Beauty Tips For Body Care
I have spent a year changing up my routine and trying new products. I always suspected I had mild rosacea because I had done a lot of research on the topic and my dad has it - and my symptoms matched up (type 2). I have a great routine that has solved many issues for me (i.e., texture, brightness, etc.), and I track all of my products' ingredients and follow all the right steps! But I couldn't get rid of the redness and about a month ago, I got these very subtle closed comedones/bumps on my cheeks and chin, right above the redness. I decided to see a dermatologist for a routine skin screening and as part of my visit, she explained that a lot of the symptoms I've been having that I thought were just reactions to fatty alcohols or other comedogenic ingredients are actually all symptoms of my rosacea. She prescribed me a very low dose of doxycycline and I've already seen great results! Before my visit, I was able to connect the small, really subtle breakout of closed comedones on my cheeks and chin to use of CeraVe AM because it was the only new product I had introduced. I thought it was the fatty alcohols that were causing me issues, but as my dermatologist pointed out, it turns out it was the chemical sunscreen that I was reacting to! She also gave me amazing recommendations for products that I likely would have ended up trying, but had not gotten there yet! I thought I'd share the products/tips that she recommended or prescribed in case it can help anyone with similar issues. Note: I did search around a bunch in the sub and saw that most of the posts about this similar issue (there are a lot!) point people to a possible rosacea explanation, but there isn't a post that contains all of the recommendations from my derm that I thought have been super helpful. Also, it is important to note that I started the non-prescription recommendations/products for a week before I started the prescribed products and noticed a major difference from those! PrescriptionsSulfaCleanse (prescription) - foaming sulfur face wash used to treat certain types of rosacea and seborrheic dermatitis.Oracea or Doxycycline (prescription) - I was prescribed a very low dose (40 mg) for mild rosacea and the associated bumps.Derm-recommended productsVanicream Moisturizing Skin Cream - I'm surprised this isn't mentioned more on this sub. I stopped at CVS on my way home from the derm and picked this up with a few other things. My skin was almost immediately soothed, less red, and more hydrated. I was struggling to find a moisturizer that was rich enough to combat my dry skin without getting oily or clogging my pores. I use this at night, either on top of another moisturizer (see below) or by itself. It's extremely soothing and I love the feeling of it and the results.Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel Cream, Extra Dry - This is just as great as everyone says it is, and I'm happy my dermatologist's recommendation got me to take the plunge. The extra dry version does not contain fragrance, and I believe the other version does, though I'm not sure. This is my daytime moisturizer and I add it in at night when I'm feeling extra dry.Elta MD Elements Broad Spectrum SPF 44, tinted - FINALLY an SPF that will protect my fair skin and not cause closed comedones (or papules). This is a physical sunscreen that came highly recommended and I know is a favorite of the sub and other science-based skincare blogs that I follow. I got the tinted version from my derm and I am not turning back, ever.CeraVe PM Moisturizer - a ScA favorite that I've used in the past. I have it, but have been focusing on the other two moisturizers more. Mainly because I got excited about new product recs from the derm.Derm advice or tidbits of infoAlways use SPF - duh.Avoid Chemical sunscreens (specifically oxybenzone, but I believe all are included) - this piece of advice seems to be specific to rosacea cases where you're experiencing papules or closed comedones (aka bumps/acne/pimples without blackheads, for simplicity sake). Due to my excessive routine and ingredient tracking, I realized this made complete sense and lined up perfectly with my flare ups.AHA/BHA and use of other actives - this advice from the derm was the most surprising to me. I have a consistent routine that includes Vitamin C (AM), AHA/BHA (PM), and tretinoin (PM, alternating nights). The derm said that if those actives have not irritated, burned, or otherwise worsened my skin thus far, then they are perfectly fine to use. Some people with rosacea are more sensitive than others to these ingredients. She basically said that she does not recommend patients with similar conditions to add BHA/AHA/BP/retinoids into their routine, but if they are using them already with no visible signs of added irritation, then it's perfectly fine to continue use if you're interested in their benefits in other areas (texture, brightening, etc.). I told her that I use Drunk Elephant Babyfacial once a week and I actually see major results the next day in reduction of redness, and she said that is a good sign that my skin can handle the actives. Of course, there are many different types of rosacea combined with different skin sensitivities, skin types, etc. But I thought this information could be very helpful to some of you who are questioning a derm visit for mild redness or just want some advice from a derm that may be relevant! Let's discuss: What advice have you received from a dermatologist that could benefit others?
Girls Blog 2015
Submitted by nicanickel
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