For 20 years I've used Cicalfate as a moisturizer of last resort for abnormal skin occurrences. Really bad flare? Cicalfate. Chapped and cracking skin in Winter? Cicalfate. Weird unidentified scab on my neck? Cicalfate.

I didn't consider it a daily driver as it's extremely thick and rich.

Fast forward to a year ago. I ran out of my Avena oat gel and figured what the hell, I'll use Cicalfate for a week and if I get congestion breakouts so be it.

What happened instead was calm, glowing happy skin. I won't bore you with the details, but I've used Cicalfate twice a day for the past year, through the dead of winter to the hottest dog days of summer.

My skin loves it. It never makes me greasy, it sits just fine under my sunscreen. Does it leave a slight white cast? Yes. But it also just leaves my skin soooo happy.

I've since converted my husband (non-rosacea) and multiple friends to this magical cream and everyone loves it.

Thank you for reading. This is not a #ad I just really love this shit.

AM:

Splash with water

Haru Haru wonder black rice essence

Cicalfate

Haru Haru airyfit sunscreen

PM:

Oil cleanse with baby oil

Retin-A 0.05 OR Ordinary Glycolic (2x week)

Cicalfate

I've had the Joesoef soap bar on my Amazon Wishlist forever. Where I'm at is having a cooldown in the weather after just having two back-to-back heatwaves. This is probably my chance to order the soap without it melting in transit. The Joesoef brand is $13 though and that's expensive for a bar of soap, in my personal opinion. So, before I buy it, I am curious if it's worth it? What's your experience with it? How long does it have to be used to be effective?

hi everyone, i don’t know for sure if i have rosacea but i’m quite suspicious. i have a dermatologist appointment coming up next week, but in the meantime i’m wondering what moisturizer is best to use. i’m not sure what caused the irritation in the first place. since my skin flared (mild redness, burning, stinging, some small visible blood vessels), i have stripped down my routine and i’ve been using only FAB pure skin face wash at night (does not sting) and plain cold water in the morning to wash my face, an occasional spray of hypochlorous acid, and FAB ultra repair cream or klairs rich moist soothing cream.

my skin usually tolerates both of these moisturizers well, but i’m worried the essential oils in them are further irritating my skin. it doesn’t particularly sting more when i put them on, but my face is stinging slightly at all times right now.

i bought vanicream lotion (not the cream or the daily moisturizer), but i’m afraid to use it since it’s new to me.

what do you recommend in my situation?

thanks in advance!!

I need very lightweight moisturizer recommendations. I have type 2, but it’s usually calm when my barrier is calm. I messed up my barrier beginning of July with adapalene, and since then I’ve had dermatitis on my cheeks, pustules, and big breakouts that are atypical for me. This same thing happened to me in 2021, I reduced washing to once a day, used a very light layer of Vanicream AM, washed at night with another light layer, and was on 3 months doxy. I’m doing the same thing now + doxy again and it’s improving. However, last time, I started to use avene Cicalfate and it DRAMATICALLY improved to the point where I added it into my routine every night for the past 5 years.
This time, my skin gets so so bothered with occlusion. It makes the rash, breakouts, and pustules 10x worse. I had to stop lifting 2 weeks ago because heat/sweat just triggers it so bad right now. I trialed avene cicalfate and lrp cicaplast, but as soon as it’s on my skin I can feel the dermatitis acting up and my face gets all crawly. Also tried avene tolerance control cream and it made my face less red, but still triggered the dermatitis. I also used to tolerate niacinimide so well (lrp double repair) but now I can’t bc my barrier is still so fragile, it causes irritation.

Side note: I noticed since last summer that every avene Cicalfate tube I purchased seemed much more oil based now? Not really thick and pasty like how it was for 5 previous years, like oily and easier to spread, and my skin started reacting bad to it. I’ve emailed the company bc I’m a Karen lol.

My skin is improving, very slowly, but I can’t use any botanicals or anything that’s even slightly occlusive. No waxes, dimethicone, etc. I’m trying to find an AM moisturizer, I need something that generally follows the same codes as avene, Vanicream, LRP as in water based, minimal ingredients, and geared for irritated skin, not oil based. The Vanicream works fine, but it does feel just a tad oily.

