fair, peaches and cream skin and from Eastern or Northern European descent tend to be more likely to have rosacea (I am all of these)
- Weather and Temperature: Both hot and cold, can be a rosacea trigger when it comes to weather, fire, and water temperatures (Yes, I notice this especially with cold!)
- Exercise
- Stress
- Demodex: Everyone has Demodex mites on their face (EWWWW!) Researchers believe that Demodex appear in greater numbers on the faces of people with rosacea.
I have rosacea, what can I do?
One thing I am doing is considering my rosacea triggers and work to control the triggers that I can.
Another thing that I am going to start doing is stop just CONCEALING my rosacea with makeup and start trying to HEAL my rosacea. I am excited about asking my dermatologist about trying a FDA-approved topical treatment that I can use once daily called Soolantra® (ivermectin) Cream, 1%. It is formulated to provide treatment of the bumps and pimples of rosacea, and for many is a powerful tool to fight this annoying condition.
These before and after photos from the were motivating for me and got me excited to ask my dermatologist if I could give Soolantra Cream a try:
While the mechanism of action of Soolantra Cream is unknown, ivermectin, the active ingredient in , has been reported to have anti-inflammatory and anti-parasitic properties. With Soolantra Cream’s unique approach, the anti-parasitic qualities of ivermectin may be linked to the death of Demodex mites, which are thought to play a role in rosacea-related skin inflammation.
Do you suffer from rosacea too?
Download the Soolantra Cream Savings Card and get instant savings on your prescription and refills. And while you’re there, also grab the Patient Toolkit: printable rosacea trigger info and a discussion guide to take with you to your appointment.
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Galderma Laboratories, L.P., the maker of Soolantra® Cream.
Important Safety Information
Indication: SOOLANTRA® (ivermectin) Cream, 1% is indicated for the treatment of inflammatory lesions of rosacea. Adverse Events: In clinical trials with SOOLANTRA Cream, the most common adverse reactions (incidence ≤ 1 %) included skin burning sensation and skin irritation. Warnings/Precautions: Not for oral, ophthalmic or intravaginal use.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit WWW.FDA.GOV/MEDWATCH or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
I do have a problem breakouts and redness, but it’s never been labeled rosacea. Now, I think I’ll have my dermatologist check it out. Thanks for the information.
No rosacea, but my face has patches of dry, peeling skin… steroid cream doesn’t help… maybe this will.
Fortunately, I have not had rosacea. I found it interesting that there are triggers that can cause issues and once you know them, you can control.
I want whats best to make others more comfortable.
I’ve lived with Rosacea for many, many years. And when I was young, and it didn’t look like rosacea, my complexion turned red in the sun, in the cold, when I was active, etc. all things that I now find trigger rosacea. I wonder if I’ve had it all along, just in young skin, the tiny veins didn’t show through? Maybe it’s time I went to a dermatologist. I thought there was nothing I could do.
I have it and all natural products have seemed to work for me, I order from amazon now. But I did my own research for awhile and found a company out of florida who shipped me products.. But yes try to go with all natural products.
I have never had rosacea. My biggest problem is adult acne.
This first positive thing I have heard about rosacea. To finally know what causes it and how to treat it. Thank You
I have a friend with Rosacea and she has tried it all. She usually wore Dermablend concealer and base makeup, and it did a pretty good job of concealing it. I have brown spots from previous sun damage and they are hard to cover too. I will certainly pass on this new medication information to my friend. We have bith just wanted to be able to go without foundation or base and ‘let our skin breath’ on weekends, but it hasn’t happened. Hopefully she will be able to do that soon. Maybe you could do some reviews on the best way to fade brown spots and other discolorations. I would believe your review. Thanks!
I wonder if this would be good for adult acne too? I get acne still and a lot of the triggers you mentioned also trigger acne.
My daughter and ex husband both have this,I’m showing them this article ,they’re always looking for tips.
I don’t suffer from rosacea but I know people who do. I had no idea that it can be caused by parasitic mites.
Well, knock on wood, that is one thing that hasn’t happened to me yet! It looks very painful and I should know since I did have Shingles one year and if it’s anything like that, it’s really very uncomfortable.
I don’t have rosacea but I sympathize with those who do. Glad to see there is such a nice solution for those who suffer with it.
I don’t but I have a friend who has it really bad. I know she’s tried everything she can. I’ll tell her about this.
For some reason my rosacea has disappeared now that I’m older.
My sister has Rosacea too. I have gone to many dr appts with her only to dins out there really isn’t much she can do. She spends most of her time trying to cover it up. I will send this link to the blog to her. Maybe this is a product that will help her so she doesn’t have to suffer anymore.
Great post, I know some thing brake my face out but this is very useful info for me. Thanks for sharing.
I have rosacea and it’s triggered by skin products, I found the more natural the product the better my skin looks unless it has an ingredient like Lavender which my skin can’t tolerate. The Dottera skin care line helped a lot but didn’t help my dryness in winter. I’m currently using a more expensive line called PCA skin. Thank you for this post, it was very informative.
The results from the Soolantra cream are pretty impressive. I’ll have to ask my dermatologist about it at my next visit. Thanks for sharing!