Exfoliating and Rosacea: Tips and Products
Everything you need to know about rosacea and exfoliation
Whenever I mention exfoliation and rosacea, I always get comments from people who are horrified at the thought. We have been told that exfoliation and rosacea are two words that shouldn’t even be in the same room, let alone the same sentence. But I’m here to share some information, tips, and (if you’re a paid subscriber) there are some product recommendations that will help you, if you’re interested in dipping a toe in the exfoliation pool.
Here is my usual disclaimer: I’m not a dermatologist. I am, however, a person who has had rosacea for 20 years and has been educating others about it on the internet for 12 of those years. I regularly speak to experts to ensure my information and advice is up to date and backed by science. I share my personal recommendations here as a jumping off point so you can take this information away with you to research further and make decisions based on your skin, budget, and energy levels!
What is an exfoliator?
An exfoliator is something used to manually remove dead skin cells and unclog pores. There are many different kinds and ways to exfoliate the skin, which I will go into more detail on in this post.
What are the benefits of exfoliating the skin?
There are a couple of benefits of exfoliation. By removing those upper layers of dead skin, it speeds up the skin’s regeneration process which helps with uneven texture and tone and can improve the look of fine lines. This regeneration process does happen naturally over time, but it slows down as we age and can also be impacted by lots of lifestyle factors (diet, smoking, drinking, lack of sleep, stress, hydration etc.) A side effect of exfoliation is better make up application, as it doesn’t clump and cling to the dry skin.
Exfoliation can also help with congestion and breakouts, by removing the dead skin cells that can trap dirt and excess oil and block pores.
What are the different kinds of exfoliator?
Physical
As the name would suggest, these are products that you apply to the skin which physically remove the dead skin through manual friction. From that description, you can guess why they’re my least favourite exfoliation type for rosacea and sensitive skin!
Common types of physical exfoliants:
A scrub-like skincare product that contains solid particles (typically soft beads, nut shells, or grains like oats) which you massage into the skin
Flannels/washcloths used to remove cleansing products
Cleansing brushes used to apply and massage product into the skin
Chemical
The phrase ‘chemical exfoliator’ puts a lot of people off, because they either immediately picture Samantha from Sex And The City after her chemical peel, or they think of wellness grifters who have scared people with their ‘natural good, chemicals bad’ nonsense.
Let me allay some of your fears: chemical exfoliators simply refer to a method of removing the dead skin without physically scrubbing your skin. Chemical exfoliants are acid or enzyme ingredients that naturally break down the bonds between the dead skin and the surface of the skin so that they can be easily removed.
Chemical exfoliants come in many forms – toners, masks, cleansers - but there are some types chemical exfoliants that would be better suited to sensitive skin types, as detailed below.
Common types of chemical exfoliants:
AHA: Alpha Hydroxy acids are water-soluble and designed to work on the skin’s surface, targeting uneven texture, fine lines, pigmentation and sun damage.
How will you know if a product contains AHAs? Look out for glycolic acid and lactic acid in the ingredient list.
BHA: Beta Hydroxy acids are oil-soluble which means (unlike AHAs) they can get through the oil on the skin’s surface, which helps with unclogging pores and congestion. Recommended for oily/combination skin.
Keep your eyes peeled for salicylic acid in your ingredient list.
PHA: Poly Hydroxy acids have a larger molecule which means they penetrate the skin’s surface more slowly. This makes them well-suited for sensitive skin types as they still exfoliate the skin but are less likely to irritate the skin.
Ingredient lists will typically list PHAs as gluconolactone, lactobionic or galactose.
Fruit enzymes break down ketatin proteins in the upper layers of the skin, helping the dead skin to be removed. If you’ve ever eaten lots of pineapple and felt your tongue tingling, that demonstrates fruit enzymes in action! There’s more information HERE.
Look out for products that contain extracts of pineapple, papaya, pomegranate, or pumpkin.
Can I exfoliate if I have rosacea?
The real question is should I exfoliate if I have rosacea? And the answer - as with most things related to rosacea - is complicated.
