Natural Rosacea Treatment

Rosacea is a persistent redness of the face, often starting as flushing and progressing to visible blood vessels, bumps, and sometimes a burning sensation. It comes and goes, with periods of flare and calm, and it can be really distressing given how visible it is. There's no cure, but a natural approach, working with the condition rather than against it, can make a real difference to how much it affects you.

There's much more to rosacea than the products you put on your skin, so this page covers how to recognise it, what triggers it, and the part histamine, diet, gut health and stress can play. For the skincare side, our natural rosacea creams and the Lyonsleaf approach to rosacea-prone skin sets out exactly what to use and how.

Rosacea or Lupus?

Rosacea can occasionally be confused with the malar, or "butterfly", rash of lupus, since both cause facial redness across the cheeks and nose. One useful distinguishing feature: the lupus rash characteristically spares the nasolabial folds (the lines running from your nose to the corners of your mouth), while rosacea typically involves them. Rosacea also commonly features papules, pustules and visible blood vessels, which aren't features of the lupus rash. This isn't something to self-diagnose, though. If you're at all unsure, it's worth seeing a doctor, since lupus is a different condition requiring different care, and the two have been mistaken for each other in both directions.

What Triggers Rosacea

The exact cause isn't fully understood, and it differs from person to person, but recognised triggers include:

  • Sun exposure
  • Stress
  • Strenuous exercise
  • Hot or cold weather, and hot drinks
  • Alcohol and caffeine
  • Spicy foods, and cinnamon specifically
  • Demodex, a microscopic mite that normally lives on everyone's facial skin in small numbers
  • Certain skincare ingredients: fragrance, camphor, menthol, glycolic and lactic acid, SLS, urea, preservatives and emulsifiers. See our Skin Irritants page for the fuller picture
  • Reactions to certain medications

Rosacea is around three times more common in women than men.

Histamine and Rosacea

The redness and flushing of rosacea is now understood to involve mast cells, the skin's own histamine-storing cells, triggered directly by things like heat, sun and certain foods, releasing histamine right there in the skin. Your overall histamine load can also play a part, raised by aged and fermented foods, leftovers, alcohol, certain teas, stress, and poor gut health. See our Histamine Sensitivity and Intolerance page for common triggers and practical steps that may help.

Rosacea and Steroids

Long-term use of topical steroids on the face, even mild ones, is a recognised cause of a rosacea-like reaction, sometimes called steroid-induced rosacea-like dermatitis. If your rash developed or worsened while using a steroid cream, or after stopping one, this is worth discussing with your doctor, as stopping suddenly after long-term use can affect the adrenal glands in some cases.

If you do see your doctor, it's worth being prepared, as many customers tell us their doctor's first instinct is to prescribe another steroid cream. The British Association of Dermatologists' own patient leaflet on topical corticosteroids explicitly states that steroids can worsen rosacea, and is worth taking along. See our Topical Steroid Withdrawal page for how to recognise TSW and where to find further support, and our Perioral and Periorificial Dermatitis page, since the two conditions share a lot of common ground.

Diet

Diet matters for many people with rosacea. In a National Rosacea Society survey of over 400 patients, 78% had altered their diet to manage flare-ups, and 95% of those found it helped. A diet rich in fresh fruit and vegetables is a good foundation, see our Foods for Healthy Skin page. Alcohol, caffeine, and spicy or histamine-rich foods are worth watching specifically, see our Histamine Sensitivity and Intolerance page for the fuller picture.

Gut Health

Many people find their gut health is closely connected to their rosacea. See our Gut-Skin Axis page, and consider probiotic foods or a supplement like our Multibiotic.

Stress

Stress is a well-known trigger for flares, and cortisol acts directly on the skin. There are many ways to manage stress, but one thing not many people talk about is managing your blood sugar. This is a very practical and simple way to help your body handle stress better, see our Stress, Blood Sugar and Skin Health page.

Natural Skincare for Rosacea-Prone Skin

Rosacea-prone skin is reactive, so keep skincare simple. Avoid actives like retinol and any physical or chemical exfoliation, cleanse gently with an oil cleanser and lukewarm water, and protect your skin from the sun every day with a mineral sunscreen. Zinc and Calendula Cream is the product most of our rosacea customers prefer. For our step-by-step routine and how to choose between our products, see the Lyonsleaf approach to rosacea-prone skin.

Where to Find Support

The National Rosacea Society is a good source of reliable information. If your rosacea is severe, isn't responding to a gentler approach, or you're at all unsure about the diagnosis, your GP or a dermatologist can help confirm what's going on.