Understanding Rosacea- From Skin Redness to Emotional Wellness_en (auto-generated)(1)
are you struggling with facial redness postural spots or just irritated skin keep watching to learn a holistic approach to rosacea on its treatment in today's video if you're new here I'm Dr Finbar a family doctor now specializing in dermatology and on this channel I help you learn to love the skin you're in and enhance your skin health for longevity I often tell my patients that I flare up on their rosacea is similar to how a warning light flashes on the dashboard of a car just as the car has sensors built in to let you know it needs some attention or a trip to the garage so too can our bodies communicate with us and warn us that something is wrong the problem is that we don't understand the message as facial redness doesn't tell us exactly what or where the problem is and it can lead to further frustration and psychological upset this is why today I'm taking a holistic approach to the management of rosacea what it is how it affects your emotional health lifestyle and dietary factors I'll also cover prescription medical treatment options so be sure to watch to the end of the video for all of that information rosacea is a chronic inflammatory skin condition characterized by facial redness small bumps and visible blood vessels it commonly affects the cheeks nose and forehead but it can also appear on the neck chest and ears there are several types of rosacea and I'm not going to go deep into all the individual subtypes in this video but it's important to know a little bit about them as different interventions may be required for each subtype from a diagram a medical staff the subtypes include populism postures these dome-shaped papules often appear in clusters with or without pustules some patients develop deeper nodules also then we have a fair flushing frequent and prolonged flushing is common with rosacea but is more noticeable in patients with lighter skin talangectase are dilated blood vessels commonly visible in patients with rosacea in-depth examination of rosacea patients with darker skin may also reveal these changes even if they aren't immediately visible to the naked eye rosacea can affect the patient's eyes some of the most common signs or symptoms around the eyes include bloodshot eyes redness around the eyelid margin styes crusty accumulation at the base of the eyelashes changes to the patient's skin include a bulbous appearance of the nose glandular hyperplasia or overgrowth and skin thickening I should also mention perioral dermatitis some researchers consider perioral dermatitis to be a variant of rosacea perioral dermatitis is a rash that appears around the mouth and nose and it's often mistaken for acne so although there are seemingly multiple subtypes and variants of rosacea the common condition of rosacea isn't just about the rash the psychological and emotional effects can go well beyond the visual rash what causes rosacea is not an easy question to answer now while there's strong hereditary component to rosacea having the genetics for it doesn't mean that you're destined to get it the strong links also between rosacea and gosh health and I'll be talking about that in more detail soon rosacea has multiple triggers that contribute to its development and severity so if you want to get rid of your rosacea it's best to take a holistic approach that addresses all these areas which I'm going to talk about namely emotional health lifestyle and dietary measures and then Medical Treatments now while there are certain things that seem to trigger most rosacea sufferers like sunlight other triggers such as dietary triggers like eating tomatoes or Nightshade plants may only affect a small number of rosacea sufferers occasionally rosacea can be brought on by or made worse by the use of steroid creams given to treat eczema I think emotional health is often ignored misunderstood or brushed over by doctors as we reach for our prescription pods under emotional health I include your mental health mindset spiritual health and health in our relationships while emotional issues may or may not directly cause rosacea they can certainly exacerbate it living with rosacea often brings emotional challenges that further impact the condition for instance consider the case of one of my patients let's call her GM now Jane had been struggling with rosacea for years and despite numerous treatment plants she wasn't seeing the Improvement that she hoped for so after discussing her emotional health she ensured that she had been carrying unaddressed Trauma from her early childhood this emotional burden manifests as stress in her daily life which often triggered her rosacea flare-ups and once Jean recognized this connection she sought a therapy to work through her childhood traumas as she began to heal emotionally and let go of the fear and anger issues that she was suppressing she noticed a significant reduction in her rosacea symptoms now this isn't to say that therapy cured her rosacea but rather that addressing her emotional health proved to be a vital part of managing her condition Jane's story underlines why it's essential to address underlying