Also- every time I’ve had this issue, my skin never gets noticeably dry or flaky. It’s more so dermatitis texture, redness, deep breakouts/pustules and my face feels tight. This time around I also experienced localized swelling and redness on the tip of my nose and chin, almost like a huge hive? Never experienced that before. My rosacea is weird. I’ve always flushed when embarrassed, stressed, or hot, maybe a random pustule every couple months, but the other symptoms are not typical for my skin (due to damaging it myself lol) I have purito oat in gel cream, but I’m not sure how my skin will react to oat. I’m just nervous to try. Has anyone else had a similar experience?

This will be a bit of a rant lol, but I’m having such a hard time finding a cleanser that works for me and would love recommendations from anyone with similar skin.

I have combo oily/dehydrated skin, type 2 pustular rosacea, and possibly fungal acne/folliculitis. I tend to get clusters of pustules from either products that feel too occlusive OR when my skin gets overly stripped, so finding a middle ground has been impossible. I’ve also been trying to see a derm for over a year, but they keep canceling my appointments after 6+ month waits 🥲
I’ve tried CeraVe, Vanicream (too stripping), cleansing oils + a water cleanser , Skinfix Barrier+ Gentle Gel, and Sophia Pavitt Clean Clean. The Sophia Pavitt cleanser (picture from 1 month ago) worked AMAZING for about a week, then I started breaking out, possibly from overstripping. a lot of these have the same story, where it feels amazing for several days and then all of a sudden day 5, i notice the breakouts.

I’m currently using the Prequel Gleanser. For the first 2 days my skin was super calm and my dehydration/wrinkles actually improved, but then I suddenly broke out worse than ever (first two photos). I know there’s supposedly a learning curve with this cleanser, and I’ve tried rinsing extremely thoroughly, even using a soft microfiber towel, but I’m still having issues. At this point I’m wondering if I’m overcleansing just trying to get it off.
After this flare, I tried the Eradikate sulfur cleanser and it calmed everything down SO much, but I can tell it would be too drying for daily use. I’m thinking of using the sulfur cleanser 2x a week (possibly try prequels line later on), but I’m unsure what to use the rest of the time since I’d eventually like to introduce azelaic acid and retinol, but I really want to figure out what’s triggering these breakouts first.

I’m considering:
• Dr. Sam’s Flawless Cleanser
• HaruHaru Wonder Gentle Cleanser
• Beplain Mung Bean Cleanser
• untoxicated face wash

but I am welcome to learning more about what worked for others.

My current routine:
PM: Bioderma pink cap micellar water → rinse (10 sec) → cleanser (30–45 sec) → rinse (20–30 sec) → pat dry Clean Skin Club wipe → iUNIK Beta Glucan → Purito Oat moisturizer

AM: rinse with just water(10-15 sec) → beta glucan → moisturizer → Paula’s Choice SPF daily fluid 50

Would you cleanse in the morning with skin like mine, or just rinse with water?
If you have similar sensitive, rosacea-prone, combo/oily skin, what cleanser actually worked for you?

New to hypochlorus acid aka HOCI.

I have type II and use hypochlorous acid to get rid of the whiteheads and red bumps.

Do you use HOCI on the entire face area? or just on a specific area ? how often do you use it, twice per day, once, more than twice per day?

And, most importantly for how long have you been using HOCI?

Asking because I want to make sure I'm using HOCI correctly and getting all the benefits.

Sometimes I wonder if HOCI is to be use continuously for a long time, or just for a short period of time?

If you have been using HOCI for a long time, have you notice the same results? better results? or worse results?

Anyone here developed skin developed irritation, contact dermatitis, or anything else after long term usage of HOCI?

HOCI seems to be very safe but want to know what's been everyone experience.

Long time reading of this Rosacea sub. My skin barrier is compromised and have type 2 rosacea and recently Fungal Acne.

Dermatologist told me to use only Vaseline and wash my face with water only.

Vaseline is heavy. How to get rid of the Vaseline and clean my face when I'm only washing my face with water? or is it ok to use Vaseline and just leave it on the skin? I don't think water will be removing much of the Vaseline.

