Is this rosacea?

Hi there Mark,

I'm so sorry that you have been experiencing a difficult time with your skin. I know what it's like to have problematic skin. This reason and many others motivated my dedication to my skin care career. Have you ever tried to calm and soothe your skin with cool products? You could try an aloe masque mixed with a drop of lavender essential oil. Place some cool gauze or paper towel over your face and rub ice over the compress for a few minutes. This is an excellent cooling treatment. You should try to avoid extreme heat and cold, because it will most likely only sensitize your skin evenmore. Limiting exposure to UV rays is also critical. So be sure to keep your skin well protected with sunscreen, for you I would recommend at least SPF 30. I also believe you may be overexfoliating, which will not only cause premature aging, but can also cause couperose, which is visibly dilted and broken cappilaries under the surface of the skin. This can also cause the skin to look red and persistently flushed. You are doing the right thing though by consulting with a medical professional. I hope your visit will be enlightening and most of all productive.

Peace

When I said that you should limit UV exposure, I mean try not to lay out in the sun tanning, and absolutely no fake baking. Try to enjoy your sports, jogging, and other outdoor activities outside of the peak sunshine hours (10am-4pm). Also wear clothing that covers your skin. And always,always, always use sunscreen. Preferably something that is formulated especially for sensitive skin, and won't clog your pores.

Yes, you should exfoliate your skin. It's very important to keep in mind the active ingredients in your exfoliant and in your skin care products in general, and the frequency of it. I think you should give your skin a rest from exfoliation for at least 2 weeks, and see if it's less irritated. I know, we all love that baby soft skin, but overexfoliation is NO JOKE! If you beat your skin up now, although seeking skin perfection may not seem like such, the results will not necessarily be apparent today or tomorrow, but it will in the long run. Also try that cooling and calming treatment, I think it may help. Let me know how it works for you.

Rosacea is a chronic disease that is usually found in adults. Sufferers are subject to "flare ups" and there skin's condition usually gets worse over time. There have been instances were rosacea has gone away, but it usually does not. Let's just hope that you don't have it. Although I havn't seen your skin, from what you've described it sounds as though you may just have sensitive skin which can appear worse in fair-skined individuals, accompanied by a bit of hormonal breakouts.

I recommend seeing a professional that can take a good look at your skin and customize a treatment and home care plan for you. If in fact you do have rosacea, products they suggest will probably include gentle enzymes, and/or Salicylci Acid which when used correctly is preferred for rosacea because of it's benefits which include: exfoliating (helps keep pores clean), anti-inflammatory (helps calm redness), and antiseptic (helps treat any bacterial blemishes). pores.

Depending on the ingredients in your self-tanner it may or may not be okay to use.
And I've never heard of thinning hair being associated with rosacea, doesn't mean that it couldn't happen though.

I hope this info helps, feel free to ask me as many questions as you need pertaining to your skin.

Peace
-Leslie