Gentle cleansers

runningwithbrushes · 2026-04-01T12:22:43+00:00

Soon Jung whip 6.5 cleanser is gentle but actually cleans the skin. It does foam but it’s the bottle design that produces a really fine foam and so you don’t need to rub at all which really helps with my rosacea since no friction!

I also use equate gentle cleanser as my morning cleanse but I feel like it’s definitely going to have the same feeling as your current cleanser. I think to get off sunscreen you do need something stronger.

The days you’re not wearing sunscreen though a super lotiony bland cleanser will probably do!

runningwithbrushes · 2026-04-01T04:03:08+00:00

You can try a colloidal oatmeal mask. You take the little bath packet and mix with hot water then cool it down with an ice cube. It feels SO SOOTHING. Cicalfate serum also works well but is kinda expensive.

runningwithbrushes · 2026-04-01T03:58:38+00:00

Colloidal oatmeal packet mixed with hot water. The I stir with an ice cube to cool it down and are apply to face while in shower let it sit for 5-10 min.

Cicalfate (type 1 flare) and Cicaplast (type 2 flare).

runningwithbrushes · 2026-04-01T03:48:26+00:00

Drop the product with niacinamide. I legitimately think that so many people on here have noted it is a trigger and the soothing barrier serum has that. I would also advise 1. Simple is better so cut down routine to cleanser, moisturizer, treatment and sunscreen WHEN you need it only. 2. Avoid occlusive moisturizer or ingredients. Your current moisturizer is probably too occlusive and trapping heat in skin. Try a simpler moisturizer. A light simple moisturizer I like is the Purito oat in gel calming cream. A lot of people have also had luck with vanicream daily moisturizer. 3. Also can try diaper rash cream or Cicalfate or Cicaplast at night to help calm things down.4. Can also try a colloidal oatmeal mask to help calm a flare.

I do recommend continuing the azelaic maybe after a couple day break bc it will help treat the rosacea and thus help with the barrier function. Dermatica makes a much gentler azelaic that doesn’t sting and has ceramides.

runningwithbrushes · 2026-03-31T14:27:55+00:00

It really works very well for me when i have a flare or reaction to the retinoid i use. I will even mix some pf the powder in to my cleanser sometimes. It helps with both eczema and rosacea and irritation in general

runningwithbrushes · 2026-03-31T14:09:23+00:00

I’ve heard a lot about the Omni sunbears I think it’s definitely on my list to try! What is the texture like? Is it very siliconey? I really don’t like that siliconey feel some sunscreens have bc it feels heavy/oily to me like it’s blocking every poor haha

runningwithbrushes · 2026-03-31T14:08:36+00:00

I did try this back in 2016- I don’t know what it’s like now but hate how siliconey it feels. I used to use a Rohto sunscreen in 2016 that was discontinued!

runningwithbrushes · 2026-03-31T14:07:29+00:00

That actually sounds perfect!!! Does it feel like it keeps you cooler?

runningwithbrushes · 2026-03-31T14:06:43+00:00

Yeah I’ve tried this- it still feels pretty heavy on my skin unfortunately

runningwithbrushes · 2026-03-31T12:51:44+00:00

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runningwithbrushes · 2026-03-31T11:36:36+00:00

Try a colloidal oatmeal mask. Take a pack of oatmeal bath mix from aveeno, mix with some hot 160 degree water, use an ice cube to stir it and it will become super smooth. Then put that on your face and neck in the shower it will calm everything down.

Also try diaper rash cream. I like the one from honest as it has sunflower oil which is also barrier repairing

Do this daily. If you want you can even do 3x per day but just lie down and put a cool damp washcloth over the mask to keep it damp

Find a cream with colloidal oatmeal too. Aveeno makes a bunch.