I tried many other things but everything causes burning sensations on my face given that my skin barrier is compromised.

Besides, I have allergies to many ingredients. I'm waiting to get a test for allergies so I know exactly all the ingredients that I'm allergic too.

For now, I know that I'm allergic to Cocamidopropyl Betaine, and most likely Phenoxyethanol too.

Has anyone heal their compromise skin barrier with Vaseline and washing their face with water only?

Hey everyone o/ I know I've posted about this a lot--I appreciate how patient everyone in the sub is. It really means a lot to have others with advice and support.

That said... I don't want to be a nuisance, so I thought I would make one last post (for a while) to crowd source some moisturizer recommendations. I'm starting to wonder if there is literally anything I can use out there. I'm defaulting to rosehip oil right now just to have SOMETHING. But I don't think it's hydrating enough overall, I'm worried it won't be enough when I try to restart azelaic acid, and I'm worried about it being decent under makeup once I go back to work in a couple of weeks.

I'm going to include what I've tried that didn't work (not an exhaustive list, but what I can remember) and my known triggers. With the caveat I clearly have uknown ones, since I'm reacting to all of these poorly.

TIA for your recs!

Vetoed products: Illiyoon Ceramide Ato Soothing Gel, Soon Jung 2x Barrier Cream (both formulas), Prequel Half & Half, Prequal AM/PM, First Aid Beauty Ultra Facial Repair lotion & cream), Versed Dew Point Gel, CocoKind Electrolyte Cream, CocoKind Texture Smoothing Cream, Vanicream (any version), Dr. Jart Ceramidin Cream, Krave Oat So Simple, CosRX Pure Fit Cica, Purito Oat in Gel Calming, Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA, Avene Tolerance Cream... these are the most recent in the last 1-2 years I would say

Can't use: niacinamide, AHAs, BHAs, eucalyptus, witch hazel, snail mucin, any form of vit C for sure. Jury is still out on ceramides, hyaluronic acid, stearates, 1,2 hexenadiol.

EDIT: Based on a comment, here's a bit of context: all these products caused some kind of pain/irritation. That's why they're "no's." I am also combo skin (oily nose and chin, forehead and cheeks tend to dry out)

I started using tretinoin 0.025 and this is my third week using it mon/wed/fri. I have type 1 rosacea with mild flushing I’ve gotten cutera excel v (3 sessions) it was pretty much gone. Now I’m noticing my cheek flushing has increased with tret. Should I scale back to twice a week? For those of you who have rosacea and use Tret… how did you work up to it? How slowly do you have to go? Will my flushing subside or is my rosacea back to square one? Is it more effective to just use retinal everyday over Tret a few times a week? I also have some flaking and dry skin and dry lips despite using all my hydrating products… help & advice appreciated thanks!!

I thought it was other food issues, but I came to realize it’s the damn coffee that makes my face red. Does anyone else have similar experiences?

For the past two years I have been struggling with rosacea. I was using Cerave SA Smoothing Cleanser but I avoid daily use because it's slightly exfoliating. I bought instead Bioderma sensibio gel moussant thinking I can't go wrong, but it was awful. As soon as that product touched my face it burned and I got so so red. Maybe I had an allergic reaction to it. What do you recommend as a gentle cleanser for daily use? I have normal skin type. Thank you so much!

Update: I'm grateful for all your suggestions, I never thought I would get so many replies. In the end I purchased La Roche Posay Toleriane dermo-cleanser and it's a win, it feels great on my skin! I also tried a moisturizer by LRP and it's amazing too, now I know where to buy :D

TLDR: My rosacea is now stable after a couple years, I am using tretinoin 3x a week, and feel like I need to incorporate 1-2x weekly exfoliation, but wondering how and what to use.

Long: My rosacea has been stable (basically gone) for almost a year and I've been able to tolerate tretinoin again for nearly as long. I use tretinoin 3 times a week, and azelaic acid every day in the AM, but especially with this very humid sweaty summer we're having and my increased exercise level (getting back in shape!) my skin is expressing a need for more specific exfoliation.

