Rosacea Articles

Our face is home to a whole ecosystem of microscopic creatures! These critters are mostly harmless. In fact, they are actually quite helpful – generally speaking their job is to eat dead skin cells, helping to rid the face of waste.

However, a growing body of medical research is pointing to abnormally high levels of Demodex mites as playing a role in causing or triggering rosacea.

If you’re looking for an all-natural solution to rosacea-prone skin, our answer is Atopis Radiant Balance Cream. Scientifically formulated for rosacea-prone skin, this therapy cream reduces redness and inflammation by balancing the skin’s microflora, evening out your complexion.

Keep scrolling for more on Demodex Mites and their link to rosacea.

What is rosacea?

Rosacea is a chronic, common inflammatory skin condition that presents as redness of the face. 

Diagnosing Rosacea cannot be done through a medical test, however they can be used to rule out other skin conditions and narrow down on rosacea.

The skin condition is most often developed in fair-skinned, blonde and blue-eyed women between the ages of 30-50 years. Those with Celtic or Scandinavian backgrounds also heightens risk of rosacea. A genetic history of acne and rosacea also contributes to the possibility of developing it.

Males can also develop rosacea, but often have more severe exterior symptoms.

There are four main rosacea subtypes which present different symptoms. Learn more about the types of rosacea.

What causes rosacea?

While the exact cause of rosacea is unknown, researchers have identified some numerous causes such as genetics, a dysfunctional immune system, bacterial imbalance, a defective peptide, and the new research on naturally occurring mites on the skin. 

The critter culprits

We all have an ecosystem made up of bacteria on our skin, this is what contributes to our unique microflora.

Two new fields of research have opened up into the links of Helicobacter Pylori (H. Pylori) bacteria and Demodex mites playing a major role in the development and vicious cycle of rosacea skin. Mounting research suggesting that H. Pylori and Demodex can cause and trigger rosacea has encouraged more research to be conducted in understanding how these interplay with finding a cure.

The bacterial imbalance

H.pylori is a common group of bacteria found in our gut that may play a role in triggering and treating rosacea. 

When H.pylori are prevalent, levels of the hormone gastrin can increase, which causes an imbalance in acid regulation. This can lead to the flushing on the skin we see so often with rosacea.
When treated for H.pylori overabundance, rosacea sufferers experienced a reduction in symptoms, with papulopustular rosacea sufferers noticing the greater positive effects in remission.

As rosacea is a multi-triggered disease it’s possible H. pylori imbalance plays a significant role in aggravating rosacea.

Gastrointestinal symptoms are commonly present when there are high levels of H.pylori. These symptoms include stomach inflammation and ulcers as well as irritable bowel syndrome.

There are many links between bowel imbalances and skin issues, so assessing and improving gut health often helps with skin condition management. Learn more about the link between your gut and skin health here.

Demodex mites

Demodex mites are naturally occurring on the skin. There are two types; Demodex folliculorum that live in hair follicles, commonly on the face, and in the meibomian glands of the eyelids; and Demodex brevis that live in the sebaceous (oil) glands on the skin. 

An overabundance of demodex critters on the skin can aggravate the skin to show rosacea-like symptoms. Mounting research suggests that those with rosacea carry more demodex than a person without rosacea, and they are found in the regions that rosacea flares up.

Mites can be found inside pustules (small fluid-filled bumps on the skin) and papules (skin lesions) on the skin further disrupting the skin, or for some causing the skin to develop rosacea.

The peptide link

Rosacea sufferers experience a faulty peptide called the cathelicidin peptide; this is responsible for controlling blood flow and inhibiting bad bacteria.

The peptide for rosacea sufferers is present at much higher concentrations and has a different molecular structure, making it no longer function normally. It causes rosacea’s trademark bright red cheeks as well as sensitive skin.

The sensitive skin is in a hyper-reactive state so it is more affected by sun, food, drink, and temperature. These cause flare-ups of redness, swelling and even pain.

The faulty peptide also means that the Demodex mites have a better chance of attacking the skin, as it isn’t properly protected.

The mites and their bacteria then further aggravate the sensitive skin and trigger the immune system to overreact – and a vicious cycle of rosacea skin is perpetuated.

Gain control over rosacea skin

It’s important to understand that the different types of rosacea are not caused by a single issue but actually a combination of gut microbial imbalance, skin microflora, Demodex mites and potentially a genetic defect in the peptide cathelicidin. 

While there is no known cure for rosacea, and researchers can’t put their finger on the exact cause – we have a few tips on how you can manage it.

