rosacea and exfoliation -- overwhelmed newbie needs guidance
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Sun Jan 23, 2011 10:30 am

Hello everyone:

I've been lurking for a while and this is my first post. I love the information, discussion, and opinions on this forum, but I'm feeling a little overwhelmed trying to search and sift through the sheer volume!

One topic I'm trying to learn more about is the advisability of various exfoliants on rosacea prone skin.

I'm 44 with dry, very pale skin, some fine laugh lines and forehead creases, and have very mild rosacea (tendency to flush pink from a few specific triggers, few broken capillaries on one cheek, no acne/pustules). I'm trying to figure out which of the following might be good to incorporate into my skin care regime that won't worsen the rosacea:

Retin-A
glycolic acids
salicylic acids
microdermabrasion products

I've read reports rainging from absolutely none of these on rosacea-prone skin to reports that certain ones can be good and certain ones bad.

I have not been doing any kind of exfoliation lately, and currently I have some flaking going on. The last time I tried exfoliating, it was with Skin Rx Clinic's home microdermabrasion product which is corundum crystals in a glycolic acid base; It caused a raised red rash butterfly across my face so I stopped using it completely.

Can anyone point me to any particularly useful threads or reports? I've tried searching but have not been successful in pulling up many relevant threads.

Thanks in advance for any help!

free skin care · Mon Jan 24, 2011 2:06 am

macropis wrote:

Hello everyone:

I've been lurking for a while and this is my first post. I love the information, discussion, and opinions on this forum, but I'm feeling a little overwhelmed trying to search and sift through the sheer volume!

One topic I'm trying to learn more about is the advisability of various exfoliants on rosacea prone skin.

I'm 44 with dry, very pale skin, some fine laugh lines and forehead creases, and have very mild rosacea (tendency to flush pink from a few specific triggers, few broken capillaries on one cheek, no acne/pustules). I'm trying to figure out which of the following might be good to incorporate into my skin care regime that won't worsen the rosacea:

Retin-A
glycolic acids
salicylic acids
microdermabrasion products

I've read reports rainging from absolutely none of these on rosacea-prone skin to reports that certain ones can be good and certain ones bad.

I have not been doing any kind of exfoliation lately, and currently I have some flaking going on. The last time I tried exfoliating, it was with Skin Rx Clinic's home microdermabrasion product which is corundum crystals in a glycolic acid base; It caused a raised red rash butterfly across my face so I stopped using it completely.

Can anyone point me to any particularly useful threads or reports? I've tried searching but have not been successful in pulling up many relevant threads.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Hi Macropis,

In regards to Rosacea I would most likely steer clear of anything that is grainy or gritty, as this will cause your skin to become inflamed and even to break out.

In regards to Retinol there are a few products that are fine for sensitive skin and Rosacea skin that you could start off with:

Advanced Skin Technology Green Cream High Potency Retinol Level 3.
Don't let the name put you off this is made for sensitive skin and Rosacea skin types, however I do always suggest people try samples of products before they commit to anything in case it isn't right for them.

B.Kamins do make some wonderful products for sensitive skin and Rosacea skin types that do work and do work quite well. I used to suffer from Eczema quite badly and did use a few of the products that helped to calm and heal my skin. I started out with the Sensitive Starter Kit which was a god sent.

Eminence also make some wonderful products which are natural, however they work wonders for my skin. I have the Eminence Rose-hip And Maize Exfoliating Masque which rids my skin of dead skin and makes it simply glow.

All these products are available here at EDS if your looking for them. I also found some articles that you may find interesting on Rosacea. I will post the links below.

http://www.rosacea.org/patients/faq.php

http://www.rosaceaskincare.org/

This is a great article to read on a woman who has suffered with Rosacea and how she has gotten it under control.

http://www.essentialdayspa.com/search.php?withinresults=1&sid=1&newsearch=1&q=rosacea&x=10&y=11

The last one is products available on the site here for Rosacea.

