Do you have a favourite over the counter treatment for your rosacea ? Depending on your health insurance and access to doctors and pharmacies, prescription treatments are out of the reach of many rosacea sufferers. So what can you try as a rosacea treatment that is easy to source, cheap and available without a prescription ? Is there anything ?
Please help your fellow rosacea sufferers with your best discoveries of treatments that you can get without a prescription or without visiting a doctor.
Here are some suggestions that I have collected that seem to be popular with members of the rosacea support group;
Prosacea
Prosacea is a topical gel, available over the counter at stores like Walgreens. It is also available on the internet at cvs.com. It contains 10% sulphur. The jury is still out, but reading prosacea user reviews, it looks to me like we should include prosacea as a bona fide rosacea treatment.
Rosacea-LTD
Rosacea-LTD is a topical treatment made of various compressed salts. It worked well for me to reduce papules and pustules and it is available only over the internet (which I guess counts as over the counter). This treatment is not cheap like many of the other suggestions in this listing, but I thought it definitely should be included as an over the counter treatment. For more information have a read of Rosacea-LTD User Reviews
Disclosure: rosacea-ltd is a site sponsor of rosacea-support.org
Aspirin
There has been some introductory research suggesting that a daily low dose of aspirin may help with rosacea swelling and flushing. For some it may lead to more flushing, but as an easily available and cheap over the counter treatment, aspirin may be worth a try.
Rosacea Swelling Relief Regime
Dr. Linda Sy has suggested in her rosacea swelling relief regimen, that there are some OTC meds that are easier (than prescription drugs) on the system such as: aspirin (blocks prostaglandin synthetase), antihistamines – ex. Chlor-trimeton which blocks H1 receptors; Cimetidine (Tagamet) which blocks H2 receptors. Pyridoxine (vit.B-6) has also been found to be helpful as a prophylaxis. She has sugested the following over the counter regime;
at Bedtime;
- 1 baby aspirin
- 1 Chlor-Trimeton (an antihistamine)
- 1 Tums (to offset the gastro effects of the aspirin)
and in the AM;
- a B complex vitamin with 50mg of B-6, but without Niacin (niacinamide is ok).
- 1 Tagamet
during a flush;
- apply a cool (not cold) compress to the face
- do deep breathing 10 times slowly.
Flaxseed Oil
Studies have shown that flaxseed oil may help improve acne and for some other Omega 3 sources like Fish Oil may offer additional benefits.
When Dr. Eric Jones was asked about the possibility of any nutritional link to ocular rosacea symptoms he responded “that here are studies with just dry eye, where flaxseed oil and omega 3s are quite effective. Foodwise, everyone is individual. There have been some surveys, and everyone was different. Some said spicy foods, others said hot drinks, alcohol, cold drinks. People have to find their individual triggers, I think.”
Nasalcrom
As an alternative to the steroid based nasal sprays, something like Rynacrom or Nasalcrom may help with allergic rhinitis and relieve other allergic symptoms. Certainly if you think your rosacea symptoms are allergy related this is worth trying. Even if it only relieves other chronic symptoms is might help you get your head around the other symptoms that occupy your thinking.
Afrin / Oxymetazoline
It is early days yet, but some preliminary research and some rosacea sufferers are reporting reductions in redness from using topicals such as Afrin. Rosacea sufferers are cautioned against applying Afrin directly to their skin as it is actually for allergic rhinitis so contains ingredients which may be irritating to rosacea sufferers.
Keep an eye out for updates related to Oxymetazoline based treatments like Afrin. See this forum posting Afrin cure ? for some more information. There are many over the counter products that contain oxymetazoline.
Cleansers and Moisturizers
OK officially cleansers and moisturizers aren’t rosacea treatments. This is a bit of a step backwards for rosacea sufferers. Once you understand that a gentle cleansing and moisturising regime is a good basis for beating rosacea, you are already off to a good start.
Make your own Cleanser
We know from a recent rosacea news article that colloidal oatmeal (Avena sativa) has interesting cleansing, moisturizing, buffering, soothing, protecting and anti-inflammatory properties.
Want to try something natural, perhaps something that you know exactly what it contains because you have made it yourself ? Some of the highlights from the Homemade Mixes community forum include simple natural sunscreens, licorice treatments, a honey cleanser and more.
Colloidal Oatmeal
Officially `Colloidal’ oatmeal is defined as a product made from grinding and processing whole oat grain with strict requirements on the particle size and fat content. In the past rosacea support group members have made their own cleansing masks with oatmeal and water. An extra bonus is that it can sop up flakes associated with seborrheic dermatitis.
Jojoba Oil
I have found that a small amount of jojoba oil blends in really well on wet skin and gives an excellent moisturized feel to my skin. Jojoba oil is cheap and easy to find in health food stores. We do know that jojoba oil has anti-inflammatory properties so it could be an ideal over the counter product.
A final warning
Please do be careful with products that you can get over the counter. Just because something is available without a prescription doesn’t mean it is even safe for rosacea skin. For example some OTC products might secretly (or quietly) contain steroids. As we now know, over the counter steroids can cause steroid induced rosacea.
