Happy New Year everyone! With the new year, I think it’s a common goal to start practicing more self care and focus on bettering yourself. This post is all about my experience with rosacea.

After having my daughter in 2021, my skin was flaring up so bad and I had no idea why. I’ve never had issues with my skin, aside from acne as a teenager, so I was so confused what was going on. I tried switching every product I was using, from cleansers to foundations, but nothing made a difference. If things did seem to improve, I would just have another flare up after a couple weeks. I even tried going makeup free for awhile, but that didn’t help either.

I finally did some research, and realized I could have rosacea. I decided to try some products that are commonly used to clear rosacea, and my skin was immediately improved. My next step is seeing a dermatologist to see if there’s any other skincare improvements I could make, but for now, these are my tips for where to start. In this post, I’ve listed the things I’ve done that I feel improved my skin the most. If you’re suffering from redness and sensitive skin, I’m so sorry and I hope these tips will help!

• Disclaimer: The tips in this post are what worked for me and my skin. Everybody is very different, and I can’t guarantee that these things will help. I’m also not a doctor and recommend you see a dermatologist if you’re having severe skin issues.

• Tip #1: Wash Your Face Regularly
• Tip #2: Exfoliate Cautiously
• Tip #3: Look for Products for Sensitive Skin
• Tip #4: Try a Rosacea Treatment
• Tip #5: Moisturize Regularly

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Tip #1: Wash Your Face Regularly

I’ve heard from a lot of people that if they’re not exercising or wearing makeup, then they don’t wash their face everyday to give their skin a break. I tried following this, but realized that it was making my skin worse. I notice if I don’t wash my face for a day, then my skin starts to flare up again. What’s even worse is if I don’t wash my face after exercise or wearing makeup. My skin will get so bad! I’d recommend a super gentle cleanser like this Cetaphil cleanser for sensitive skin.

Tip #2: Exfoliate Cautiously

When my skin first started acting up years ago and I didn’t know what was wrong, I thought maybe I wasn’t exfoliating enough. After exfoliating more, my skin only got worse. Rosacea can make your skin so sensitive, and excessive exfoliation can really irritate your skin if you have rosacea. If you still want to exfoliate, try using something more gentle like a soft washcloth.

Tip #3: Look for Products for Sensitive Skin

There are new skincare products constantly coming out on the market. While it’s fun to try the latest trendy products, try to look for ones specifically made for sensitive skin. It’s also a good idea to be aware of ingredients that irritate your skin. Everybody is different, and some people won’t be able to tolerate certain ingredients that others can. Products for sensitive skin are less likely to have harsh ingredients that may bother your skin.

Tip #4: Try a Rosacea Treatment

For this tip, it’s a good idea to talk with a dermatologist first. If you’re looking to try something at home, there are a lot of OTC treatments. The only treatment I’ve tried so far is azelaic acid. Similar to retinol, there can be an initial adjustment period. Azelaic acid can cause your skin to purge, resulting in breakouts for a couple weeks. This happened to me at first, but my redness has completely disappeared. Now my skin is doing so well using azelaic acid regularly. So many brands have their own azelaic acid, but the two I’ve tried are from The INKEY List and Naturium. There’s a lot of other treatments available too, such as other creams, gels, medications, or laser treatment.

Tip #5: Moisturize Regularly

Since everyone’s skin is different, your moisturizer use may depend on if you have oily or dry skin. Rosacea treatments can also dry out your skin tremendously. Personally, I have super dry skin which is made worse with azelaic acid, so I need a heavy moisturizer. I’m still looking for one that works best for me, but just ordered Vanicream as I keep hearing good things about it. I often follow up with a skin oil to make sure my skin is super hydrated.

I hope these tips are helpful for you if you’re like me and are struggling with rosacea. It can be so frustrating to deal with skin issues when nothing helps. It can also help to ask around with people you know to get advice from others experiencing the same issues. You’d be surprised how many people also suffer with rosacea.

The rosacea community on Reddit is another super helpful resource for information. I like to look there for product recommendations, as it’s almost guaranteed someone has already asked the same questions you may have on there. It’s also nice to learn about other’s experiences and what did or did not work for them.

With all of that said, please comment below with any tips or suggestions you may have! I’m just now starting to figure out my skin and am completely open to advice from others.

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