emotions that may be affecting your health professional help such as therapy or counseling can provide safe place and a safe space to explore these emotions and healthy coping strategies moreover incorporating practices like meditation mindfulness yoga breathing exercises journaling or engaging with support groups can help navigate the emotional challenges associated with rosacea many people find such practices can provide a sense of community and understanding further improving your emotional health and your resilience remember nurturing your emotional well-being is a crucial step in taking control of your skin and your overall health your emotional health is just as important as your physical health in managing rosacea I'd love to hear about your own experiences or thoughts in the comments section Below in relation to emotional health I do read them all and reply to as many as I can I hope you're enjoying this content if so please hit the like button and consider subscribing to the channel let's move on to look at lifestyle and other dad refactors starting with sunlight sunlight can make rosacea symptoms worse the UV rays or the ultraviolet rays from the Sun creates substances known as reactive oxygen species in the skin that lead to inflammation or swelling and redness now this inflammation can trigger your immune system in a way that increases certain molecules in your skin that are connected to rosacea also these same sun rays can boost signals in the skin that help blood vessels grow and this might be why people with rosacea often have small widened blood vessels known as talange activities on their skin sunlight can also weaken the structures that support your skin like collagen and elastin this could make rosacea worse by interfering with the natural drainage process in your skin because of these effects it's especially important for people with rosacea to protect their skin from the Sun you may need to trial a variety of sunscreens before you find one that suits you most people find that they need a mineral sunscreen with ingredients like zinc or titanium which reflect the cylinderase and manage rosacea symptoms better there are also some chemical sunscreens which do a good job at reducing the Skin's redness but it's not just UV sunlight though it's also things like cold weather wind and hot weather or indoor heating can also flour rosacea let's discuss alcohol now it's becoming clear that even small amounts of alcohol aren't the best thing that we can do for our Health and Longevity in relation to rosacea research has shown that alcohol worsens the flushing or the redness this study has shown that alcohol consumption can increase the risk of a certain type of rosacea called fimatus rosacea this conclusion was based on a review of multiple studies that compare people who drink alcohol with those who don't interestingly the risks seem to be higher in Maine than in women now anyone interested in their health knows that smoking unvaping for that matter is bad for them this systematic review on meta-analysis AIM to examine the relationship between rosacea and smoking they analyzed 12 studies which included over 50 000 patients with rosacea and 80 000 controls and when they looked at specific subtypes of rosacea they found a few interesting patterns smoking appeared to increase the risk of two specific types of rosacea namely the popular postular rosacea characterized by redness and swelling and acne like decades and like alcohol the famous rosacea and it's characterized by the thickening of the skin and enlargement often resulting in that bulbous shaped nose but interestingly and I'm nearly afraid to tell you this they discovered that current smokers those who were smoking at the time of the study seemed to have a slightly decreased risk of rosacea while ax smokers those who had previously smoked but had quit and they had an increased risk of rosacea now obviously this does not mean that you should smoke two reduce your rosacea exploring the link between diet and rosacea is a topic so fast it could easily fill its own separate video now if you'd like me to delve deeper into that drop a comment below now what rule does Diet play in managing musician according to a survey conducted by the national rosacea Society almost 80 percent of the 400 patients surveyed reported that they had made changes to their diet due to rosacea and all these an impressive 95 percent observed a reduction in flare-ups underscoring the potential influence of dietary habits on their skin condition now to better understand the relationship between diet and rosacea let's turn to this scientific paper that specifically investigated this connection it was found that Foods triggering rosacea can generally be grouped into four categories firstly we have hot foods secondly alcoholic beverages and then thirdly foods containing capsicum like spices and peppers and then foods containing cinnamaldehyde such as Tomatoes citrus fruits cinnamon and chocolate now you might wonder why these Foods well it turns out that they can activate certain channels in skin cells known as transient receptor potential channels when these channels are activated they can