All you NEED to know about Rosacea with Dr Sam & Dr Emma

This week’s video on rosacea was filmed in February but I think it’s probably even more apt right now, as we hunker down at home and skin is subjected to the ebbs and flow of stress hormones, sugar and dry, centrally heated air. It also just so happens to be Rosacea Awareness Month.

It’s a tedious mix of redness, spots and dry, uncomfortable skin which may flush up at any give moment due to a myriad of triggers. As someone with a definite ‘sprinkle’ of rosacea myself, I thought it would be helpful to revisit the strategy Dr Emma and I use in clinic, given that so many of you had questions on it at our recent Tuesday Check-up on Instagram.

Products mentioned:
The Inkey List Niacinamide
The Ordinary 10% Azelaic Acid
Paula’s Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster
The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid
Medik8 Crystal Retinal
Differin Cream (on prescription in the UK, OTC in the US)
Finacea -15% azelaic acid
Soolantra - ivermectin
Rosex and Metrogel - topical metronidazole in a cream and gel format respectively.
La Roche Posay Toleriane Dermo-cleanser
Avene Tolerance Extreme
Cerave Moisturising Lotion
Avene Recovery Cream
Things to skip - physical exfoliation and toners.
Daily UV protection
Jan Marini Physical Protectant
Neostrata Sheer Physical Protection.

How to find me:

As always thank you so much for watching and for all your support!

Disclaimer: The content seen in this video is provided only for medical educational purposes and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please seek professional help individually if you suffer from any dermatological condition. Due to the volume of patients seen in the clinic, and to the unique nature of skin, Dr Bunting is unable to respond to every query on these videos.

[eileenm]

Helpful hint during your workouts: cool wet microfiber sports towel. I drape mine around my neck, it keeps me cooler with less flushing.

[lkkjjhjmnbhg]

I am suffering from rosacea for some months now. The part you talked about prevention was very devastating for me. If I would ask my friends to list things they think I enjoy the most they would literally go like “sauna, coffee, red wine and skiing”. Fml. But big thank you for educating me.

[Sydney]

I've just been diagnosed with Rosacea, 5 mins into seeing a great dermatologist. Three GP's and one dermatologist over 7 years had diagnosed my condition as Folliculitis and I've been on numerous antibiotics which caused all sorts of issues. I thought my symptoms were not related, but now I know I have rosacea, I can see they are related. Symptoms : Inner ear rash / irritation, inflamed hair follicles on my scalp, papules and pustules on the forehead, chest and scalp, flushing on the T zone and chest. I also developed a stye in my right eye on a trip to my company headquarters when we were having photo headshots done for our company website !. Chlorsig did not help and the irritation lasted a long time. I see now that it was Ocular rosacea. I've just had a breakout after an alcohol session, which involved Port wine.... I am now going to study and watch out for my triggers. Started Isotretinon 20mg capsules and Ivermectin 10mg cream. Love your channel.

[SingingAddicted]

A video on skincare steps and what exfoliants, lotions, active ingredients etc we can use would be great as i still can't figure out how to build a routine for rosacea besides just cleansing, moisturising and sunscreen! I also use topical metronidazol but unfortunately that isn't being enough for dealing with texture irregularities and black heads!

[jennioliver]

Would love to know your thoughts on gluten and dairy, and the role they may play in rosacea. I've read many different opinions on this topic. Thanks for your very informative and fun videos!

[victoriabauer]

Hey Sam can you do a Video about actual Rosacea Therapy? Like lazer or led light therapy? So things they do in a dermatologists office?

[kaiitsang]

Would love a video on your thoughts of dry yet acne prone skin. I feel it's a spectrum that's not very well discussed to the typical standard of oily acne prone skin. :)

[lauriep]

Thank you both for discussing Rosacea. I enjoy it when Dr. Emma joins your discussions.

[Isabelle-xgoy]

Thank you for that charming video 🙂 from my experience (prerosacea and acne tarda mature skin) my skin enjoys azelaic acid (20% cream) and Rosacure Fast by Synchroline (wonderful for calming while being lightweight and super comfortable).
When things go wrong - LPR Cicaplast Baume B5 (miraculous maker).
Last but not least: my best cleanser for oily/dry/sensitive skin is Bioderma Sensibio Gel Moussant ( only one i find not to make any harm and has great cleaning abilities still).
Sending all the best to both ladies and all viewers in these hard times ❤️

[ellierk]

Scheduled for my 5th Pulsed Dye Laser (Vbeam) appointment next month. It's the only thing that's helped me with the redness. Finacea helped with inflammation, but not the redness. Niacinamide makes me flush.

