April is rosacea awareness month

Although the latest 2010 research from the National Rosacea Society suggest that rosacea affects nearly 16 million Americans, a large majority of those affected have no knowledge of the condition or how to treat it. As rosacea awareness month, April is a great time to take that extra time to educate your patients about this chronic condition.

Some important facts about rosacea:

• it is seen more in women aged 30-50, although it typically affect men more destructively.
• people with rosacea tend to get red more easily and remain red longer when exercising, in heat or under stress.
• dry skin and barrier dysfunction are common, and if not addressed in conjunction with the redness the symptoms will usually worsen.
• rosacea will continue to worsen if left untreated.

Common triggers for rosacea:

• drinking alcoholic beverages

• using alcohol-based products topically

• eating spicy foods

• drinking hot beverages such as coffee and tea

• leading a stressful lifestyle

• saunas, steam rooms and hot tubs

• exercise

• extremes in temperature

• aggressive mechanical exfoliation of the skin (e.g. loofahs, nut-based scrubs)

Currently, rosacea cannot be cured. It is usally best controlled using a combination of prescriptions, cosmeceuticals and lifestyle considerations. Two PCA SKIN products that are highly effective in the treatment of rosacea are Anti-Redness Serum and Hydrating Serum. These products work to reduce the microcapillary dilation and leaking as well as provide intercellular moisture and improved barrier function.

Feel free to contact us or visit pcaskin.com for more information about rosacea, and the products and treatments available for its treatment.

 

the four faces of rosacea

Understanding rosacea is a continuous process.  Only within the last several years has rosacea been classified into four subtypes, and research brings us more information all the time. Only a physician can make a diagnosis, but it is important for the skin care clinician to be able to recognize these various presentations in order to educate the patient and make an appropriate recommendation to a physician. 

Rosacea cannot be cured only controlled, so it is important for the rosacea patient to understand what triggers this condition.  Heat, spicy foods, hot showers or hot tubs, certain types of cosmetics or extremes in temperature are some of the triggers that should be avoided.

Subtype one – erythematotelangiectatic rosacea is characterized by persistent redness within the central portion of the face, with possible telangiectasias (visible capillaries). The patient will become red or flushed easier and stay red longer.

Subtype 2 – papulopustular rosacea is characterized by persistent redness in the same area, including lesions that resemble papules and pustules.  This subtype is commonly referred to as acne rosacea because of its presentation, but absolutely cannot be treated in the same manner as acne.  One way to differentiate this presentation from acne is that the lesions will appear only within the inflamed area.  Blackheads and cysts will not typically be present.

Subtype three – phymatous rosacea is characterized by a thickening of the skin, most commonly seen on the nose (rhinophyma) but can affect other areas of the face such as the glabella and chin. This type of rosacea presents mostly in men and can be treated surgically.

Subtype four – ocular rosacea affects the eye area, and includes symptoms such as eye irritation, conjunctivitis (pink eye), blepharitis (inflammation of the eyelids), frequent styes, itching, burning and stinging of the eyes.  This type of rosacea is often misdiagnosed, and if left untreated, can lead to blindness.

Patients can have subtype one and subtype four rosacea, or subtype two and three.  This condition doesn’t necessarily progress from one subtype to the next.

Many people have rosacea and don’t even know it.  For more information, go to www.rosacea.org.

ingredients for resolving redness

Facial redness is a common skin concern. Some redness can be due to the use of aggressive topical agents, fragrances and dyes, while other redness is indicative of a sensitive skin condition like rosacea, impaired barrier function or atopic dermatitis. Regardless of the cause of redness, there are ingredients that will help to get this frustrating condition under control. Some ingredients that reduce the appearance of redness are anti-inflammatory and effect the function of microcapillaries. Others work by interrupting the inflammatory process.

VEGF stimulates the growth of new blood vessels and promotes hyperpermeability (capillary leakiness).

