Cruising with Rosacea

[MJC]

I have my own strategies for dealing with my rosacea: favorite products, activities and foods to avoid, etc. While it manifests very individually, I thought it would be nice to have a place where cruisers could share ideas, news, products you like or don't like, how to minimize flare-ups when traveling... whatever you find helpful.

 

I will begin by sharing news from the Rosacea Review about what alcohols to avoid in skin care products. They list some "harmless alcohols" like cetyl, cetearyl, lauryl, and stearyl. These can be used to prevent water loss or increase the smoothness of a product. The ones to avoid are the astringents, which can be listed as:

 

alcohol

ethyl alcohol

ethanol

methanol

isopropyl alcohol

SD alcohol

benzyl

astringent

 

If one of these is in the first three or four ingredients on a list, it will be in a higher concentration than if it is at the end.

 

I hope you find this helpful!

 

I personally have a lot of trouble with any astringents, perfume (especially in face products), chemical sunscreens, foundation, and eye shadow.

 

 

 

[SAN415]

Hi, 

While I don't have Rosacea, I used to do a lot of photography and have taken a couple classes. If it helps you, one of the things I was taught was that if a person has skin discoloration or face redness for any reason, that black and white photos are much more flattering. 

I have to add that I decided to change my profile picture from one that was many years old. I took a picture with my phone, spur of the moment. No make up and hair isn't styled. And with age my face has a ruddy complexion. I used my phone photo editor to change my quick shot to grey tones and while no.....I sure do not love the picture, I am ok with it. It is the one you see for my profile. The actual photo looks horrid, my face is blotchy and red down the "t zone".  I know it's still not a great picture but at least it is more representative of my age (61) then a picture from 15 years ago.😁

I know you didn't ask about photos, but in case the info helps you or someone, I thought i would share. Hope that is okay.

[MJC]

That is actually great advice, so thank you for posting. I sometimes use one of the filters on my phone to even out my skin or correct for bad lighting, but I'm not really skilled with that because I don't use it enough. I have a real camera that I take most of my photos with. Plus my arms are a bit short for selfies!

 

[pcur]

I have some redness along my jawline and up into my cheeks.  Not bright red, but noticeable.  I absolutely LOVE Dermacol make-up.  It's wonderful for covering age spots, "spider veins" on my lower legs, and the redness on my face.  

 

It's aggravated on cruises because of the ever-so-teeny amount of saline that is still in the water on ships.  I know, desalinization takes it all out, but I still get some irritation.  So, my Dermacol mixed with SPF 100 sunscreen works well to blend out any spots.  Dermacol works best if "buffered" (mixed) with a non-water based sunscreen or lotion.  Applied by itself it tends to be stiff and drag on the skin, so you use more.

[MJC]

I have a few clusters of spider veins on my legs that look like bruises, and people always ask me what happened. So thanks for the Dermacol recommendation. My sister uses Dermablend for a scar on her leg, but I find it a big thick and matte looking for my needs. I also tried Kat Von D tattoo foundation which works nicely, but I would need to have several shades as my skin color changes with my level of sun exposure, which could get expensive.

 

I use Clinique Almost Powder Makeup SPF every day after I moisturize. It is a mineral powder with titanium dioxide. I haven't found a foundation that doesn't make me break out, but the Clinique powder gives me just enough coverage to even out my skin tone, so it works for me for now.

 

I have a V-beam treatment at my dermatologist office every three months. That makes the most difference compared to any topical treatments I've tried. Sadly I am trying to give up red wine, but that is difficult when I'm looking at a good steak. 🙁

[ninjacat123]

MJC, I have a kitty very similar to your "kitty in a box"

[pcur]

On 3/1/2020 at 12:00 PM, MJC said:

I have a few clusters of spider veins on my legs that look like bruises, and people always ask me what happened. So thanks for the Dermacol recommendation. My sister uses Dermablend for a scar on her leg, but I find it a big thick and matte looking for my needs. I also tried Kat Von D tattoo foundation which works nicely, but I would need to have several shades as my skin color changes with my level of sun exposure, which could get expensive.

 

I use Clinique Almost Powder Makeup SPF every day after I moisturize. It is a mineral powder with titanium dioxide. I haven't found a foundation that doesn't make me break out, but the Clinique powder gives me just enough coverage to even out my skin tone, so it works for me for now.

 

I have a V-beam treatment at my dermatologist office every three months. That makes the most difference compared to any topical treatments I've tried. Sadly I am trying to give up red wine, but that is difficult when I'm looking at a good steak. 🙁

There are great videos on youtube to help with color selection, and how to apply Dermacol.  However, I have found that buffering and dabbing all over the area, then blending, work the best for me.  

 

I am a minimalist with make-up, so Dermacol works for me in very small amounts. I have two shades:  one that matches my skin tone, and one shade lighter:  209 and 208.  I believe that putting a LIGHTER shade on the spots works better, because the final effect is the darker pigment with the lighter shade = the rest of my skin.

[Langley Cruisers]

Many years ago, I had a huge problem with rosacea. It presented itself to me when we were on a land vacation in Exuma, Bahamas - it was July and stinkin' hot. My face flared up and it was absolutely awful. I cried on the plane all the way home. I was embarrassed and upset and depressed. My doctor gave me a prescription for MetroGel and I used it for many years, not really knowing if it helped or not. ❓ My rosacea went away some years later, but it was depressing living with it and awkward to try and cover it with make-up. My co-workers noticed and it was just a really difficult time in my life. 😢

 

I remember trying to stay out of the sun as that was a trigger for me, so that made sense and may help those who suffer. I had it many years ago when there wasn't as much online information available to us. Now, I would think there are some very good websites with accurate and helpful information.

