How To Reduce Rosacea Symptoms With a Vitamin C Serum for Rosacea

Becoming a social hermit whenever you feel that your rosacea is flaring up isn't really the most effective solution to reducing your rosacea symptoms. Instead, using antioxidants such as a vitamin C serum for rosacea is a much wiser decision.

Vitamin C is one of today’s queens in vitamin skin care. There's plenty of evidence backing the benefits of topically using a rosacea vitamin C serum to relieve symptoms including redness, itching, burning, red bumps, and pimples.

With so many vitamin C serums on the market today, how do know you which vitamin c serum for rosacea skin is best? How can you be sure that the form of vitamin C contained in your serum, the percentage of vitamin C, as well as the rest of the product’s ingredients will help treat your rosacea and not cause any further irritation to your skin? 

Rosacea skin is a sensitive type of skin that needs proper skin care. You don't want choosing the best vitamin C serum for rosacea to a hassle for you.

What Is Rosacea and Its Symptoms?

Rosacea is a sensitive skin condition that is often characterized by the appearance of redness and visible blood vessels on facial skin areas such as the chin, cheeks or nose and sometimes on the neck or the back.

Other symptoms of rosacea include swollen red bumps, pus-filled pimples, tightness, itchiness, burning and stinging, thickened skin, facial swelling, and dry red skin patches.

Some people also experience eye irritation as well as reddened and swollen eyelids.

According to the American Academy Of Dermatology, there are 4 types of rosacea but the symptoms can overlap.

Common Triggers of Rosacea

The causes of rosacea are unknown to us but there are certain triggers and risk factors that can lead to developing rosacea. Here are the most common ones:

More often found among women than men, rosacea usually appears in women who are over 30 years old and have a fair complexion.

You Have Rosacea - Now What?

If you have suddenly developed some rosacea symptoms and you don’t know what to do, it is important not to panic, because anxiety is linked to higher levels of cortisol in your blood, which can make your rosacea symptoms even worse.

So, what are the first steps you can take?

What Is The Best Skin Care Routine For Rosacea?

Diane S. Berson is a certified dermatologist and assistant professor in dermatology. She advises that proper rosacea skin care includes a good moisturizer to strengthen the skin barrier with lipids. These lipids prevent dryness.

In addition, use a mild cleanser twice a day to reduce rosacea inflammation. This will avoid depriving the skin’s surface of its natural oil. Rinse off well because any residue can lead to irritation.

To camouflage redness and stay away from irritation, Dr. Berson recommends the use of mineral-based cosmetic products.

In order to reduce irritation and skin inflammation, use antioxidant and anti-inflammatory skin care products. Other dermatologists also recommend the use of antioxidant serums for rosacea such as vitamin C serum.

Look for products that are specially formulated for sensitive skin and have soothing and healing properties. Of course, sunscreen protection is very important for rosacea skin.

Generally, avoid certain fillers and synthetic ingredients that irritate sensitive skin such as SLS, alcohol, petrolatum, mineral oils, synthetic dyes, and fragrances.

When it comes to exfoliating rosacea skin, avoid using mechanical face scrubs or alkaline soaps for face cleansing.     

Vitamin C Serum and Rosacea  

3 Reasons Vitamin C Serum Can Help Rosacea

People often ask, Is vitamin c serum good for rosacea skin? Does vitamin c serum help rosacea? Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant and, as noted earlier, dermatologists often recommend the use of antioxidant serums for this skin issue.

Prevents Photo-Aging Signs and Provides UVA and UVB Protection

Exposing your skin to the UV sun rays creates ROS radicals that can damage the skin cells and collagen. Likewise, these radicals trigger oxidative stress and lead to inflammation as well as skin aging.

In the case of rosacea, which is a chronic condition, the effects of sun damage, aging and environmental damage are cumulative and attack the natural defensive mechanisms of the skin barrier that keeps the skin strong and healthy.

The role of using antioxidants in rosacea skin care is to neutralize those radicals and protect the skin from photo-aging as well as sun and environmental damage.

Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant, which according to a 2013 study published in the US National Library Of Medicine, can provide protection both against UVA and UVB sun rays. For this purpose, it has the best effects when combined with vitamin E.

Vitamin C Increases Collagen Production

According to various clinical studies, applying vitamin C topically on the skin is essential for increasing collagen production not only in aging skin but also young skin.

Collagen is what keeps your skin elastic, firm and more youthful looking. Especially for a sensitive skin condition such as rosacea that often suffers from dryness and is more vulnerable to aging. The production of collagen is very important to keep the skin more resistant to loss of moisture and other skin aging signs.

Anti-Inflammatory Function

Studies have shown that vitamin C can demonstrate anti-inflammatory benefits which can be useful in dealing with skin conditions such as rosacea and acne vulgaris.

As an anti-inflammatory and tissue healing ingredient, it can be used to reduce rosacea inflammation and facial redness, and help strengthen the skin barrier. A stronger skin barrier is less vulnerable to environmental damage and is easier to heal from the negative effects of rosacea such as redness, stinging or burning.   

Here's a quick video on the benefits of Vitamin C serum for your skin.

How To Choose The Best Vitamin C Serums For Rosacea

All vitamin C serums are not equally effective or suitable for this condition, so when it comes to choosing the best vitamin C serum for rosacea, there are certain factors you need to keep in mind. There are 5 important criteria:

Should I Take Oral Vitamin C For Rosacea?

Currently, there is no sufficient scientific evidence backing the link between taking vitamin C orally and the treatment of rosacea. According to a study published in US National Library of Medicine, absorption of vitamin C is limited in the gut even if this vitamin is taken in high oral dosage.

Therefore, the topical vitamin C for rosacea is a more favored measure in dermatology and in skin care.

Conclusion

Vitamin C for rosacea is one of the most popular ways to deal with rosacea symptoms at home. It's a potent antioxidant ingredient with demonstrated properties that are very beneficial for rosacea skin.

Serums like vitamin C serum are used to heal rosacea inflammation In additon, they promote collagen protection and protect the skin barrier from free radical damage and photo-aging. Their anti-inflammatory function can be useful not only for rosacea but acne skin, too.

For better results, experts recommend that topical vitamin C for rosacea should be part of an overall healthy skin care routine that is soothing, moisturizing and healing to rosacea-affected skin.