Visiting the Dermatologist: A Blog

Treatments A Dermatologist Might Try To Reduce Your Skin Redness From Rosacea

If you often have a flushed face and you find it embarrassing, consider making an appointment at a dermatology clinic. You might have rosacea. A dermatologist can diagnose the condition and rule out other skin problems that could be more serious. Once you've been diagnosed, your dermatologist can help you manage the condition and keep it from getting worse. Here are some treatments that might help.

Avoid Your Triggers

You may not realize there is a link between certain foods or environmental conditions that trigger your skin flushing. You might need to keep a symptom diary to discover what triggers your symptoms so you can avoid things that make skin redness worse. If the sun bothers you, you might need to wear a wide-brimmed hat. If spicy foods are a trigger, then you can avoid those foods as much as possible.

You might not be able to avoid everything that causes your face to flush, but when you know what triggers you, you can avoid the environmental trigger or food when it's possible.

Use Gentle Skin Care Products

The dermatology clinic you visit might provide skin care products for patients with rosacea or other skin conditions. Products bought off the shelf often contain alcohol or other ingredients that can cause your skin redness to get worse. You may need to learn how to care for your skin in a more gentle way and use different products that won't aggravate your condition.

In addition, the dermatologist can recommend cosmetics that cover the redness without making your rosacea worse or cause other problems by clogging your pores.

Try Laser Treatments

If you avoid triggers and change your skin care routine, you may live comfortably with rosacea and keep the redness under control. However, rosacea often gets worse with time, and the condition can cause changes to your skin that you may not like. If your condition is difficult to control, your dermatologist might recommend laser treatments.

Different types of lasers can be used, depending on the results the doctor is seeking. Some lasers work to reduce or eliminate skin redness, while others reduce the effect of skin thickening on your nose. Laser treatments reduce redness by shrinking tiny blood vessels on your skin. The lasers also improve the texture of your skin by reducing scar tissue or skin thickness caused by rosacea.

Take Medications

Some medications, such as acne drugs and antibiotics, might help rosacea too. In addition, your dermatologist might try medicated cream that constricts your blood vessels to reduce redness. Creams that decrease redness aren't a cure, but they can reduce redness for the short term so you're not embarrassed by your red skin at work or at an event.

To learn more, contact a resource like Desert Dermatology & Skin Cancer Specialists