First, you need to think about why you want to exfoliate your skin. Are you doing it just because you think you should? Does your skin seem dry? Does it look dull? Does it feel tight? I want you to really think about what issue you are hoping to ‘solve’ with adding an exfoliating step to your routine because you might not need it and – as we all know – rosacea thrives on simplicity.
The next question is, is your skin dry and dull because your skin barrier is compromised? I wrote a whole blog post about the skin barrier with some really useful tips and recommendations, which you can read HERE.
If your skin barrier is damaged, exfoliation is the last thing you want to add to your skincare routine. Trust me, I’ve been there. When my rosacea was out of control and my skin was covered in dry patches that would crack and bleed, I used to exfoliate with a famous fruity scrub twice a day to try to get rid of the dry patches… and I wondered why my face was so sore!
If you have analysed your skin and deduced that your skin barrier is intact, next you need to look at the current state of your rosacea. Are you currently experiencing an active flare up? Getting to know your skin is so important, as only you can know what is normal for you. If your skin is flaring up or feeling more irritated or temperamental than usual, you shouldn’t be introducing any new products, and especially not something like an exfoliator. Wait for your skin to calm down a little bit, and then proceed.
How to introduce an exfoliator to rosacea-prone skin:
Here are some of my tips for introducing an exfoliator to your routine. I know how exciting it can be to find a new product and it’s easy to get carried away, but slow and steady will always win the race when it comes to rosacea.
Patch test
As with any new product, you should patch test your exfoliator to make sure your skin can tolerate it. I usually start on my neck or my jawline, apply a small amount and wait at least a few hours, if not 24 hours. If my skin is okay with that, I then test it on a part of my face that is less affected by my rosacea (e.g. for me that’s my forehead). If that is okay, I will apply it to the rest of my face.
I typically choose a day to patch test when I’m not leaving the house or when I’m only seeing people I love and trust, just in case I do have any irritation.
Water down/buffer the product
If you’re using a toner-type product, you can wet the cotton pad before then applying the product to it. This will water down the exfoliator and reduce the likelihood of irritation. You can then build up your tolerance over time before removing the water step.
If you’re using a serum or mask product, you can try putting a moisturiser on beforehand to serve as a buffer for the exfoliation step. This will put a slight barrier between your skin and the product.
Both of these steps will, obviously, affect the product’s efficacy. It’s like drinking a black coffee vs. a latte: the former will be stronger. This means that there’s less chance for irritation, but also means the results will be reduced. You will therefore need to wait longer to see changes to your skin.
Start slow
Most exfoliator products will say something like ‘suitable for everyday use’. That instruction is not for us! That label is for the average person, people with typical skin that can handle stronger products, so please ignore it. Start with an exfoliator once a week or once a fortnight and – if your skin is okay with it – you can increase that over time if your skin needs it. Please refer back to the section above about when to exfoliate.
Choose where to apply it
Skincare should always be tweaked to work for you. The instructions may say to apply it all over your face but, again, those aren’t for us! I tend to get congestion on my T-zone (forehead, nose, and chin) and on my jawline (where I get hormonal spots). So I will often apply exfoliating products to those areas only, as there’s no point in potentially irritating the skin on my cheeks and temples (where my rosacea is focused) if I don’t need to.
Check for clashes in your routine
Check your skincare products to make sure they are suitable to be used alongside exfoliation. For example, azelaic acid (a commonly-prescribed product for rosacea) is a mild exfoliator so if you’re already using this every day, you likely don’t need an additional exfoliation step. It’s worth checking with your GP/Dermatologist if you’re not sure.
Before we get into the recommendations, if you would like to read my recent rosacea-related posts, you can find them all HERE.
Products I recommend for exfoliating with rosacea
PLEASE NOTE: I do not use all of these products at once! I own all of these products because this is my job and I like to trial as many products as I can to be able to best recommend them to you. I am sharing lots of different options below so you can choose the one that best fits your skin, routine, budget etc. If you’re still struggling, please comment on this post if you need further guidance and I’ll do my best to help.