PGE2 are prostaglandins that work to dilate blood vessels.

Cytokines are immune-activated cells involved in the amplification of an inflammatory reaction.

Redness-reducing ingredients:

Ascophyllum nodosum (brown algae) and asparagopsis armata (red algae) extracts reduce VEGF and PGE2 expression.

Capparis spinosa (caper bud) fruit extract inhibits the production of proinflammatory cytokines.

Hydrocortisone is used to relieve the itching, redness, dryness, crusting, scaling, inflammation and discomfort of various skin conditions.

Aloe vera extracts are rich in choline salicylate that offers anti-inflammatory benefits.

Panthenol (pro-vitamin B-5) reduces inflammation while increasing the moisture-retention capacity of the skin.

Oenothera biennis (evening primrose) seed oil is an excellent source of omega-3 gamma linolenic acid (GLA) and provides anti-redness and anti-inflammatory capabilities.

Bisabolol is the anti-inflammatory component of chamomile.

Other beneficial anti-inflammatory extracts: grape seed oil, evening primrose seed oil, borage seed oil, wheat germ oil and black currant seed oil.

These redness-fighting components and other beneficial ingredients can be found in Anti-Redness Serum, ReBalance, and other PCA SKIN products. Resolve your redness.

life is a bowl of cherries.

The importance of berries in our diets has been top of mind in recent years.  As we know, the benefits of something internally is not always the same when applied topically.  Cherries are a great example of a berry that is excellent from a dietary perspective and also has amazing topical benefits.   At PCA SKIN, we use two different types of cherries: Prunus Avium (Sweet Cherry) Extract and Prunus Serotina (Wild Cherry) Bark Extract.  Both are excellent sources of anthocyanidin and proanthocyanidin flavonoids. These are natural antioxidant compounds that disarm free radicals that can damage healthy cells.  They are powerful anti-inflammatory ingredients and also contribute to the integrity of capillaries and collagen structures.

They both can be found in Clarifying Mask, providing excellent antioxidant benefits and artfully balancing the potential heat of straight salicylic acid.  This combination makes Clarifying Mask a great choice for treating breakout-prone skin and acne, as well as papulopustular rosacea (subtype 2).  Avoiding treatments that create excessive heat is important for patients with rosacea, yet salicylic acid has the ability to penetrate into block follicles to clear breakouts.  So, combining this effective beta hydroxy acid with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant cherry extracts creates the perfect option for rosacea patients. Note that Clarifying Mask is removed after only two to three minutes when treating rosacea as opposed to ten minutes when treating more resilient acne patients.  Clarifying Mask is also a good choice for patients who do not want to see visible exfoliation post-treatment.

Let your patients’ skin enjoy the benefits of berries.

licorice for skin health

Licorice is not only a delicious sweet treat it is also a multi-faceted and hard working skin care ingredient.  Here at PCA SKIN®, we formulate our products using ingredients that offer multiple skin health benefits.  Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract is just such an ingredient. It contains components that work to fight inflammation, bacteria and the deposit of unwanted pigment.  Some important components are:

Glycyrrhetinic acid

The molecular structure of glycyrrhetinic acid is similar to that of cortisone. This might be the basis for licorice’s anti-inflammatory action.

 Licochalcone

Licochalcone provides powerful antibacterial action.  It is a great choice for treating acne and rosacea. Lichochalcone also reduces sebum production, inhibits 5 alpha-reductase and fights lipase, the enzyme produced by the acne bacteria that causes local irritation.

 Glabridin

Licorice’s work as a melanogenesis inhibitor (by inhibiting tyrosinase activity) is due to its glabridin content.  This ingredient also provides anti-inflammatory benefits, which is critical to preventing unwanted pigment production.

Find Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, with all of its many benefits, in the following PCA SKIN daily care products:

• A&C synergy serum
• eyeXcellence
• perfecting face & body hydrator SPF 30
• acne gel.