• Food: Starting with diet. Many believe that starting with the gut has promising affects on rosacea. Cutting out dairy, alcohol, spicy foods, and junk foods works for most people with rosacea. These foods are all known to affect H. pylori population numbers. Keeping a journal on food can help link you to what can trigger rosacea for yourself.
• Weather: Protect the skin from harsh weather such as direct sun and cool winds. Sunscreen is very important especially in summer when UV is stronger, and in winter a scarf can lighten the impact the cold has.
• Moisturise: Keep the skin hydrated by moisturising daily.
• Prescription: Topical steroids work in the short-term but long-term use triggers steroid rosacea. Meaning, steroids pull you into a harsh life-long cycle. If you are to use them, then it is best to do so only for a short-term to calm the flare-up.
• Skincare: A good skincare product for rosacea should work with your sensitive skin and enhance the skin health. Bringing in skincare that can deal with the faulty peptide, offer skin repair and protection can significantly improve day-to-day quality of life.

Our skincare solution to rosacea-prone skin, Atopis Radiant Balance, works by inhibiting the bad bacteria on your skin. The therapy cream is prebiotic – supporting your good bacteria, calming redness and inflammation and works with the immune system to control its hypersensitive overreaction to the environment.

Radiant Balance contains an equivalent peptide to normal functioning cathelicidin, meaning that the faulty peptide in rosacea skin can function normally again. When repairing this peptide, the redness associated with rosacea is reduced.

Identifying and understanding the type of rosacea you or your loved one has is crucial to learning how to effectively manage it.

Our answer to healing rosacea-affected skin is the Atopis Radiant Balance Cream – a steroid-free and 100% organic cream that combats rosacea symptoms; reducing redness, evens out skin tone, and calms inflammatory response.

What is Rosacea?

Rosacea is a common, chronic skin condition that presents as redness of the face.

The condition often develops in adults between the ages of 30 and 60, with those who have Celtic or Scandinavian heritage more susceptible to the condition.

The cause of rosacea is currently unknown, but research has become focused on a defective protein that is responsible for controlling blood flow. Essentially, the malformed protein can no longer control blood flow, meaning blood vessels expand, causing the skin to redden. 

Here’s a short video that explores What Causes Rosacea:

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If you’re interested in learning more, we’ve written a whole blog post on what causes rosacea.

There are five main types of rosacea, each with distinct symptoms and treatments.

Types of rosacea

1. Erythematotelangiectatic Rosacea (ETR) 

ETR is the most common type of rosacea, and is generally characterised by flushing of the face and dilated blood vessels.
Middle-aged women are more susceptible to developing ETR, however, there have been cases of onset during young adulthood.

Symptoms: 

• Facial redness
• Flushing
• Visible blood vessels
• Sensitive skin, with a possible stinging or burning sensation
• Dry, rough and scaly appearance

While there is no cure, ETR can be managed with topical creams, antibiotics, and even laser surgery.

2. Papulopustular (acne) Rosacea 

Often confused with acne, this type of rosacea presents as redness and swelling with breakouts that resemble teenage acne. While this type of rosacea can affect anyone at any stage of life, middle-aged women are most at risk.

Symptoms:

• Facial redness
• Red bumps around the nose/cheek area that appear similar to breakouts
• Oily, sensitive skin
• Visible broken blood vessels
• Raised patches of skin

Like ETR, Papulopustular (acne) Rosacea treatment depends on the severity of symptoms, and can usually be treated through topical creams or oral antibiotics.

3. Rhinophyma

This rarer form of rosacea mostly affects middle-aged males who have a family history of rosacea. It is often presented alongside another rosacea subtype.

Symptoms:

• Thick skin on nose, chin, forehead, cheeks and ears
• Large pores
• Visible broken blood vessels

Rhinophyma is a unique subtype of rosacea, therefore may not respond the same to treatment as other subtypes. Oral antibiotics are the most common form of treatment for people with rhinophyma. For more severe cases, surgery can be a form of long-term treatment.

4. Ocular Rosacea

Ocular rosacea is the subtype of rosacea that affects the eyes. Ocular rosacea can cause red, itchy, sore eyelids and irritation in the eye. This subtype is most commonly affects adults aged 30-50 years who tend to blush or flush easily.

Symptoms:

• Dry eyes
• Itchy, burning or stinging eyes
• Blurred vision
• Broken blood vessels on the eyelids

Applying creams and warm moist compresses relieve the uncomfortable symptoms of Ocular Rosacea. Antibiotics or eyedrops can also be prescribed to aid symptom relief. In more severe cases, probing can be used – a doctor puts rods into the plugged up glands to open them up.