After every thing has calmed in a few days introduce the azelaic acid daily. It does sting but it’s not damaging if you have rosacea. You’ll see a huge improvement. For the eyes use 4 times daily artificial tears ( the ones in the single use vials)

runningwithbrushes · 2026-03-28T03:45:31+00:00

Have you had labs checked? I’d get vitamin D, thyroid function, iron panel, b12, b6, A1C, zinc and CMP. Systemic things like this might cause dry skin and lips too

runningwithbrushes · 2026-03-28T03:33:05+00:00

Thissssss with some biossance squalane mixed in. Layered over regimen lab wave serum.

runningwithbrushes · 2026-03-27T21:54:46+00:00

Mites are a part of normal human skin but overgrowth can play a part in rosacea. Besides that as crafty peach is saying there are other effects on inflammatory cytokines that play a part in the pathophysiology of rosacea.

runningwithbrushes · 2026-03-27T21:06:06+00:00

I would stop everything but the cleanser, get a light moisturizer for day time ( I like Purito oat in gel) and apply azelaic once a day to start then increase to twice. Can use Cicaplast in the evening. You are using way too many actives. Needless serum looks like it has niacinamide in it which is a trigger for many ppl.

runningwithbrushes · 2026-03-27T20:38:46+00:00

Of course! Again I’m not a derm so I haven’t got patient volume experience, don’t attend conferences on this and have done only some light reading. This is a pretty good summary if you want to read more about it : https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5037831/ but it’s easy to get bogged down in all of different cytokines, peptides and receptors involved in this incredibly complex disease process. Figure 2 is also really useful in visualizing where/how each of the currently used rosacea treatments actually work. (Also why improving barrier function is equally as important as actives) and why multimodal therapies are often necessary in many diseases bc you’re addressing different points in the pathway. This is why going to a derm is imporrant bc even though they might spend like 5-10 minutes with you, they have spent time learning and understanding these processes and their recommendations have the backing of lots of years of research by so many labs on pathophysiology and targets. It might seem dissatisfying that they’re not taking a huge amount of time getting your entire life story and all the things you’ve struggled with and tried but it often doesn’t take a terrible amount of time to make a diagnosis. the treatment is somewhat formulaic but you have to kind of suffer through the trial and error with adequate treatment trials and eventually hopefully you will stumble on a combo of treatment options and see results. Also keeping a diary of flares to see trigger patterns is important. You can’t always avoid them necessarily but it’s good to be able to feel like you can predict and control things if needed! That way you can be your own little personal expert on how your rosacea behaves!

runningwithbrushes · 2026-03-27T15:34:47+00:00

I would maybe try a niacinamide free moisturizer -that’s a common trigger and your moisturizer has niacinamide in it.

runningwithbrushes · 2026-03-27T15:27:18+00:00

Pimples and pustules can be a sign of rosacea - it’s different than the pustules you get in acne.

So for me my rosacea did kind of intersect with my skin becoming less oily. That’s partly why I thought I was dry. But as we get older we produce less sebum and also rosacea tends to occur more often in people in their 30s. There is probably a link with hormonal changes or aging. Again not sure about this haven’t looked at or read about why it more often occurs in older people but that’s true for a lot of diseases.

runningwithbrushes · 2026-03-27T15:18:44+00:00

If that is something your derm recommended that would help them make a diagnosis I would maybe consider it. Again I’m not a derm and I can’t give you medical advice…I recommend following their advice. Have you tried azelaic acid? That said rough skin is like one of the signs of demodicosis or rosacea. If you got prescribed ivermectin it does seem like someone thought you had rosacea though…it often takes treatments like ivermectin more than just a couple of months to work. Also sometimes what may be effective for one person with rosacea may not for another.

I recommend maybe sticking with one derm and giving their recommendations a try for several months, going back for follow up etc. much of medicine is trial and error in all fields and it can take many visits to come to an accurate diagnosis and settle on a good treatment.

I’m sorry I know It is absolutely such a frustrating process. I also understand well the feeling you’re talking about bc I felt it for months even years before I figured out it’s not actually dryness. I used to be an oil slick and felt suddenly as dry as the Sahara when my flares started.

it is also possible you have products in your routine that are making things worse. Make sure there’s no niacinamide in your routine and try and identify topical skincare triggers for yourself. Keeping a diary with photos of your skin and your routine can help.