increase blood flow to the skin leading to symptoms like redness flushing and a burning sensation however there's an important caveat the impact of diet on rosacea symptoms can vary widely from person to person while some individuals may find certain foods trigger their symptoms others have no effect with it at all and this makes it challenging to come up with a set of dietary guidelines that would apply universally to all rosacea patients but in a minute I'm going to try with my own recommendations anyway some foods have been noodle to potentially have protective effects against certain forms of rosacea for instance omega-3 fats found in foods like oily fish walnuts flax seeds may help Safeguard against ocular or eye rosacea I'll share my diary recommendations shortly but before I do that I want to talk a little bit about gut health while more research is certainly needed it's becoming increasingly clear that gut health plays a significant role in rosacea this suggests that strategies targeting gut health could be promising areas for research for rosiation treatment to understand the rule our gut health plays and conditions like rosacea we need to talk about the gut microbiome this is a community of trillions of bacteria and other microbes that live in our digestive tract these tiny organisms play a crucial role in our overall health including digestion creation of vitamins and our mood and our immune system regulation now you may be asking what does my gut have to do with my skin well this is where the concept of the gut skin axis comes in the gut skin axis refers to the relationship between the health of our gut and the health of our skin imbalances in the gut microbiome is a condition known as dysbiosis and dysbiosis can affect our skin in fact Studies have shown differences in the gut microbiome between rosacea patients and patients without rosacea prebiotics and probiotics can help prebiotics are compounds that we consume that feed these beneficial bacteria in our gut probiotics on the other hand are beneficial bacteria that we consume often through foods like yogurts and kombucha kimchi sauerkraut are through other dietary supplements now consuming probiotics and prebiotics can potentially help maintain or restore a healthy gut microbiome recent research suggests that probiotics like lactobacillus KSI could have a positive impact for rosacea symptoms for example one Australian study reported a significant Improvement in rosacea symptoms after participants took lactobacillus KSI probiotic supplement over eight weeks it started the probiotics might have helped by targeting an overgrowth of a certain bacteria in the small intestine which is often seen in rosacea patients however it's important to note that while these results are promising more research is needed in fact there's an ongoing clinical trial exploring this exact question so we can look forward to more information on that in the near future as promised here are some dead reconsiderations I recommend to my patients with rosacea firstly keep a food diary and try to identify links with certain foods on your rosacea flourish two avoid processed foods basically anything in a packet glycemic foods our Western diet is full of processed foods and highly refined carbohydrates reduce foods with a high glycemic index as these are rapidly digested and absorbed resulting in markedly Wild fluctuations in blood sugar levels now this could potentially lead on doors lead to inflammation which in turn May contribute to the progression of rosacea fourthly consider an Elimination Diet removing foods with cinnamaldehyde like tomatoes citrus fruits cinnamon and chocolate and other foods like spices and peppers for four to eight weeks now some people may also benefit from moving dirty from their dad so this was also worth traveling slowly reintroduce Foods if you want to back into your dad every few days and observe for changes in your skin also try to eat a wide variety of colorful Whole Foods and fibrous carbohydrates basically think vegetables which grow above the ground consider adding a good omega-3 supplement or a Prebiotic or a probiotic supplement I have quite deliberately left the medical management to the last working on your emotional health and take an appropriate lifestyle measures as described earlier is crucial on your journey to Healing eurization now there are quite a few Medical Treatments available for rosacea ranging from topical creams to oral medications and laser therapy most of these require a doctor visit and a prescription but this information may help you and your doctor decide a treatment plan that suits you let's start with the topical treatments patients with rosacea have a dysfunctional Skin Barrier therefore water is lost from the skin and the skin is often sensitive and irritable so any topical preparations that contain moisture and are not irritant can help rebuild the Skin Barrier and for the same reason you should be careful not to exfoliate or use harsh treatments on your skin even talling too hard May flare your rosacea so there's no harm in using anything that doesn't irritate your skin and can moisturize it to moisturize daily before