I have been having a few conversations with a client who has been suffering with Acne Rosacea for many years, I say suffering because it has had an impact on her confidence and wellbeing, Karen would not leave the house without plastering on makeup, which in her words “looked like a mask”. She has missed a lot of events in her life because she was terrified to be in a picture because she hated how her skin looked .I can relate to how that feels, I had acne Vulgaris when I was younger and it does take its toll.
Karen had tried everything to get rid of her spots ,and nothing had worked for her ,so she was at her wits end when we first spoke. Karen is 56 years old and has been suffering for about 16 years ,she went to her doctor who didn’t seem interested in helping, he gave her a course of antibiotics ,which seemed to help for a while but then bounced back with vengeance and from then on has been trying different products which didn’t work or they did for a while .We focused on what was triggering her skin, she started jotting down what she was eating/doing so we had more understanding on what her skin was reacting to.
We then focus on calming and soothing Karen’s skin, allowing her skin to hydrate and repair! Too many people make their condition worse because they over stimulate their skin which will make it worse. Karen is now seeing an improvement with her skin and is starting to feel more confident and beautiful. Karen has also changed some of her products she uses and the food she eats and has also started take a soluble collagen supplement.She is in it for the long haul !
I am sure there must be others feeling the same so I thought I would share some information with you to help you with your journey. When your skin starts to react or break out, it can be confusing and very stressful. So it is important to understand what’s going on with your skin.
Do I have Acne Rosacea or acne Vulgaris?
Acne vulgaris affects mostly adolescents whereas Rosacea affects mostly people between 30-50 years old and more commonly with woman but if men do get it the symptoms can be severe.
Vulgaris is much more common and affects the face and body. Your follicles become blocked with dead skin cells,dirt and oil, resulting in inflammation-
Causes includes genetics, hormonal function, bacterial growth amongst other things. Normally it would show as blackheads, whiteheads, lumps and spots with redness and scarring.
Rosacea shows as redness, smaller lumps with swelling and or thickening. normally localised at the centre of the face, cheeks, nose, forehead, and chin.
Firstly, there is not a cure or any magic remedy and that is hard to come to terms with. It is taking care of yourself and your skin and being committed to a good routine for you, so your skin is as healthy as possible, and you feel beautiful and confident.
No one knows to this day why it happens to the skin and the best thing to do is prevent the flare ups.
Main causes-
- Exposure to sunlight.
- Stress /Emotional Stress.
- Family History/Fair Skin.
- Some Medications
- Products/Cosmetics that are not suitable for your skin.
- Alcohol.
- Spicy Food, Dairy, tomatoes, foods pickled in vinegar, foods high in carbohydrates.
- Hot drinks.
- Extreme temperatures.
- 30+ at risk.
Its your skin so learn to understand it, keep a journal, and write down what you eat and do, note down how your skin feels after eating, and a few hours later and then again when you wake up the next day. As you learn you will know how to prevent those triggers. This might seem like a lot of work, but it will be worth it for skin ,wellbeing and building your confidence.
Foods and supplements known to help-
- Any anti-inflammatory food
- Eggs
- Flaxseed
- Cod liver oil
- Fatty fish
- Berries
- Brown rice
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin B complex
- Zinc
- Borage oil/Evening Primrose
- Spearmint /Green Tea
- Collagen Supplements
Take care of your skin with a good skin care routine-
- Cleanse your skin twice a day. Apply your cleanser with fingertips and use gentle circular motions, rinse with Lukewarm water or cooled boiled water. Pat dry with a facial tissue or clean cotton towel. This is to keep your skin clean and clear and ready to repair.
- Apply your serum with a gentle massage movement in a heart shape, to help repair your skin, helping stimulate your collagen and elastin will energising your skin.
- Moisturise with a patting motion to hydrate and help calm and smooth your skin.
- SPF to protect from UV damage. You want SPF 30 or higher, no fragrance with Broad-spectrum protection.
- Do not forget your Eye cream, apply with your ring finger. You only need the size of a grain of rice for both eyes, apply around the contour od the eye.
- Your weekly spa at home facial to gently exfoliate and boost and reset your skin with the correct masks.
DRINK PLENTY OF WATER………AND BE GENTLE WITH YOUR SKIN…….
Try to use more natural products that are cruelty free that are not highly fragrance.
Look out for Ingredients like Camphor, Fragrance, Which hazel Glycolic acid, Lactic acid, menthol, and sodium laurel sulphate.
Choose foundation that will let your skin breathe, with buildable coverage so it will not look cakey .Get colour match from a professional so you will get the right shade for your colouring, as you know I worked with Estee Lauder for years and I would recommend Double wear Foundation. Invest in a good primer that colour corrects. I would try not to use powder if you can. Use your bronzer to contour, and apply your blusher higher on the cheek bone to distracted the colour from the centre of the face, Use a blusher with no blue pigment as it can make the skin look worse.
I hope this helps you with your Acne Rosacea journey
Remember you are beautiful, Brilliant and fabulous…
So shine like a Diamond….
Love Helena XxX
Double Wear Flawless Hydrating Primer SPF45 | Estee Lauder – Official Site
Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup SPF 10 | Estee Lauder – Official Site
Bronzing Powder | MAC Cosmetics – Official Site
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Also check out my 5 top foods to boost your collagen .