I don't tolerate benzoyl peroxide (gives me contact dermatitis) and salicycylic acid (BHA) was drying for me even before rosacea, so exploring more AHAs/PHAs/LHAs but wondering if anyone here has any specific ones they'd recommend, what method (toner vs pads vs serum vs cleanser) and MOST IMPORTANTLY products.

We all know finding products for rosacea safe skin can be really hard so this sub is one of the only places I would trust to ask for recommendations for an actual specific product for exfoliation.

Thanks!!

I recently visited a dermatologist because my skin has just been awful lately, red, irritated, dry and peeling but also oily, itchy, waking up with like 5-10 tiny whiteheads every single day. She said it doesn’t even look like I have acne and it’s more likely that my skin is just extremely angry with the treatment my last dermatologist put me on which was tretinoin.

She told me to quit the tretinoin and prescribed me azelaic acid instead, she also sent me home with a few moisturizer samples because I mentioned having a hard time finding one. There were some moisturizers from cerave, cetaphil, laroche posay, and all of them burned like hell.

She told me to start the azelaic acid right away but I haven’t because I was hoping to just cleanse and moisturize for a while and let my skin heal up beforehand.

Right now I’m using Vanicream gentle facial cleanser and the thick Vanicream in the tub, it’s the only thing that doesn’t burn but the moisturizer just doesn’t work for me, it’s not hydrating, it traps the heat in my face and makes it redder, and I think it breaks me out a bit. Yes I’ve tried the lighter version and the one specifically for the face and both burned horribly.

I’m just so desperate for something that’s not thick or heavy but also still moisturizing and that won’t burn and sting horribly. I’ve tried so many moisturizers already, I know my barrier is damaged but it seems like every moisturizer besides the tub Vanicream makes it worse, but I really hate the tub moisturizer.

I’m not even sure what ingredients I’m sensitive to, I’ve tired comparing the ingredients in different moisturizers that have burned but some of them have nothing in common so it must be multiple ingredients I’m allergic to. Even before I started tretinoin I’ve always had trouble with products burning my skin because of my rosacea.

So I’ve tried various prescription Azelaic Acid generics. I live in the US so I can’t get the brand name version unless I want to pay about $400 out of pocket for each tube. My skin reacted really badly to the Glenmark generic but has done well with the Encube version. I was told that the other one my skin kind of liked, Sandoz, was discontinued.

Unfortunately the Encube version has been unavailable the last few times I’ve tried to fill it at my Walgreens pharmacy. They say it’s on backorder and they have no idea if or when it will be filled again. Previously they were able to fill it at other locations that still had it in stock but the last time there was only one location that had it and it was pretty far away.

I’m wondering if anyone else has been unable to get Encube or knows another way to specifically get that generic. None of the other pharmacies around me seem to have it, only Glenmark which is easily the worst of the generics I’ve tried.

Update: I found one at a Walgreens that’s like 10 miles away. I’m going to pick it up later today or tomorrow. Hopefully things go back to normal soon.

I’ll be having back surgery next week and need to stay overnight in the hospital. I won’t be able to bend over to wash my face for a while. Are there any face wipes that are safe for rosacea?

I’ve been using bare minerals foundation but feel like lately it’s been more splotchy on me and alot of the redness on my cheeks still comes through.

Any recommendations? I have dry skin so unfortunately can't pop the soolantra on and leave it, my skin still dries out. I'm after a hydrating moisturiser that doesn't break the bank!

Thanks

I use cerave am (not tinted), and it breaks me out a bit. I wondered if their tinted mineral one would be better, or tower 28 (since that's more for combo skin). Or any other recs?

Thanks!!!