[chloegranleese]

Thank you, this is so helpful. I am 34 and have had rosacea since my mid 20's. I didn't tolerate over the counter azelaic acid or the course of rosex (my first prescription) so I have just started a 2 month dose of lymecycline. I will return to my doctor and ask to try Soolantra- should I start this alongside the antibiotics or after? A video about actives use for people with rosacea (particularly vit c, retinol and any place for chemical exfoliants) would be wonderful and specific product recommendations if possible would be fab. You did mention niacinimide and vit c in sensible doses- what % would that be? Thank you both again and look forward to the next instalment!

[vlwilson]

Would be very helpful if someone addressed how to treat the redness, and facial veins. These topicals may keep inflammation down, but how to treat the issues?

[beauty_enthusiast]

I’ve been struggling with rosacea all my adult years (almost 50 now) and I’ve tried everything. You mention that we should stay away from fragrance but then you mention Avene products which have fragrance! This is why we feel there is conflicting information out there. Citric acid is also a trigger for me and unfort Dr. Sam’s products contain this ingredient. I also stay far away with anything that has linalool and Limonene. Obvs everyone’s skin is different and you’ll need to learn what works for you so the best advice I was given was to simplify my routine as much as possible and add products slowly in order to isolate what works for you. Also, learn how to read the inci list and about the chemistry of ingredients. What works for me - Hada Labo Cream Cleanser, a lactic acid for exfoliation, Niacinamide with the Inky List Polyglutamic acid instead of hyaluronic acid, any mild retinol product but definitely not differin bc its way to harsh, a mild moisturizer without fragrance, and a mild vitamin c. I use a bit of self tanner to mitigate some of the redness and try to stay away from fragrance and alcohol in my foundation (I’ve been loving Mac Face+Body and Koh Gen Do Aqua) and blush products, too. Daniel Sandler makes an anti-redness primer that works pretty well. Giving up sugar has also helped clear my skin tremendously. Good luck with your journey and don’t give up!

[wiktorkasperek]

I don't even have rosacea but was happy to watch this very interesting lecture. You ladies are a delight to listen to 😇

[Vitobandito]

I'm doing pretty well with managing rosacea. I use a gentle cleanser and (based on Dr. Sam's video on the skin barrier) follow up with an HA (hada labo). In the am, I use an OTC 15% AA and cerave mineral sunscreen with ceramides and niacinamide. sometimes I add burt bee's salicylic acid (2%?) every few days on the bumps which seems to keep them at bay. Other days I use TO vit c powder mixed with TO resveratrol -- just enough to cause a tiny bit of warming, not more or I'll have some irritation. At night I double cleanse, then again HA, AA and prescription retin-a, (highest strength, which I've been on pretty consistently for 30 years, so I am used to it and it causes no irritation for me). On top I use laroche posay cicabaum, which I love because it is very soothing.

I still have some redness and am thinking of making some changes. As the doctors said, AA and niacinamide are the best things you can get for rosacea. But I am using OTC AA (15% max) and the niacinamide in the suncreen is probably not a high concentration. So when Dr. Sam says the niacinamide should be in an "appropriate concentration" I don't know if the amount in the cerave is enough.

[myshowsmarky]

Thank you for being so breathtakingly gorgeous and informative! I was fascinated watching you both talk! Is the laser treatment a replacement for all antibiotics and topical treatments or just a a supplement? Are there different laser treatments and if so is there any specific treatment you would recommend or are they all the same? Perhaps types of lasers used?

[missx]

The one part no Rosacea video explains. What about chemical exfoliation? Which one is the most suited for rosacea prone skin? And how frequently should we be exfoliating? Can you please make a video on that too? 🙏😊❤️

[divingduckies]

Ah that colour green looks absolutely gorgeous on you Dr. Sam! It really brings out your eyes! What are your thoughts on chemical exfoliants for those with early stage rosacea? And is sunscreen necessary even if we are indoors all day?

[stefanieblanche]

Dr Sam please add a skin barrier repair cream for very sensitive skin to your skincare line
Im loving your Flawless Light, but sometimes when my skin becomes very irritated I cant even tolerate Flawless Light anymore, it stings and my skin becomes red and inflamed, I think maybe because of the hyaluronic acid. Please please do a barrier repair cream

[sathiabamaharumugam]

Can you demonstrate how to cleanse (makeup removal), moisturise, apply makeup, apply the treatment creams, e.g Soolantra, Azelaic acids etc. AM and PM routine. Cheers!