5. Steroidal Rosacea

Steroidal rosacea is a rosacea-like condition caused by the use of potent topical steroids – or withdrawal from them. Anyone who has applied strong steroid treatments to their face, or who have taken strong oral steroid-based antibiotics. A flareup can occur whilst on steroids, or when coming off the treatment.

Symptoms:

• Small bumps and pustules
• Reddened areas that may be itchy
• Enlarged blood vessels
• Severely sensitive skin

To avoid long-term symptoms, the use of topical steroids should be discontinued. To reduce the likelihood of flareups, withdrawal should be a slow and steady process. Oral antibiotics are sometimes prescribed for several months to help with the withdrawal.

Managing rosacea-prone skin

Unfortunately, there is currently no known cure for any of the rosacea subtypes – the symptoms are simply managed.

To manage symptoms:

• Avoid touching problem areas on the skin – Rosacea-prone skin is hyperactive, and touching can cause blood vessels to dilate
• Protect the skin from harsh weather conditions – Wear a scarf during winter, and remember to slip, slop, slap and wrap during summer
• Avoid topical steroids – Although this may help in the short-term with facial redness, use of potent topical steroids may cause steroid rosacea
• Moisturise – especially in the affected areas
• Limit alcohol consumption – alcohol can aggravate rosacea
  

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Dealing With Rosacea?

The Atopis Radiant Balance Cream is the world’s first facial moisturizer developed to break out of the rosacea cycle.

Having dealt with rosacea herself, award-winning Kiwi scientist Dr. Iona Weir decided to develop a natural solution to help others break out of the rosacea cycle. Here’s how it works:

1. Treats the symptoms
The peptides and flavonoids in Radiant Balance work to inhibit over-vasodilation of the blood vessels, and to reduce redness.

2. Inhibits bad bacteria
By mimicking the anti-microbial cathelicidin of your skin, the peptide inhibits bad bacteria, stopping those nasty infections that keep you stuck in the rosacea cycle.

3. Reduces overreactions to environmental triggers
Other peptilipids within the cream work to calm the immune system and heal the skin.

Radiant Balance contains an equivalent peptide to normal functioning cathelicidin, meaning that the faulty peptide in rosacea skin can function normally. As this is the peptide that controls blood flow to the skin and inhibits bad bacteria, the redness associated with rosacea is reduced.

Learn More About Radiant Balance Cream

Experiencing a skin condition like Rosacea can often have a significant impact on social and emotional wellbeing. 

It’s important to remember that you are not alone, and there are many things you can do to regain control of your skin.

Explore the key known causes and triggers behind Rosacea-prone skin below, so you can begin your journey to healthy and restored skin.

Our answer to healing Rosacea-affected skin is the Atopis Radiant Balance Cream – a steroid-free and 100% organic cream that combats rosacea symptoms; reducing redness, evens out skin tone, and calms inflammatory response. 

What Is Rosacea? 

Rosacea is a chronic, common inflammatory skin condition that presents as redness of the face. 

Here’s a short video that explores What Causes Rosacea:

. 

Symptoms:

Most of those dealing with Rosacea tend to present with the following symptoms:

 • Flushing – rapid reddening and warmth to the face, neck, and chest

 • Hyper-reactive skin – Skin that is incredibly reactive to changes in the skin’s environment

 • Persistent redness – usually around the cheeks and forehead

 • Pimples, papules, and pustules – can resemble acne (without the presence of blackheads)

 • Inflamed blood vessels – can visibly see the capillaries in the affected areas of the skin

 • Excess skin around the nose – this is one of the more uncommon symptoms and tends to affect males more than females.

Triggers:

All of the different Rosacea subtypes share similar triggers, these include:

• Excessive consumption of alcohol

• Some foods – particularly spicy food or dairy products

• Caffeine – coffee, tea, and other hot drinks

• Stress – emotional stress can lead to Rosacea flare-ups

• Heat & humidity – high temperatures and humidity levels can trigger Rosacea

• Extremely cold temperatures – cold air is harsh on the skin and can cause flare-ups

• Hot showers/baths or saunas – hot showers and facial steaming can also cause Rosacea to flare-up

Types:

The four main types of rosacea include:

• Erythematotelangiectatic Rosacea
People with this type experience redness and flushing with the blood vessels becoming visible – sometimes looking like tiny spider webs.

• Papulopustular Rosacea
Often confused with acne, this type of rosacea presents as redness and swelling with breakouts that resemble teenage acne. Unlike acne, no blackheads appear with this skin condition.

• Phymatous Rosacea
Skin with a thick and bumpy texture is indicative of this type of rosacea.

• Ocular Rosacea
If you are experiencing redness and irritation in your eyes, and/or swollen eyelids,  you may have this type. You may have a burning sensation in one or both eyes, which may also appear bloodshot.

