Why the red face?

Annoyed by the redness in your face?

At Pulsar Health, we can help! Some information to increase your knowledge base is below. We cover what rosacea is (a common cause of a red face), principles behind successful treatment of redness,  ingredients that help control redness, and spa interventions including facials, hydrafacials, and LED light therapy.

Stop putting up with the redness, and get it addressed by letting us help you to skin recovery. Just call Pulsar Health in West Palm Beach, FL for an appointment.

Why the red face? 

Although blushing was very much the thing to do in the Regency period, most people don't want a red face these days. Unfortunately, redness can be present from ongoing inflammation in rosacea, eczema, dermatitis and acne, or even in sensitive skin. UV damage from the sun contributes to broken blood vessels and further redness. Oftentimes, the skin has a damaged barrier function and becomes dehydrated on top of being sensitive. Breakouts can happen just to add insult to injury, and you have skin that is begging for help. 

Rosacea

As rosacea most commonly affects the face, and acne is dealt with in the section on "Clear Skin and Pore Perfecting", we will discuss rosacea more in depth here. Most rosacea is termed "Erythematotelangiectatic rosacea," which affects mostly the central third of the face. It manifests as flushing, small broken blood vessels called telangiectasia, and chronic inflammation. It can get more severe, such as when breakouts happen, called papulopustular rosacea. 

If uncontrolled, rosacea can lead to thickening of the skin with irregular surface nodules, most commonly seen in men as rhinophyma (red thick enlarged nose). Rosacea can even affect the eye itself, called ocular rosacea, where the eyes can feel like they have something in them due to the dryness, stinging and itching. There can be chronic inflammation in the area - blepharitis, conjunctivitis, or problems such as recurrent styes.

Triggers for rosacea "attacks" can include excessive stress, extreme temperatures or sun exposure, spicy foods, alcohol, hot beverages, gastrointestinal tract disturbances of your microbiome, parasitic skin mites (eeks!), and aggravating topical treatments used for acne or other skincare conditions. Figuring out which ones make your condition worse can reduce the severity and / or frequency of attacks.

Principles behind successful treatment of redness

1. Avoid triggers and further injury - please use a sunblock, ideally soothing sunblocks such as the ones we keep at Pulsar Health including Elta MD and Isdin products.
2. Stick to cooling temperatures for washing your face to avoid activating your blood vessels.
3. Restore the barrier function of the skin and hydrate hydrate hydrate - Creams with ingredients such as ceramide, niacinamide (Vitamin B3), and hyaluronic acid (HA) are available at Pulsar Health, and we can guide your skin recovery.
4. Very gentle exfoliation - consider a mandelic acid peel or hydrafacial - and avoid physical / harsh abrasives.
5. Counteract the chronic inflammation - treatments such as platelet rich plasma mesotherapy or microneedling can help correct the chronic inflammation once you are on an established nourishing home care regimen. 
6. Laser therapy - using an Nd-Yag (1064 nm wavelength) or KTP (potassium-titanium-phosphate 532nm wavelength) laser is more powerful than an IPL (pulsed dye) at treating broken blood vessels. Repeated treatments may be necessary, as the conditions causing the blood vessel fragility are ongoing, but they should lessen in frequency if you are taking care of your skin. 

Ingredients that help control redness

Homecare regimens that contain the following ingredients may be helpful:

• Hyaluronic acid / sodium hyaluronate - the latter is smaller molecular weight so penetrates a bit deeper, but the names are sometimes used interchangeably on labels. These are sugar molecules that the body produces naturally, which draws in water - up to 1000 times its weight in water! Hyaluronic acid should be used in conjunction with products that help the skin barrier function such as ceramides and niacinamide (Vitamin B3).
• Ceramide - composed of fatty acids and sphingosine, found in your natural cell membranes, this strengthens the skin's barrier function to better retain moisture and protect from external irritants. Ceramide works especially well with Niacinamide in hydrating and calming skin.
• Peptides - short chains of amino acids that have diverse functions. Hyaluronic Acid Boosting Peptides improve hydration and skin barrier repair. Other peptides have more antimicrobial properties (lactoferrin and defensin for example), or boost collagen either directly (Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4 or Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5) or by reducing breakdown of collagen and elastin (dipeptide diaminobutyroyl benzylamide diacetate). They can significantly improve collagen and elastin production, helping with elasticity and skin strength. Other peptides help healing, such as copper tripeptide-1, or function like neuromodulators such as botox to reduce wrinkles (acetyl hexapeptide-8). 
• Niacinamide (Vitamin B3) - see more details in the website section on Pigmentation Problems
• Panthenol (pro-vitamin B5) - a powerful humectant like hyaluronic acid, binding water to the skin, but it is also an emollient sealing cracks in the skin to keep the water locked in. It can even help with increasing cell turnover.
• Hydrocortisone - a steroid cream, can be used to calm inflammation. It is best to only use it for short periods of time as it does thin the skin over time, unlike treatments for chronic inflammation such as PRP (platelet rich plasma).
• Bisabolol - derived from essential plant oils, particularly German chamomile, that can calm redness and irritation in rosacea, as well as moisturize and function as an antimicrobial. It also helps with fine lines. As with many "natural ingredients," check for sensitivity (although bisabolol can be made synthetically).
• Azelaic Acid - can calm rosacea and be very helpful in the long term, but needs to be added carefully to the regimen to avoid exacerbating the condition initially - see more details in the section on Pigmentation Problems
• Vitamin A derivatives Retinol and Retinoids - should initially be avoided when treating rosacea, especially if breakouts are present, as they can exacerbate redness and irritation, but we can add them in gradually later when the skin is healthier because they are helpful with abnormal blood vessel formation (by inhibiting Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor) and reduce signs of aging.

It can get confusing, so the first thing to do is to come in for an assessment and to look at what you are using on your face. For example, scented products could be making your condition worse. We have amazing products at Pulsar Health, such as PCA's powerful Dual Action Redness Relief, Avene's mineral water from France sprayed on followed by their healing Cicalfate cream, and Image's flagship product Vital C hydrating anti-aging serum designed for rosacea.

Spa Interventions

The facials that we do at Pulsar Health for redness are literally transformative - no you don't leave with a red face! We use cold moisture and the highest quality products to soothe and calm your skin as well as deeply hydrate it. Our enzymes and masks use other ingredients that soothe sensitive red skin such as cocoa, green tea, aloe vera and chamomile. For an extra special treat, try the oxygen facial - seeing is believing! It contains magnesium peroxide powder which clears the skin of organic materials and some toxins, and of course it thoroughly oxygenates the skin to improve its health.

A deluxe Hydrafacial with boosters can help gently exfoliate and hydrate at a deep level, pushed into the skin using the vortex technology. The high quality Hydrafacial serums include tasmanian pepper berry and algae extracts to reduce redness.

LED light therapy can also help red sensitive skin. The blue light has an antibacterial effect for breakouts and the red light improves skin collagen. A mixture of the two lights has a calming effect on the skin. We incorporate LED light therapy into many of our treatments.

We even have great cover-ups! The green primer by Jane Iredale balances redness, and the fine mineral powders not only cover redness but soothe irritation and function as skincare. You will be amazed at how little product is used, and how light the application looks, that gives you a clear even palette to face the world with, whilst we continue to work on your skin.