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OK, so I have made my list, please give some more suggestions below in the comments.
8 comments ↓
I found a product on the internet that is all natural called combray that contains grape seed oil and only one other ingredient. I have been using this product for about two months along with monodox antibiotic at 75mg and it has helped my rosacea a great deal. My friends and family comment on the big positive difference… Just thought I would share this as it may help a fellow rosacea sufferer…
thanks for article how do you beat the flushes??
light pulse box
Great article. Have got some options to try!
Thank you!
I suffer from Rosacea for the last 15 years or so and in addition I have a very bad keloid from an old gall bladder operation, in my chest.
For the last 10 years or so I have been experimenting with oregano oil for both and I can see some promising results.
For rosacea (mainly in my face (around the nose) I use one drop of oregano oil which I place on my finger and then using a sterile glass rod (I use the tip of a small glass eyedropper which I keep in 99% alcohol) I pick up tiny amounts of the oil (from my finger) and press it lightly on the rosacea papules. It burns for a few seconds and I am especially careful to keep far from my eyes. After a few applications (and a few days) the treated papules disappear or become better. They may return sooner or later in the same or another location. Read more under keloid below.
My keloid probably has a cyst under the stitches and from time to time it erupts with ugly visual effects. I went to 10 plastic surgeons and each applied a different technique which only made my keloid worst. Then after reading a lot about oregano oil I started applying it directly on the skin in the stitched area, and massaging it very hard. Soon the inflammation disappears and I am back to normal. Unfortunately it comes back in a few months. I then started taking oregano oil also internally started from 1 drop under the tongue and progressed to 3, 1 to 2 times per day. If I use it on a daily basis both by keloid inflammation and my rosacea are getting much better. Oil of oregano is a strong nature antibiotic, so I am very much concerned about taking high doses and I end up not using it every day.
I am a male in my early 70s and I cannot recommend to anyone, the use of oregano oil without spending a significant amount of time on the net to explore all the pluses and minuses. I am using oil of oregano available from a Canadian company at: http://www.wildoiloforegano.com/ They have plenty of information, but please explore the Internet much deeper. Be very careful on the thymol content of the oil. It must be very low, or it could be dangerous. In any case if you try it, you are on your own and you must realize that you are experimenting. At my age I can afford to do that, judge your own case.
Hi, how are you? I am over 55 and I flush quite frequently and I try to keep out of warm places but that is not possible. I was wondering is there anything I could do to easy the face flushing.
Suffering bad from red face
I have doing my own investigation on Rosacea and Demodex, it makes a lot of sense. I have suffered for many years with not only the terrible look and redness,inflamation,hives,unable to socialize myself at times because did not want to be rejected or critized. I have found a few things that can help many of the millions of wonderful people out there. .. it work for me. I have stop to eat any of the multigrain breads, yolk, soy bean related products, spicy foods, acids foods like (tomatoes, no spaghetti sauces, vinager, salad dressings, licor, sodas, chocolates, almonds, peanuts of any kind, cottage cheese, etc, etc,etc. All my meals must be grown naturally, wash them good, steam your veggies like broccoli and carrots, I love my spinach and organic lettuce, must have avocados and boiled your eggs… I make sure to eat only the egg white, spread light mozarella cheese adding grilled chicken or a grilled white fish…no spices and light on the salt and barely, barely, barely natural garlic. Add certain vitamins like B6, B12, biuld up my Immune System. I continue to get results every day with my skin.
My skin is being wash with a Aveda Outer Peace Cleanser for oily skin and acne and rise always with cold water. I use the Aveda Pads to decloged pores, I use as close to 100% alcohol after I wash my face and rub with a piece of cotton all over face and neck. I finish with Metrogel cream or Rozex (metrodinazol). Exercising the tecniques for stress relive have made my life much happier. Until then…I will continue this regimen because I do not want to be called at the beauty shop “The beauty and the beast”. My skin is so smooth now. All the simptoms I had in the past are dimish and 85% of the “Beast” is gone. I will keep it up.
I do not want to suffer again.
Hi everyone,
I have just started taking 6 tums a day, and i have to say my skin looks better. After reading online about acidity, i wnt to whole foods and purchased strips to test urine -very acidic. after adjusting water to proper ph and two days of tums retested urine and it came back ideal.facial bumps have definately gone down but not flushing. may try baby asprin. also, i am on metrogel-better than metrolotion, and have had great success with pdl laser treatments but very $$.(400-500) also tried ipl laser cheaper (250) but not as effective. if i could afford it, i would get pdl done every 4 months. i have to say if you look really bad as i did before the 1st treatment-spring for it even if you have to go into debt as i did. I am sure a cure will be found soon so many people have this. Try the tums, cheap, good for you anyway and nothing to loose.
Oh, one more thing i almost forgot, bare minerals makeup of the hokey infomercial is a LIFESAVER!!
you can’t even see it and its a powder so men could get away with it and helps redness. i purchased it at sephora and my sister did at nordstroms.
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