While there are more types of Rosacea, these four are the most common. Another condition to note is Steroid Rosacea, which can be a result of long-term use of corticosteroids. Be sure to limit the use of steroidal skin treatments wherever possible.

How Is Rosacea Different From Other Skin Conditions?

The condition is often mistaken for acne or eczema, but in fact is a distinct skin condition. It’s important to know what skin condition you are experiencing, as the conditions are not treated the same way.

This is the case with eczema and rosacea – steroidal treatments, which are often prescribed for those dealing with eczema, can actually make rosacea symptoms worse. In fact, using potent topical steroids can even cause steroid rosacea. 

Below are the key differences between rosacea and other common skin conditions: 

• Acne – Acne tends to appear on the face and sometimes the back. Acne tends to be most prevalent in our teens, and for females that get hormonal breakouts around menstruation.

Rosacea, on the other hand, generally affects those aged 30 to 60. Another key difference is blackheads, which are indicative of acne. 

• Eczema – Eczema tends to affect young children and improves with age, while rosacea kicks in around 30 years.

Additionally, eczema rashes mainly appear in the skin folds – e.g. behind the knees and inside of the elbows. Rosacea generally only appears on the face, and sometimes the neck, back, and ears. 

• Psoriasis – Psoriasis flare-ups tend to be triggered by skin injuries or infections (particularly streptococcal infections), while temperature extremes or even spicy food can trigger a rosacea flare-up.

Like rosacea, psoriasis is characterized by changes in skin texture – however, rosacea appears as red patches whilst scaling and white flakes indicate psoriasis.

Managing Rosacea Skin

Unfortunately, there is currently no known cure for those dealing with rosacea – the symptoms are simply managed.

Here are some things you can do to help manage your symptoms:

• Avoid touching problem areas on the skin – Rosacea-prone skin is hyperactive, and touching can cause blood vessels to dilate

• Protect the skin from harsh weather conditions – Wear a scarf during winter, and remember to slip, slop, slap and wrap during Summer 

• Avoid topical steroids – Although this may help in the short-term with facial redness, use of potent topical steroids can actually trigger steroid rosacea

• Moisturise – especially in the affected areas

• Limit alcohol consumption – alcohol can aggravate rosacea

The faulty peptide

The normal function of the cathelicidin peptide is to control vasodilation (blood flow) of the skin and to inhibit the growth of bad bacteria.

For those with rosacea, the cathelicidin peptide is present at much higher concentrations and has a different molecular structure, meaning the peptide no longer functions normally.

An overabundance of the defective peptide induces over-dilation of the blood vessels – which is what causes the intense redness of rosacea skin.

This defective peptide also fails to inhibit the bad bacteria on the skin. This results in skin infections and activates the immune system into an inflammatory mode. The skin enters a hyperreactive state which means it overreacts to normal environmental stimuli such as sunlight, food, drink, and temperature.

Other contributing factors:

Further research into the symptoms of rosacea has determined that those with rosacea have a hyper-reactive sympathetic nervous system that overreacts to environmental triggers. This results in the blood vessels rapidly dilating causing intense reddening of the skin.

The immune system of those with rosacea is also hyperreactive and overreacts to environmental triggers, which develops inflammation of the skin and causes redness, swelling and potentially pain.

To make matters worse there is often an overpopulation of microscopic mites which carry bacteria that irritate the skin, and potentially cause skin infections due to the impaired cathelicidin peptide.  

These mites and their bacteria then further aggravate the sensitive skin and trigger the immune system to overreact and thus a vicious cycle is perpetuated.

How Atopis Can Reduce Your Rosacea Symptoms

The Atopis Radiant Balance Cream is the world’s first facial moisturizer developed to break out of the rosacea cycle.

Having dealt with rosacea herself, award-winning Kiwi scientist Dr. Iona Weir decided to develop a natural solution to help others break out of the rosacea cycle. Here’s how it works:

1. Treats the symptoms
The peptides and flavonoids in Radiant Balance work to inhibit over-vasodilation of the blood vessels, and to reduce redness.

2. Inhibits bad bacteria
By mimicking the anti-microbial cathelicidin of your skin, the peptide inhibits bad bacteria, stopping those nasty infections that keep you stuck in the rosacea cycle.

3. Reduces overreactions to environmental triggers
Other peptilipids within the cream work to calm the immune system and heal the skin.

Radiant Balance contains an equivalent peptide to normal functioning cathelicidin, meaning that the faulty peptide in rosacea skin can function normally. As this is the peptide that controls blood flow to the skin and inhibits bad bacteria, the redness associated with rosacea is reduced.

Learn More About Radiant Balance Cream