Suffering from rosacea and having a red rash on your face can be extremely frustrating and somewhat painful. Your skin feels itchy, warm, and sore, meaning you’re going to try a range of treatments to soothe the pain. However, some treatments are a lot worse than others. The things you think you’re doing to help your rosacea could be making it worse. Today, we’ll quickly run through some of the things you shouldn’t do if you have rosacea on your face:
Apply products that contain alcohol
It’s common for some people to apply creams or gels to their face in the hope of calming their rash. Unfortunately, if these products contain any alcohol, you are going to aggravate the problem. This typically includes a lot of wound care creams and sprays that include alcohol to kill any germs or bacteria. With rosacea, this will only make the situation worse as your skin is super sensitive and the alcohol will inflame the rash and mean it stings and hurts a lot more than it should. So, always check the ingredients of any product you put on your face to be sure it has no alcohol in it.
Avoid washing your face
A lot of people with rosacea won’t wash their face as often as they should. This is because your skin feels really sore, so you want to avoid touching it. However, if you don’t wash rosacea-prone skin, the symptoms will get worse. You will have skin that’s overly oily or dry, enhancing the rash and making it more painful to deal with. Plus, you run the risk of developing bacteria and germs on your skin, which is always going to make your problem harder to contend with. Wash your face regularly, but avoid abrasive cleansers or exfoliators. Be gentle as well so you don’t irritate the rash even more.
Using a moisturizer that’s not suitable for rosacea
Keeping your skin moisturized and hydrated is very important when you have rosacea on your face. Unfortunately, most of the standard moisturizers out there will not be suitable. This is because they contain fragrances or other ingredients that can annoy your rosacea and make it worse. Instead, you need to find moisturizers that are suitable for rosacea and can actually help to calm it down. Typically, the best moisturizers for rosacea are ones that include SPF and ceramides. They shouldn’t have fragrances, and they obviously should not have any alcohol in them as well!
Forget your sun protection
Speaking of SPF, you need to ensure you wear it whenever you go outside. Likewise, protect your face from the sun by wearing a hat whenever you can. A lot of people with rosacea experience flare-ups from the sun, so keep your skin protected!
To summarize, don’t forget to wash your face regularly, don’t forget your sun protection, don’t use any products containing alcohol, and don’t use a daily moisturizer unless it is suitable for rosacea. If you avoid making these common mistakes, you will find it much easier to handle your condition and ease the regular symptoms. Also, see your doctor if you have never been diagnosed with rosacea, and if the treatments you are using don’t help.