Basic Rosacea Skin Care

Rosacea patients often must take special precautions in caring for their sensitive skin. Here are some general guidelines:

Treat your skin gently. Avoid rough washcloths, loofahs, brushes, sponges and hot water, especially hot showers. Rosacea-Ltd recommends the following cleansing methods:
“Wet” your face for 10 to 20 seconds with a washcloth using warm water to well hydrate the skin. Warm water of approximately 85-90 degrees Fahrenheit (29-32 degrees Celsius) will dilate and open the pores to better remove oil. Continuing to use warm water and a washcloth, wash the facial skin with a gentle non-exfoliating cleanser. After washing well, rinse with cool water of approximately 60-70 Fahrenheit (15-21 degrees Celsius) degrees to calm the redness from the warm water washing. Leave your face “100% wet”, apply one drop of Jojoba oil to your fingertips and gently apply to your facial skin.

Let your face rest. After blotting your face dry, wait a few minutes before applying topical medication. Then allow the medication to dry for five to 10 minutes before applying any make-up.

Ocular rosacea. Be sure to follow your doctor's directions for eyelid scrubbing or medication.

Use an electric razor. Dull razor blades may cause irritation on sensitive facial skin. Also, avoid shaving lotions that burn or sting. Rosacea-Ltd recommends using a Panasonic Wet/Dry electric razor for shaving and shave wet with Noxzema shave for sensitive skin with Dimethicone skin protectant. Until you locate the Panasonic, we recommend a light sensitive blade razor. Change blades frequently so you will not irritate already sensitive skin.

Steer clear of harsh ingredients. Do not use over-the-counter products that may cause burning, stinging or redness until you've checked with your doctor. The Rosacea-Ltd web site states that many of the products commonly used in the treatment of acne are too harsh and drying which results in the body producing more oil to compensate for the oils stripped from the skin by the harsher products. Applying oil to the skin “tricks” the skin into thinking there is sufficient oil on the skin so the body slows oil production to that area of the skin to prevent it from being too dry. When the skin is too dry, the skin pores shrink with resulting ‘clogged pores’.

Select cosmetics that are not irritating. Check with your doctor if you're having difficulty.