As the harsh winter weather presses on, it not only dries out our skin, but also may aggravate certain skin conditions. Take rosacea for example: Rosacea is a vascular condition caused by inflammation, with symptoms that include facial redness, pimples, eye irritation and can even lead to thickened skin and permanent visible blood vessels.
If left untreated, rosacea can actually worsen over time. While there is no cure for rosacea and the cause is unknown, it can be treated with the help of a dermatologist.
If you are frustrated with dealing with your rosacea — like 16 million Americans, with 78% of people not knowing what it even is — remember, no one is perfect! Not even busy celebrities, like Sex and the City actress Cynthia Nixon.
I was lucky enough to ask her some personal questions regarding her trial and tribulations with rosacea, which she has been suffering with (sometimes unknowingly) since her teenage years. She explains how untimely bouts of rosacea can be embarrassing and has affected her professional life as well.
What started out as acne soon turned into stubborn red skin. While she fought against acne for years with salicylic acid treatments and cleansers, Nixon started to break out again in her 30s.
Nothing seemed to help her until she found a dermatologist who told her that what she really had was rosacea. Apparently, what she was doing to her skin to ward off acne was actually making her rosacea worse! Read my exclusive interview to learn more about how Cynthia Nixon has perfected her rosacea routine, including which foods she avoids and how she deals with it on a daily basis.
BeautyStat: Are there certain types of foods that can cause rosacea flare-ups?
CN: My dad is from Texas, so I really love spicy foods! So, I certainly didn’t give it up, but I know that when I’m playing with hot foods, taking hot baths — I’m playing with fire. But if I have a photo shoot the next day or filming, I do keep it in mind that If I do have a glass of wine or if I have “fun food” it might bring on an attack, and I just need to be conscious of that.
BeautyStat: Are there any special tricks makeup artist on set taught you to conceal a rosacea flare-up?
CN: On Sex and the City I learned a lot about beauty and fashion. One thing Patricia Field told me was that it’s not about always coordinating appropriately, it’s about looking good as a package, which is completely true with makeup.
Use the makeup sparingly. When I was younger I would take foundation and use it all over my face. But now what I do is use a light hand and wear a little bit of cover up. Unless I’m on a talk show with harsh lighting, I conceal red spots around my nose, under my eyes… But I want my skin showing other than my makeup showing. You’re the main event, not your makeup!
Do you have any advice for people who have to deal with rosacea on a daily basis?
CN: I think that one of things about being in the public, or if you are making a speech or something, is that can make you feel very stressed out. Then we get nervous, and even if we don’t have rosacea, we tend to blush.
You just have to follow your regimen. There is certain amount that you can’t control. Just learn to relax and know that you can minimize it. There might be days where you have to cover up more, so it is important to conceal your baseline and your flare-ups will be minor.
Visit WWW.ROSACEAFACTS.COM to get more information about rosacea and take the rosacea symptoms quiz.
Do any of you beauties suffer from rosacea? Think you might have it? Take the rosacea symptoms quiz.
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– Theresa Romano, Managing Editor
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