Rosacea, Redness and Flushing consultations with a Dermatologist
At Midland Skin we offer Rosacea, Redness and Flushing consultations with a Dermatologist for patients in Birmingham, Solihull, Coventry, Wolverhampton, Worcester and the Midlands.
Rosacea, Redness and Flushing
If you suffer from rosacea, you’ll know the symptoms only too well. Characterised by redness, flushing or acne-like bumps across the face, this chronic inflammatory skin condition tends to be more common after the age of 30.
Rosacea is pronounced, “RO-ZAY-SHA”.
Quick facts about Rosacea, Redness and Flushing [TO UPDATE]
- You need three 45 minute treatments – one every 3 to 4 weeks
- The results get better with time and at one year there is an average reduction in inflammatory spots of 97% according to clinical studies
- There are no harmful side effects
- The treatment is safe in all skin tones and all year round
- You do not need to take long-term tablets or creams
- There can be short-lived purges which can be managed with medications
What are the symptoms of rosacea?
Symptoms vary from mild to severe and may include:
- Redness across the cheeks, nose and chin.
- Flushing on the face.
- Swollen, red bumps or pimples.
- Visible blood vessels.
- A burning or stinging sensation on the skin.
- Permanently sensitive skin
- Dry, rough patches and dehydrated skin
- And dry, itchy or watery eyes.
- Thickening of skin with prominent pores, especially on the nose where it is known as rhinophyma
Scarlett Greenwood
Why is rosacea important?
Studies have shown that rosacea can lead to impaired quality of life. There can be feelings of embarrassment, anxiety, depression, and social avoidance because of rosacea.
Fortunately, there is hope, as several treatments are effective at controlling the symptoms of rosacea. These treatments can improve social and emotional well-being.
Midland Skin is one of the few centres to offer a range of specialist rosacea treatments to help sufferers control this condition, with treatment regimes and laser treatments available.
What are the causes of rosacea?
Rosacea is a common skin condition that can affect all ages and ethnicities. About 5 to 10% of the population have rosacea symptoms. It’s true to say that the exact cause of rosacea is unknown, but several factors are believed to contribute:
- Genetics. Research suggests that genetics can play a part. Studies show that those with a family history of rosacea are more likely to develop it.
- Being fair-skinned, though rosacea occurs in all racial skin types
- Having too much exposure in your lifetime to sunlight or sunbeds
- Sensitivity to Demodex folliculorum mites. These tiny parasites live in the hair follicles of the face, and while we all have them (yes, really!), some people may have a higher number, triggering the immune response that leads to rosacea symptoms.
Triggers
There are also several triggers that can exacerbate symptoms too, including:
- Sun exposure – this is amongst the most common triggers for a flare. Rosacea can flare within minutes or hours of sun exposure.
- Weather – cold, windy temperatures as well as humidity.
- Emotional stress – you may experience symptoms if you are feeling anxious or stressed.
- Exercise – sweat and heat can increase rosacea.
- Food and drink – specifically spicy foods, alcohol and caffeine.
- Heat – a number of people react to heat either in the environment or hot food and drinks
- Cold – some people react to cold environments and cold beverages
- Niacin – some people may react to niacin in natural foods such as turkey, chicken, and peanuts.
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What are the symptoms of rosacea?
There are five main symptoms of rosacea. Some rosacea sufferers only have one type of symptom, whereas others can have all the symptoms.
The main symptoms of rosacea are:
- Inflammation and pustules. Rosacea causes red bumps and pustules that look like acne spots. Pustules are red bumps with fluid. These spots occur on the forehead, cheeks, nose and chin. This form of rosacea is often called ‘inflammatory rosacea’. Acne creams don’t usually work for rosacea and, moreover, may make the skin even more dehydrated and sensitive.
- Nodules. In some instances, the inflammation is quite deep and large and can look similar to acne.
- Redness, flushing and thread veins. Rosacea can cause redness on the forehead, cheeks, nose and chin. Some people may be a light shade of pink, while others can get progressively redder. Rosacea can also cause flushing. Flushing is when the face suddenly becomes hot, sensitive, and bright red. This can be a very difficult symptom to live with. Thread veins on the face are also a part of this type of rosacea. This type of rosacea is often called ‘erythemato-telangiectatic’ rosacea.
- Sensitive and sore skin. A lot of rosacea sufferers complain of sensitive and painful skin. They often find it difficult to use many skin care products. There can be swelling on the cheeks and chin as well.
- Rhinophyma. Rhinophyma is when the soft tissues of the nose thicken up. There are also prominent pores and sebaceous secretions.
How can you reduce rosacea symptoms?
The following measures are likely to help reduce rosacea symptoms:
Avoiding triggers like alcohol, caffeine and spicy foods if you can identify these.
Having a simple skincare regime. It’s better to use hydrating products and cut out too many actives, especially alpha and beta acids, toners, harsh cleansers, peels, pads, and exfoliants. Remember, skin care products like this can irritate and aggravate rosacea. Overdoing it can damage the skin barrier.You can read more about skincare tips for rosacea and find out product recommendations here.
Avoiding the sun. Sun damage is thought to make rosacea worse, so avoiding the sun can help control rosacea. Wear a hat, a factor 50 sunscreen and stay in the shade when it is sunny.
Skin conditions that may look like rosacea
Many skin conditions can look like rosacea, such as acne, seborrhoeic dermatitis, sun damage, sensitive skin, perioral dermatitis, lupus (SLE) and allergies. A dermatologist can help you understand your diagnosis.
