Barrier Repair, Rosacea, Sensitive Skin: Products & Tips

I chatted with my friend, pharmaceutical scientist and skincare content creator @hannah_english about our top tips and tricks for barrier support. We cover active ingredients, favourite products, tips and tricks, perioral dermatitis, folliculitis and rosacea management.

0:43 Actives for irritated skin
1:49 Fave products
5:44 Gentler versions of harsh actives?
7:15 How long for barrier to recover?
8:09 Cleansers
9:01 Sun protection
10:23 Other tips and tricks
11:17 Perioral dermatitis
12:16 Folliculitis
13:09 What is rosacea, how Hannah found out
14:21 Managing rosacea

Rosacea:
PD and steroids:

🙋🏻 I'm Michelle, a chemistry PhD, cosmetic chemist and science educator, here to explain how beauty products work, debunk myths, and help you make smarter decisions about your skincare, hair and makeup!

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[LabMuffinBeautyScience]

Hope you enjoyed this chat! It was so much fun doing this video with Hannah - we're both massive nerds and have ADHD, and we don't see each other in person that often, so we went off on lots of interesting tangents that had to be cut out for clarity.

Let me know what else you want me to cover in the future, particularly for less-talked-about skin conditions!

[queenwyntir]

I was just diagnosed with rosacea -- pale white woman, age 33, and I've had various broken capillaries on my face my whole life. Would love to see more videos about rosacea, perioral dermatitis, and other conditions that aren't quite your typical acne!

[hannah_english]

Thank you for having me! I am so proud and honoured to call you my friend, what a fun video

[qingdaogrrl]

rosacea is really interesting. i noticed when i moved away from moldy house that my skin calmed down. no more itching and burning and no more red cheeks! so people can have mold sensitivity - OR - something else environmental like sensitivity to the mites on our skin. it's so important to go to a dermatologist!

[elderflowerephemera]

I was struggling with perioral dermatitis for 2 years without even knowing I had it! Luckily I saw a new doctor and they helped me clear it up. I’m super prone to flushing and starting to think I need to talk to my dr about rosacea 🤔 Thank you for this video!

[juliemoses]

A butterfly shaped red rash across the nose and cheeks can be a symptom of lupus.

[heythere]

Thank you for your video. I have rosacea and acne at 18 and it's definetly a mess to treat, especially when in France you have to wait at best 5 months to get a dermatologist appointment. By the way, among all the skin care channels, yours and Dr Dray's are my fav, thanks for all your good work and funny videos.

[internationallanguageofdan]

This video came out on the day I messed up my skin barrier. Perfect timing

[Ryan-gvqv]

What a godsend video for my sensitive, rosacea skin— Thank you!

[MarcyStuart]

I've had rosacea most of my adult life. When I was younger it was more of just red-face and no pustules, but now I am experiencing both. This video really helps, thank you for sharing your experience with us.

[gretab]

I love Hannah so much! Her book is brilliant and very helpful. Michelle + Hannah = I just adore both of you.

[janenicholson]

Love that we have you two science girls here in Oz. Also thanks to Hannah for putting me onto the Manicare face towels. Love them xx

[mimakate]

Thank you SO much for this! As a fellow Auzzie with pale, sensitive skin. I suffer from rosacea, broken capillaries and hyperpigmentation. I really really appreciate you doing this video! Im following your Hannah now too! 😊
Keep up the great work, you’re just wonderful.

[DavidCruickshank]

As someone with 'pain in the butt' skin who is always terrified about reformulations because they inevitably upset my skin, I LOVE the new La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5 formulation! I could only use the old formulation in moderation otherwise it upset my skin, but somehow this new formulation allows me to use it regularly which has been such a god send to my skin. Plus the texture is nicer and i have less problems with not rubbing it in enough and having white flakes in eyebrows/stubble.
Will definitely check out some of the other products mention, Great video!!

[WiseFamin]

Thanks for this video! I have both acne and rosacea, and as a darker-skinned person, I didn't even know about the rosacea until my dermatologist pointed it out! Even so, I didn't realize it can progress so easily. So far I've been controlling mine with prescription-strength azalaic acid, though I still have some flare-ups every so often.

[ndo]

Thank you for all of these great product recommendations and explanations. I still get too enthusiastic with active ingredients sometimes and need to focus on barrier repair more. Also, thank you for mentioning folliculitis! I've had flare ups for the last couple years and didn't realize what caused it at first. Can't wait to try some of the products you and Hannah mentioned throughout the video. Take care!

[gabrielfigs]

Ive been dealing with rosacea for several years now and a lot of what’s Hannah says resonates with me. Calming gentle products are the way to go! After I figured out what to use I’ve been able to withstand tretinoin use.
Oh and one huge trigger for my rosacea is red wine! If I have anything more than a glass it comes burning up my face 🫠

[sbhutto]

I love this video! This came right on time as I just did a heavy duty micro needling session on myself this past weekend, and I’m currently focused on restoring my barrier this next 2 weeks. This video just confirmed a lot of the tenets I have been following regarding barrier renewal. I had to do my own research on barrier renewal when I diagnosed myself with perioroficial dermatitis (I’m a family MD) after using a sonic cleansing device alongside heavy actives (acid cleansers, exfoliants, vitamin c, mid level tretinoin). It presented as tiny pinpoint erythematous papules on the tops of my cheeks near the eyes in the crows feet area and around the corners of my mouth and nose. I eventually was able to isolate that it was mainly the sonic cleansing device that was contributing most to this phenomenon. I ended up treating with metronidazole gel topical and did a lot of barrier relief, with hydrating serums, multiple humectants, peptides, cica, ceramides, masks, and occasional light occlusion w cerave healing ointment (my dermatitis wasn’t due to excess moisture), and I could get it to bounce back within about one or two weeks. I can use all of those actives if I cycle appropriately, but I absolutely cannot use a sonic cleanser on my face. Thank you so much for your videos and discussion.!!! ❤

[ChristaEvelyn]

Happy to go & subscribe to Hanna- great video on the often misunderstood, terribly frustrating skin condition of rosacea (speaking from personal experience ❤).

[michaelwaters]

New year, new video style! Loving it! 🎉