As for Microdermabraision I think I would steer clear of this as I do think it could aggravate and worsen your condition, however if you have spoken to a Dermatologist and they suggested this then I could be wrong. But given you have tried a home kit I would just be cautious on using those types of products.

If I find out any more I will be sure to post back. I hope this gives you a little info and help. Smile

free skin care · Mon Jan 24, 2011 4:59 am

Hi There,

I have similar skin. I am able to use the PSF BHA 2%. I do rinse it off, rather than leave it on my skin. This is the only exfoliator I seem to be able to tolerate in the winter months.

I have also used Nadarra's Cleanser/Exfoliator. It is very gentle; I tend to use it in the summer time.

I use Karin Herzog products. Their mild scrub is still a bit too strong for me at this time of year, but if I combine it with either the Professional Cleanser or the Chocolate Cleanser, I can get away with it during the warmer months.

I use the KH AHA cream a couple of times a week .. in the winter months, I don't exfoliate nearly as often as I do in the warmer months. It irritates my skin if I do.

free skin care · Mon Jan 24, 2011 12:22 pm

Hi macropis,

The only way to know is to try each of them alone. I would start with a low % Retin A for some time, if it will not make your condition worse, add low % glycolic, etc.

macropis wrote:

Retin-A
glycolic acids
salicylic acids
microdermabrasion products

free skin care · Mon Jan 24, 2011 12:57 pm

Hi there,

I've wondered if I have rosacea myself, and from my research, what I've learned is that an anti-aging strategy that works for rosaceans is tretinoin+Replenix CF Cream+sunscreen or tretinoin+azelaic acid+sunscreen, or for really sensitive rosaceans, just Replenix+mineral sunscreen.

Glycolic acid is really strong and I wouldn't recommend it to you. Salicylic is gentler, but really geared towards acne, whereas azelaic reduces flushing over the long haul.

Here's a resource that I've found helpful, from the dermatologist Cynthia Bailey:
http://www.otbskincare.com/blog/rosacea-new-treatment-ideas-and-new-scientific-developments/2365/
She used glycolic and tretinoin for many years until she developed rosacea, and now uses tretinoin, Replenix, and ZO sunscreen.

Hope this helps,
Kay

Mon Jan 24, 2011 8:04 pm

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions! Much to think about now...

free skin care · Tue Jan 25, 2011 8:23 am

I cannot do retinols and avoid just about everything on your list except for very small amounts.
I think finacea has done wonders for the rosacea and my sensitve head Clarisonic with a very gentle cleanser works well.
I do like the Pro-heal Serum by Phyto-c and hydracool, works well wih my sensitve, rosacea prone skin. Russel Organics Seabuckthorn Oil has been help in hydrating.

free skin care · Tue Jan 25, 2011 8:40 am

I hadn't heard of azelaic before and was looking online for some info. I am by NO means an expert, but wanted to share what I read on wikipedia that made me gasp a little ....
Rosacea treatmentAzelaic acid is also used as a topical gel treatment for rosacea, due to its ability to reduce inflammation. In some cases, females have reported hair growth on face and neck.
Here is the link ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azelaic_acid

I do use the Power of 3 that Dr. Bailey recommends in the link Rockhugger provided. I do like the Power of 3 cream a lot. I use it ever morning and the RevaleSkin Intense Serum every night. I have noticed some an improvement in the redness, but it isn't gone completely. My flushing occurs primarily at hormone times of the month (mid month and before my period starts) .... I don't know whether any skin product will completely stop something that is linked to the internal goings-on!

Tue Jan 25, 2011 12:19 pm

I decided to order some Retin A from All Day Chemist -- I ordered 0.025% and 0.05%.

I have been wanting to use Retin A anyway on my upper arms for keratosis pilaris and on my lower arms and hands for some sun damage.

I will also try it very cautiously on my face. If it doesn't work I'll just have more for my arms.

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