we get into the medical products it's worth mentioning camouflage makeups specific makeups and even sunscreens are made with a green tint that can reduce the redness when applied directly to the skin now you don't have to worry your skin won't be green over the top of the redness it will neutralize and be normal skin tone then let's look at azelic Acid it can help reduce inflammation and redness on the skin it's good for the redness but not so helpful for treating papules or spotty rosacea niacinamide is another useful product in rosacea it is anti-inflammatory properties and improved Skin Barrier function so that's a double Huawei for it next we have Ivermectin now I have some personal experience using Ivermectin or patch of rosacea I had on my forehead for several years it kept flaring and etching especially when I was stressed and it reminded me back to that what I mentioned at the beginning about the warning indicator light on the car when it flirt I would be sure to deal with my stressors and look after myself a bit better because I knew when this went rare that there was something going on however I did eventually get around to doing something about it so I got some Abram Martin and it actually took it away with daily use after about four weeks now that's over a year ago and it hasn't come back since Ivermectin is a medication that is used to kill parasites in the case of rosacea it's believed to work by reducing the number of demo Dax mites in the skin these little parasites which live in most people's skin seem to play a role in causing rosacea when they get out of control Ivermectin is best for postular rosacea and it's usually very well tolerated although some people do get a redness with it metronidazole is another topical prescription treatment it's an antibiotic that can help reduce inflammation and redness but it's common to get a recurrence of symptoms on stopping it next bromonidine which is a visual constructure which means it helps narrow the blood vessels down and when it's applied topically it can help reduce the rareness associated with rosacea it's important to start with a really small amount of it and build it up gradually as some people report a burning and a lot of redness with it good old retinoids may be useful in rosacea to improve collagen and reduce abnormal blood vessel formation but you need to be careful with them retinoids can cause redness even in someone with healthy skin so if you and your doctor decided to use a retinoid please start with a very low dose and go slow with it over time besides topical treatments there's also some oral medications that can help manage rosacea symptoms tetracycles are a class of antibiotics often used to treat rosacea they include doxycycline and lime recycling although that could vary depending on what part of the world you're in they do have anti-inflammatory properties that can help manage rosacea symptoms and doxycycline is often used at a low dose like 40 milligrams slow release for rosacea because that exploits as anti-inflammatory properties but doesn't activate its antibacterial effects and that helps avoid antibiotic resistance and it's usually taken once daily alternative antibiotics such as erythromycin may be used if tetracyclines are not tolerated or if there's a reason why you can't use them while antibiotics can help manage rosaceous symptoms they're not a cure and symptoms May recur after the treatment is stopped the risk of bacterial resistance is also of a serious concern especially with a long-term use of antibiotics therefore the low dose or the modified release preparations are commonly used if someone does require the treatment for long-term use in more severe cases of rosacea or cases that don't respond to our earlier treatments isotret known may be considered it's a powerful retinoid medication that's often used to treat severe acne but it can also be effective in treating rosacea it's only prescribed in specialist centers if you have difficulty accessing and appropriately qualified medical professional there are online Dermatology Services who can assess your skin where you upload photographs and describe your symptoms a dermatologist then assesses your individual case and prepares a personalized blend of topical treatments suitable for your condition and your skin type I use dermatica for my own personalized night cream and contains a retinoid and a pigment reducer signing up with them at dermatica.com or demonica.co.uk and entering the code Dr Finbar on checkout means you'll get a 10 discount of any products that you purchase so rosacea can be a challenging condition to manage but by looking out for your emotional health make an appropriate lifestyle and dietary adjustments you can take control over your skin and enjoy a better quality of life if these methods alone don't get you the desired results have a look on their Monica's websites for personal treatment plans or visit an appropriately trained Healthcare professional don't let rosacea hold you back you deserve to feel confident and comfortable in your skin now if you found this video helpful watch this short video on how we can start start our journey to self-healing