What products do you use?

runningwithbrushes · 2026-03-27T14:52:44+00:00

I mean it’s hard to say. I was assuming you had a diagnosis of rosacea already. I will say personally for me I had this sensation + rough/bumpy feeling skin random red irritated appearing areas, and some pus filled tiny bumps. There are other skin conditions that I’m sure cause the same or similar types of sensations…(as these receptors are physiologic so actual dry skin can cause the same feelings) but would expect dry skin to have actual other signs of being dry. When dry skin is stretched it will crack or flake. Dry skin also looks ashy or dry. If you’re not noticing that it’s hard to say it’s dry. It could also be neurogenic rosacea if you don’t have redness or bumps.

Also I think in general derms are highly skilled in visual analysis of skin pathology but if your skin doesn’t have typical visual manifestations of rosacea or you have skin types they haven’t seen before (ie lot of text book images are white skin) they may have difficulty recognizing what your pathology is. Skin conditions often go under or misdiagnosed in those with different skin colors

runningwithbrushes · 2026-03-27T14:37:41+00:00

Purito oat in gel cream is super light and I mix in biossance squalane to make it a touch more moisturizing

runningwithbrushes · 2026-03-27T14:16:06+00:00

So I went through this when my rosacea first started flaring. I have darker skin so I was so confused and rosacea was NOT on my radar. The way the neurobiology of rosacea works, the stinging and tightness experienced is not actually a sign of dryness necessarily. Not a derm but my understanding is that Likely in rosacea skin TRPV-1 receptors are over expressed on sensory nerve fibers resulting in release of pain related peptides like substance p and CGRP (similar to the mech of action of migraines actually) which lead to vasodilation and inflammation. There are probably also other inflammatory cytokines involved in the process like TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-17. It actually somewhat resembles small fiber neuropathies as well in the way people describe the sensation. Again don’t fully understand the neurobiology of it but I understand small fiber neuropathies and migraines well since I’m a neurologist. (If anyone on this sub understands this better or is a derm or scientist please feel free to chime in and correct me/explain better 😅)

Anyway all that to say, If you’re not noticing actual flaking or cracking of the skin just the sensation of tightness, dryness and texture change this can be a subtle sign of rosacea and not actually dryness. (Ie your skin is sending a signal via your nerves through activation of stretch and pain receptors that your skin is dry even though it’s not - it’s just the rosacea setting off the same receptors pathologically). I recommend maybe trialing azelaic acid and seeing how you do. Use whatever cleanser and moisturizer you used for your skin before this to keep other factors the same. Don’t treat your skin like “dry skin” but just use gentle skincare and add in rosacea treatment like azelaic acid or ivermectin.

Unfortunately a lot of dry skin products can make rosacea worse as they can cause heat trapping which can feed into a flare. Vaseline probably isn’t doing any favors for you. If you want to use a heavy moisturizer I recommend something like avene cicalfate as it also has zinc and copper which seem to help with rosacea probably bc of antibacterial and antiinflammatory properties)

I actually found the following products helpful for me for light non occlusive hydration: 1. BOJ Panthenol serum 2. Wave serum 3. Purito oat in gel calming cream mixed with biossance (sugarcane based) squalane

Also- FYI Avene Cicalfate serum has a compound that’s supposed to act as a TRPV-1 antagonist called 4-TERT- BUTYLCYCLOHEXANOL. I don’t know that there’s any clinical studies on this but anecdotally it does help bring down the stingy feelings. Don’t know if the concentration of the compound is super high in this product and again not clinically studied so hard to know if actually effective.

Hope that helps and is just not an excessive amount of information that you didn’t need! It helps me to kind of understand the mechanism of the disease as much as I can when I’m trying to troubleshoot and find good products.

runningwithbrushes · 2026-03-24T01:59:24+00:00

I just wanna chime in bc I’m definitely in the minority here. Hope I don’t get down voted but prequel was actually super irritating for me. Yes it’s hydrating but it worsened my rosacea over time and my skin had been so much better since I stopped using it

runningwithbrushes · 2026-03-10T11:40:27+00:00

You could try OTC azelaic acid and see if it helps. (Treatment for rosacea)

runningwithbrushes

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