[sjudis]

I have a few clusters of spider veins on my legs that look like bruises, and people always ask me what happened. So thanks for the Dermacol recommendation. My sister uses Dermablend for a scar on her leg, but I find it a big thick and matte looking for my needs. I also tried Kat Von D tattoo foundation which works nicely, but I would need to have several shades as my skin color changes with my level of sun exposure, which could get expensive.
 
I use Clinique Almost Powder Makeup SPF every day after I moisturize. It is a mineral powder with titanium dioxide. I haven't found a foundation that doesn't make me break out, but the Clinique powder gives me just enough coverage to even out my skin tone, so it works for me for now.
 
I have a V-beam treatment at my dermatologist office every three months. That makes the most difference compared to any topical treatments I've tried. Sadly I am trying to give up red wine, but that is difficult when I'm looking at a good steak. [emoji853]

Red wine🥺. The bane of all of us rosacea sufferers


Sent from my iPad using Forums

[MJC]

I have taken to drinking scotch on the rocks with my steak these days. 😉  I haven't been to the dermatologist in almost a year because my DH had hip replacement surgery right after the holidays, and as soon as he was mobile the virus hit NYC really hard, so  we were in self-isolation for most of the spring. We decamped to our cottage early this year and plan to stay here possibly until Christmas. But, I plan to go into the city for a few days soon to do a v-beam because I need my skin cancer check. And miss kitty needs her checkup and shots.

 

Does anyone have any mask wearing tips to share? I always have breakouts on my nose and under my eyes after wearing a mask, so I try to cluster my outings so I don't have to wear one every day. Both DH and I are working from home which makes it possible. I have homemade masks, blue store-bought masks, and a few from Etsy. It doesn't seem to matter what the design or fabric is, they all affect my skin.

 

[pcur]

On 9/27/2020 at 7:20 AM, MJC said:

Does anyone have any mask wearing tips to share? I always have breakouts on my nose and under my eyes after wearing a mask, so I try to cluster my outings so I don't have to wear one every day. Both DH and I are working from home which makes it possible. I have homemade masks, blue store-bought masks, and a few from Etsy. It doesn't seem to matter what the design or fabric is, they all affect my skin.

 

 

Aquaphor.  I've been using it for 35 years and have never found anything that heals as quickly as Aquaphor.  A think constant layer instead of moisturizer on the affected areas should do the trick.  Not heavy:  just enough to soften the skin.  

 

I had a skin reaction to the nose piece on my glasses a few weeks ago, and it would not go away.  So, I put a tiny dot of Aquaphor on the area and wore a piece of moleskin there for 2 days.  Gone.

[MJC]

Thank you, I will give Aquaphor a try!

[geocruiser]

On 12/29/2020 at 10:08 PM, pcur said:

 

Aquaphor.  I've been using it for 35 years and have never found anything that heals as quickly as Aquaphor.  A think constant layer instead of moisturizer on the affected areas should do the trick.  Not heavy:  just enough to soften the skin.  

 

I had a skin reaction to the nose piece on my glasses a few weeks ago, and it would not go away.  So, I put a tiny dot of Aquaphor on the area and wore a piece of moleskin there for 2 days.  Gone.

I just googled Aquaphor.  They have different types.  Which type do you use?

[eileeshb]

Ahh rosacea ... the curse of the Celts. My skin reacts extremely poorly to most products for “sensitive skin” the primary culprit is usually Aloe Vera. you’d be astounded at how many products have it buried in their ingredients. I also have issue with lavender in facial products as my eyes can’t handle it; between those 2 allergies I am constantly on the hunt for the miracle product.

I had used Jurlique’s calendula serum and it was fantastic but then they changed the formula which added Aloe to the ingredients. I’m currently trying Kiehl’s calendula serum infused water gel moisturiser.  I’ve used their skin rescuer in the past and it helps as an occasional support particularly in colder weather.  I’ve also used a product from the First Aid beauty range as a night moisturiser when I’ve cruised as it helped with the heat reaction from a day in the sun, and the watermelon mask from Sephora also helps ease tightness when I got dehydrated during the day,
I tend to avoid make up day to day as all the applying and removing isn’t kind to your skin. I’ll put it on for a night out (remember when we had those 😢) and business meetings/events. 
I usually use an Irish sunblock called Parasol but unfortunately it’s not reef friendly so I’ll be trying some alternatives before my next cruise. Parasol was a god-send for me as it’s a single application for the whole day with just minor top ups to areas where friction removes it. The funny thing was seeing some designer-brand sunblock in Sephora and spotting parasol listed as an ingredient. 
reef friendly sun blocks use a mineral component as a physical block to the UV, usually zinc oxide or titanium oxide. I’d just note that it’s not unusual to have an intolerance for zinc. Spain took the smallest euro coins out of circulation because so many people there were allergic to the zinc in the coins.

if anyone else has problems with aloe and/or lavender I’d suggest tea tree based products for small areas of sunburn and the added bonus is a tea tree ointment is also an antiseptic so it’ll work in place of neosporin in your packing list.