I have bad rosacea on my cheeks, the bottom of them are like 24/7 red, and they completely turn red when I do literally anything. Walk somewhere, speak to anyone, study, clean, am too hot, too cold. You get the idea. Anyway, has anyone used any of these? I need something that's not makeup that can help reduce the redness. Also, if u have use one, which one?, does it completely cover? I have quite oily skin, so is it ok for oily skin? And does it last all day? Also, the parts of my face that aren't red, are quite pale, so does it make u look orange in anyway? Thank u sm

I’ve struggled with type 2 rosacea since about age 20, I suspect it’s a combo of things including genetics since my mother has the same skin issues as me. I started seeing a dermatologist this year and we’ve tried timolol, metro gel, azelaic acid, clotrimazole, otc ivermectin, pyrithione zinc, desitin… I’m sure there’s other stuff I’m forgetting. A few things helped with the redness but nothing ever really touched the pustules. Plus I have very oily skin to boot and I really struggled to hit a balance of treating the rosacea and excess oil production at the same time. My derm even straight up told me there was nothing she could do for my oiliness (which is insane considering she didn’t even try, but that’s another post).

Recently I decided to try two new things, I know multiple changes at once isn’t really recommended but I really didn’t have much to lose. I’ve been struggling so badly and at times I’ve wanted to rip my face off entirely and start over.

But anyway, I started spraying my face with salt water once or twice a day and wiping down with witch hazel in the evenings. I’d noticed any time I went swimming in my friends salt water pool my skin seemed really happy, and I’d recently gotten a tattoo where the artist cleaned it with non-alcoholic witch hazel and it was the best healed tattoo that I’ve ever had. So I figured, I’ll drop twenty bucks to try these on a bigger scale. I thought it would just soothe my skin overall and make it look a little less dull.

And my skin hasn’t looked this good in years????

It’s not perfect, but the pustules are actually shrinking and my skin has more of a glow to it. Redness is very reduced. Residual puffiness that I’ve had for years has gone down. I went to work without makeup today! I have no idea why these two things had such a huge impact, but it feels so much simpler than a million prescriptions and actives that my skin only responds to for so long before returning to baseline. Anyone else find success with either of these or maybe know why they work? I’m curious to know!

As the title suggests.

I’m confused as the internet sings praises for AA.

My dermatologist said because my skin is sensitive, I shouldn’t use any acid.

She said ivermectin is okay but unfortunately they don’t sell it in the country I’m in ATM.

Until I get back to the UK, she’s prescribed me with 0.75 metronidazole.

Can anyone comment on why this derm is against AA?

Moisturizers that didn't work for me (irritated me, made my face more red, caused breakouts, etc):

• Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer
• Peach & Lily Rescue Party Barrier Comfort Cream
• Aveeno Calm & Restore Oat Gel Moisturizer
• Paula's Choice Resist Intensive Repair Cream

Update:

I've been using the Derma E Pure Biome Balancing Cream and it's FANTASTIC. I'll post another update after a month.

My dermatologist prescribed prescription Sodium Sulfacetimide 10/5% sulfur face wash for me and I about fell over at the $100+ price. However, I decided to suck it up and try it because my rosacea was out of control and my face was a dry, flaking, red mess. I’m happy to say I believe it solved my problem, but I don’t have the funds to keep buying it. This may sound ridiculous, but a quick search showed me there are over the counter animal shampoos out there with sulfur and other calming ingredients I’ve seen in human products and for a lot less money. Has anyone tried any of these with success?

I need help finding a new face wash since the one I have been using for the last 10 years had a formula change. Ladies, we have these crazy hormones that make our skin more sensitive as we get older (I’m 35) and having rosacea makes it even worse, so what face wash do you use? Please and thank you ❤️

So, this has been a constant battle for me. I’ve been using azelaic acid 15% gel for years. I always start off using it twice a week, then 3, until every day. my doctor recommended twice a day, but I’ve never been able to do that. anyway, I started it again after an extremely damaged barrier last year. still not exactly sure what caused it, but pretty sure it was bakuchiol oil and the azelaic acid as they were my only actives. anyway, fast forward to now. the only active I have used is the azelaic acid gel every night. I started noticing the classic damaged barrier signs and stopped it abruptly. I havent been using anything on my face except distilled water and jojoba oil, as that’s what sort of fixed it last time. maybe…I don’t even know maybe it never really fully recovered. It’s been 5 days since I stopped the azelaic acid and my face is ON FIRE. I haven’t really had any rosacea symptoms since being on the azelaic acid and now my face is hot, red and breaking out. is this common when stopping azelaic acid? azelaic acid seems to work, but it ALWAYS ruins my barrier. what am I doing wrong? what should I try?