Issue link: https://www.ascpskindeepdigital.com/i/493450
Create your free business website! www.ascpskincare.com 9 beyond the basics Q: What foods trigger flushing? A: Not all clients are affected by the same foods, but there are some general guidelines. Alcoholic drinks, particularly red wine, can be a trigger for many people, and hot beverages, spicy foods, and citrus have also been known to trigger flares. Q: Are there certain skin care products or ingredients to avoid in rosacea clients? A: In addition to avoiding hot steam and any other hot treatment, estheticians should avoid aggressive treatments or any product that is stimulating, including many essential oils. Avoid hard-setting masks and mechanical exfoliation, as excessive exfoliation can also be a trigger. In general, any fragranced product should be avoided. And strong cleansers can strip lipids from the skin, leading to flares and redness, too. Q: What should a rosacea home-care regimen include? A: Make sure all products used or recommended have been thoroughly tested for potential irritancy by an outside consumer testing facility. This is the first step in avoiding products that may irritate. A good home-care program will include: • A cleanser appropriate for the client's oiliness level. People with rosacea can have oily or dry skin types. It is important to avoid overcleansing the skin, which can damage the barrier function of the skin, leading to inflammation and flushing. • An alcohol-free toner that contains hydrators and soothing agents such as green tea or aloe. • A lightweight broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher. Look for sunscreens that contain zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. The sunscreen agents keep the skin surface cooler. • A specialty anti-redness serum will contain soothing agents such as seawhip, trametes versicolor (mushroom), green tea, or licorice extracts. Peptide technology can also help minimize redness. • Moisturizers should be in the form of a fluid or lotion, as creams can be heavier and therefore warmer on the skin. Look for moisturizers that are designed specifically for redness-prone skin and contain soothing ingredients. Q: What are some helpful esthetic procedures? A: Soothing light massage, including manual lymph drainage (if you are certified), cool steam, and non-hardening gel masks designed for redness-prone skin can soothe and calm redness. LED treatments can also work well. They should be performed in a series, and must be maintained. In states where it is legal and you are trained, intense pulsed light, or laser treatments for redness, can have longer-lasting effects. Rosacea can be very concerning to the client, but the redness and other symptoms can be controlled and kept in check with a combination of the proper medical and esthetic care, and with appropriate lifestyle changes. In addition to avoiding hot steam and any other hot treatments for rosacea clients, estheticians should avoid aggressive treatments or any product that is stimulating, including many essential oils. Mark Lees, PhD, MS, CIDESCO, is an award-winning speaker, clinical skin therapist, and product developer specializing in acne, and sensitive aging skin. He is the author of Skin Care: Beyond the Basics (Milady, 2011), The Skin Care Answer Book (Milady, 2010), and Clearing Concepts (Milady, 2013). Contact him at info@marklees.com or on Facebook at Mark Lees Skin Care.