You can read more about the different causes of redness on the face.
Scarlett Greenwood
Acne and rosacea
Acne deserves a special mention as it can look a lot like rosacea because both conditions cause red spots, inflammation and pustules. A Dermatologist identifies if you have acne or rosacea or both from your history and physical assessment. One of the biggest differences is that acne causes comedones, whereas rosacea does not cause comedones. Also, acne is much more likely to scar and does not generally cause flushing redness. Both acne and rosacea can cause itchiness and sensitive skin. Acne is more likely to be hormonal.
Several people may have both acne and rosacea at the same time. This is important to recognise as some treatments for acne may aggravate the treatments for rosacea.
Our expert dermatologists can help identify and manage these conditions.
Rosacea and Menopause
Rosacea appears to be most commonly diagnosed in women aged 35-50y. This is the same age as perimenopause and menopause, and it may be a coincidence that both occur in women at the same time of life.
Both conditions can cause flushing and sensitive, dry skin, and there can sometimes be confusion as to which is the prominent cause of symptoms.
It is likely the case that the symptoms of one aggravate the symptoms of the other; for example, if sensitive, dry skin from menopause is not treated, then the threshold to sensitivity that aggravates rosacea is likely to be much lower. Both conditions, therefore, need their own independent treatment to run concurrently; addressing menopause and perimenopause symptoms with hormone replacement therapy does not eliminate all rosacea symptoms, and vice versa.
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Ready to get started? Book a consultation with our team at Midland Skin. Friendly, expert advice tailored to you.
Laser treatment for rosacea
Laser treatments are a popular choice when it comes to managing rosacea, and technology has come on leaps and bounds in recent years to deliver some very impressive results. They can effectively reduce the redness and visible blood vessels associated with this condition. They also reduce inflammation and spots and can reduce symptoms of burning and sensitivity.
We have the latest and most advanced lasers and intense pulse light for redness, flushing and rosacea at Midland Skin.
Here are some reasons why you might consider this path:
- Non-invasive: Laser treatments do not require any surgical incisions or other invasive procedures.
- Precision: We are able to target specific areas of your face.
- Minimal downtime: For non-ablative treatment, there is no recovery time after treatments. Ablative procedures may take up to two weeks for the skin to heal.
- Reduces the need for medications: By managing the skin with light and laser, the requirement for oral or topical medications can go down.
Lasers and intense pulse light (BBL is the most advanced type of intense pulse light) target the blood vessels in the skin and shut these down. 5 treatments are required, usually every month. 80% of those with redness see a benefit.
As blood vessels can be at various depths in the skin and of various sizes, the optimum treatment may include multiple devices and wavelengths – a unique offering at Midland Skin.
Laser and BBL treatment can help reduce both redness and flushing. Maintenance treatments can be done every 6 to 12 months thereafter.
The Excel V+ Laser for Rosacea
This state-of-the-art technology provides safe and effective treatments for a number of skin issues, including rosacea. It uses two different laser wavelengths, one designed for deep tissue and the other for more superficial tissue. This combination allows us to precisely targets the blood vessels that cause the redness and flushing, leading to a reduction in symptoms.
Sciton Broadband Light (BBL) for Rosacea
Sciton BBL is another excellent technology for laser. Using concentrated high-energy flashes of light, Broadband light treatment captures redness, and brown spots and provides anti ageing benefits too. Midland Skin expertly use this for rosacea while improving signs of ageing.
Photomodulation with laser
At Midland Skin, we offer the latest and best laser technologies. Together, the Excel V+, BBL Laser, and Laser Genesis for are given for rosacea. A bespoke layered regime, dispensed by a specialist dermatologist, allows harnesses photo-biomodulation (light therapy) to tackle background redness, flushing and thread veins as well as control of inflammation and sensitivity.
Additional treatments for flushing
Other treatments we offer for flushing include:
- Prescription advice on oral medications such as beta-blockers, or creams such as Brimonidine
- Transdermal Botox / botulinum toxin for rosacea. This can be a highly successful treatment with very few side effects. Botox is applied on the skin after many thousand tiny holes are made with a fractional laser or thermomechanical device such as Tixel. This helps the botox penetrate the skin. Alternatively, botulinum toxin can be carefully injected into the skin. This treatment reduces the nerves communicating with the skin vessels and can be effective for redness and flushing for 3 to 6 months in some people. This is also safe for all skin types and ethnicities.
Scarlett Greenwood
Thread veins
Our highly effective lasers can treat thread veins successfully.
Rhinophyma
Rhinophyma can develop after years of nodules or develop gradually with no apparent inflammation. If there is nodular inflammation, then we believe in treating this aggressively to reduce the risk of rhinophyma from forming in the first place. Once rhinophyma is established, it can be reduced and contoured with laser resurfacing.
Ocular rosacea
Rosacea can sometimes affect the eyelids, the eyelashes and the surface of the eye. If this happens, we will be able to refer you to an eye specialist for ocular treatment. Sometimes the oral treatments for rosacea that we provide will also control eye rosacea.
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References used for this article
Further information on dermatitis can be found here:
About the Author
This page has been written and/or medically reviewed by Dr Sajjad Rajpar, Consultant Dermatologist and Medical Director of Midland Skin, Birmingham.
Dr Rajpar is on the GMC Specialist Register in Dermatology and has over 20 years’ experience in clinical dermatology. He provides clinical oversight to ensure the information on this page is accurate, balanced and consistent with current dermatology practice.
Dr Sajjad Rajpar
Date last updated: 9th Mar 2026
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