The Good, Bad and Ugly of Rosacea Treatments
There are many options for treating rosacea - topical anti-biotics, oral anti-biotics, steroids, retinoids, laser and light therapies, skin care products and holistic approaches that include changes to diet and lifestyle.
Each has their own pros and cons, so how do you know what you should choose and when? Here's a super quick introduction to help you decide.
Topical drugs
– topical drugs are useful for hiding symptoms in the short term, but may negatively impact the overall health of your skin by creating an imbalance in your skin’s acid mantle, possibly resulting in premature ageing.
Some topical drugs reduce redness by constricting blood vessels immediately and temporarily. These need to be applied regularly such as Brimonidine (Mirvaso) and oxymetazoline (Rhofade).
Others help to control the pimples of mild rosacea – such as Azelaic Acid, Metronidazole and Ivermectin. It may take 2-6 weeks to notice improvements, even longer for Ivermectin, but Ivermectin may result in a longer remission than Metronidazole.
Oral anti-biotics
– can be prescribed by a doctor or dermatologist for moderate to severe rosacea with bumps and pimples.
These help to clear up an infection (rosacea itself is not an infection) and may have an anti-inflammatory effect. It’s well known that use of anti-biotics creates a gut imbalance, negatively impacting your microbiome. They may compromise immunity and overall well being, and ultimately aggravate your rosacea.
Oral acne drugs
– such as Claravis can help to clear up the acne like lesions of severe rosacea, and may be recommended if you haven’t responded to other therapies.
Steroids and retinoids
– such as Rozex and Roacctuane can produce immediate improvement in the appearance of your skin, but ultimately result in skin damage, thinning of the skin, sensitivity to sunlight, and can make skin redness and spider veins look even worse. They can also make you feel ill.
Laser therapy and light-based therapies
- may help to reduce the redness of enlarged blood vessels with a short term effect.
Holistic treatment
- which addresses all of the causes of rosacea to relieve symptoms, AND restore healthy beautiful skin. For more information you can read about how to treat Rosacea holistically and the Rosacea Power Pack.
The choice is always yours
The most important thing is that the choice is always yours. Do your research and feel which options resonate with you the most. Test, see what works and what doesn't, and have the courage to choose for yourself.
