Couperosis and rosacea: features of care for skin prone to redness

With the onset of the autumn-winter period, the issue of redness on the skin becomes especially relevant. The cold constricts blood vessels and has a detrimental effect on the already sensitive skin of the face. Skin with couperose and rosacea needs special care in autumn and winter. Let’s figure out how exactly to help her cope with stress and look healthy.

Rosacea and couperose: what are the differences

Couperose characterized by damage to small blood vessels on the face. The vessels expand, give the skin a red tint, and if you look closely, they look like rays, nets or stars made of small red or blue capillaries. People with fair, thin, sensitive skin are most prone to this condition. Couperosis can appear as an independent skin change or be one of the symptoms of rosacea in the early stages of the disease.

Rosacea («pink acne») is a chronic vascular disease characterized by redness of the skin of the face, vascular stars, pustules, sometimes seals, burning and itching of the skin of the face. Rosacea has an undulating course and appears mainly in fair-skinned women aged 30-50.

Couperosis and rosacea are localized mainly on the face, neck and décolletage.

Causes of couperosis and rosacea

The main reasons that can lead to the appearance of couperose and rosacea are identified:

• Hereditary factors — the presence of a similar skin condition in one of the family members.
• Climate — sudden temperature drops, windy and frosty weather.
• Lifestyle — smoking, drinking alcohol negatively affect the elasticity of blood vessels.
• Nutrition — too spicy or hot food contributes to the expansion of blood vessels.
• UV radiation — prolonged exposure to the sun and burns negatively affect the condition of blood vessels.
• Hormonal changes — pregnancy, menopause, taking hormonal contraceptives.

Treatment of rosacea and couperosis

The treatment plan largely depends on the severity of the symptoms, but generally includes the following steps:

1. Search for triggers that cause the appearance/exacerbation of the disease and their elimination. With a mild degree of vascular damage, this can significantly improve the condition of the skin.
2. Proper skin care, which is selected by a specialist after an examination.
3. Medical treatment — a dermatologist can prescribe antibiotics, vitamin complexes, hormonal drugs to relieve the aggravation of the disease.
4. Non-medicinal procedures — mesotherapy, microinjections, phototherapy, laser therapy reduce or completely remove redness on the skin, strengthen capillary walls. Also, hardware techniques have a beneficial effect on the overall condition of the skin: they improve its elasticity, reduce the number of wrinkles, and remove age spots.

Rules for skin care with couperosis, rosacea:

1. The main rule of skin care with rosacea and couperosis — use of cream and serum for the face, which strengthen the walls of blood vessels. Many brands, especially in dermatocosmetics, have separate lines that help solve the issue of skin redness. Such products contain bisabolol, panthenol, allantoin, neurosensin, niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, extracts of arnica, horse chestnut, beech buds and aloe. Vitamins K, C and PP have a healing effect on microcirculation, tone and elasticity of blood vessels.

2. Skin cleansing should be gentle. It is better to choose products with a foaming agent or without foam (for example, micellar water), on a soap-free basis or with a soap content of up to 10%, with a pH level close to the skin. Wash with warm water, and after washing, pat your face with soft tissues, as hot water and friction with a towel can cause dilation of the skin’s blood vessels. For this reason, it is undesirable to visit baths and saunas, steam the skin or rub it with ice.

3. Tonics, lotions and peelings. Skin prone to rosacea and couperose should not be over-dried, therefore it is undesirable to use alcohol-containing tonics and lotions in care. Exclude cosmetics with essential oils of clove, rosemary, eucalyptus — they act as irritants. It is better to replace the scrub with a peeling scrub with enzymes and mild acids, doing it once every 10-14 days. Use cream masks instead of clay masks.

4. Makeup. Pronounced vascular mesh is well masked with a concealer of green shades. If your skin type is dry, use a green shade foundation, then apply loose powder. And if you don’t want to use several products, you can simplify the ritual with the help of CC cream.

5. Negative influence of the sun and cold especially noticeable on skin with rosacea and couperose. Therefore, it requires regular use of products with a protection factor against UV radiation: creams with SPF 15-30 in care cosmetics and SPF 40-50 in full-fledged sunscreens. To protect the skin from frost and wind in winter, use cryoprotector cream, which is applied half an hour before going out into the cold.

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