When you experience rosacea, it can feel like you need to do everything possible to try and minimize redness. 

You may even turn to expensive rosacea facial treatments at your local spa — like microdermabrasion, facials, or chemical peels.

But when you’re receiving any spa services, it’s important for your aesthetician to understand your rosacea and its unique needs. Not every provider does. You also need to know how these treatments actually affect your skin.

That’s why we’re equipping you with information about facials for rosacea so you can decide whether they’re right for you or not.

 

What Are Rosacea Facial Treatments & Are They Worth It? 

Facials and peels may seem like a good way to “clean” the skin and heal rosacea, but they usually do more damage than good.

Rosacea-prone skin is much more sensitive and dries out more easily. Most facials, chemical peels, and treatments like microdermabrasion just dry and irritate your sensitive skin further.

 

How Facials & Peels Affect Rosacea

 

There are a few factors that go into why facial treatments may increase redness associated with rosacea, including:

 

Rosacea triggers

There are many triggers that worsen rosacea, a number of which are present in spa environments and peels. These include heat and steam… so steer clear of saunas and steam rooms. Even hot towels or wax applied to the face could trigger a flare-up because of heat.

Ingredients used in facial products at medspas can also cause flare-ups, such as alcohol, eucalyptus, and menthol — to name a few.

If you’re going to receive a rosacea facial treatment, the best thing you can do is be informed about the products your provider is using and double check that they’re aware of your current skin status. 

If a provider doesn’t have experience working with rosacea-prone skin or attempts to use harsh or drying skin care ingredients on your face, opt out!

 

 

Stripping the face microbiome

Your skin microbiome is made up of the trillions of microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, and viruses, that live on your skin’s surface. On average, 1,000 different species of bacteria live on your skin!

Before you panic… Not all bacteria are bad! In a well-functioning, balanced microbiome, good bacteria work together to defend against disease and other environmental threats.

Many of these microorganisms living on your skin are actually beneficial and important for overall skin health!

That’s why it’s crucial to avoid harsh facial treatments and protect these good bacteria. Facials, harsh chemical cleansers, and peels can all disrupt the balance of the skin microbiome. 

When good bacteria die off and bad bacteria start to overgrow, skin conditions like eczema, acne, and rosacea can worsen.

 

Protection vs. attacking

Instead of trying to “attack” your rosacea with aggressive facial procedures that lead to an imbalanced microbiome and greater skin redness, it’s better to protect your skin.

You can protect and nourish your skin, helping to alleviate the appearance of rosacea, by:

• Moisturizing daily with a gentle, fragrance-free, microbiome-balancing moisturizer for rosacea-prone skin — like Gladskin Redness Relief Cream!
• Applying sunscreen and closely monitoring sun exposure by staying in the shade and avoiding the harsh midday UV rays.
• Balancing your skin microbiome with simple lifestyle changes, like minimizing stress, spending time in nature, and taking care of your gut health
• Avoiding rosacea triggers like heat, alcohol, spicy food, etc.

 

Conclusion

Chemical peels, dermaplaning, and facials can seem like a quick solution to a really frustrating problem like skin redness.

While these treatments may help in the near term, they’re more likely to disrupt the delicate balance of your skin microbiome and increase redness long-term.

Incorporating gentle, fragrance-free products and a microbiome-balancing moisturizer for rosacea-prone skin into your rosacea skincare routine are better options to defend your skin from redness flare-ups.