TONER
For those of you not familiar with a toner-type product, you simply pump/squirt this product onto a (resusable!) cotton pad and wipe it over your skin. It fits into your routine after cleansing and before serums and/or moisturisers.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Medik8 Press & Glow. I’ve been raving about this product for about 4 years and always have a bottle on my shelf.
The Inkey List PHA Toner is also a good, affordable option.
TIP: As I recommended earlier, you can wet the cotton pad with water before pumping the product on to water down the product. I also focus my application on the areas that need it most: I start by wiping the cotton pad over my nose, chin, and jawline. Then I use whatever is left to lightly go over the rest of my face, but remember that you don’t need to do the second step if you don’t want or need to!
SERUM
Serums can do pretty much anything these days, so you can be picky and choose one that best targets the skin issues with which you need help: redness, pigmentation, dryness, fine lines, dullness… there’s something for everyone. Serums are designed to be lightweight, to sink in easily, and they go between cleanser and moisturiser/SPF in your routine.
RECOMMENDATION: Mortar & Milk PHA Serum. You’ve probably heard me talk about this product many times before. I use it 2-3 times a week (I built up to this, don’t start here!), shaking a few drops into the palm of my hand and smoothing over my face.
TIP: Don’t be put off by the price tag, this product comes in a whopping 100ml bottle (industry standard for serums is either 30ml or 50ml). This is done purposefully to be more sustainable and to save you money over time. As you only need a few drops per application, I predict a bottle will you last a whole year.
CLEANSER
If you are nervous about exfoliators, then an exfoliating cleanser could be a good place to start. The product isn’t staying on your skin for as long as a serum or a mask, so the results (and risk of irritation) are lessened. Understandably, many people typically only have one cleanser on the go at once so it may seem odd to have an ‘occasional cleanser’ in your cupboard but I think it’s a great addition.
RECOMMENDATION: I have two recommendations in this category
Sculpted By Aimee Clarifying Cleanser – This contains two separate cleansers in one product: a gel cleanser on one side that can be used all over your face as your first cleanse, and a second cleanse of an AHA/BHA combination cream cleanser.
Aveeno Calm + Restore Nourishing PHA Facial Exfoliator – This is a cream product that I use like any other cleanser (but avoid the eye area). I would use this like a second cleanse step (e.g. use my regular cleanser to remove make up etc, then use this as a follow up).
TIP: Apply the exfoliating cleanser only to the areas of your face you get congestion, then just before you wash it off - if you want to! - you can lightly rub it all over your face before rinsing. This way you get the bulk of the exfoliation action only in the areas you want to target.
MASK
Masks are a fantastic way of exfoliating if you have sensitive skin, because you can control how long the product is left on the skin, where you apply it, and how much you use. Simply apply a layer of product wherever you need it, leave it to work its magic (set an alarm on your phone if you need to, so you don’t forget) and then remove with a damp resuable cotton pad or just plain water.
RECOMMENDATION: I have two recommendations. Both are great and leave my skin feeling and looking smooth and glowy, without irritation.
REN PHA Exfoliating Facial is great but it does have small particles in it (it actually combines physical, enzyme, and chemical exfoliation in one product) so just be gentle when applying and removing so that you don’t rub them across the skin.
Link to buy: Sephora.
Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel. No particles in this one, it’s a cream product that you apply and then rinse off.
TIP: The ‘partial application’ tip I shared earlier is a good one to remember here, as is the buffer tip: apply moisturiser under your mask to work as a buffer between the product and your skin. The latter is great if your skin is very sensitive or if you’re worried about a reaction or rosacea flare up.
Do you exfoliate your skin? Do you have any tips or product recommendations? Please share them in the comments so we can all learn together. And if you have any questions or need more recommendations, please let me know and I’ll do my best to help!
This is really helpful- when in your skin care routine is best to exfoliate? Is it better as the first step or after you cleanse?!
Thank you , a great helpful article as exfoliators scare me . I have used the enzyme powder exfoliator from alpha H and found it gentle enough . I wondered if anyone used dermalogica micro daily exfoliant ? Thanks