Rosacea awareness month is here

The National Rosacea Society (NRS) has designated April as Rosacea Awareness Month. That’s right, a whole month of educating other lovely humans on the significance and prevalence of this common illness. The month of April is a great time to educate your peers on why people suffer from rosacea, what triggers it, and how you can support your loved ones.

While the inner community knows all too well what rosacea is (a common, incurable medical condition), how it can be treated and what the facts are, the truth is that not everyone knows these things. And why would they? Unless you’re a doctor or a medical professional the chances are that you don’t know the ins and outs of every medical condition under the sun!

Why do we have rosacea awareness month? 

We hope to spread accurate information and educate people. By creating more noise around the topic, those with undiagnosed rosacea might seek treatment. Additionally, it might help the general public approach people with rosacea more compassionately and understandably. In addition, we want to debunk some myths and misconceptions about the condition. 

There are lots of ways you can get involved this April and spread awareness. Firstly, the best thing you can do is brush up on the facts. If you’re going to be getting the word out there, you want to make sure it’s right! If you have rosacea yourself, why not share your story? It will bring comfort to some and recognition to others. Join in on the conversation online, using the hashtag #RosaceaAwareness. If you search this tag on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc. You’ll find a whole bunch of other people sharing their stories and supporting the cause. 

4 Common Rosacea Myths

People have different ideas about what rosacea is. Many people don't know the facts about it or don't care enough to educate themselves. Rosacea is one of those conditions that there is some ignorance about. If you suffer from rosacea yourself, you’ve probably been hit with some unsolicited advice at least once in your life. I’ve been there and it can be upsetting. People who have no idea what you’re dealing with through telling you to change your cleansing technique or drink less for example. This is your chance to become a myth buster! Rosacea

1: Rosacea is a form of acne

This is probably the biggest misconception there is. That rosacea (or at least subtype 2) is the same thing as adult acne. This is absolutely not true. There are similarities and at a glance you might not be able to see the difference.

The bumps and pimples associated with rosacea are not related to acne at all. The causes and treatments of both conditions are totally different. The fact that type 2 rosacea is commonly known as “acne rosacea” further fuels this myth and is something to be aware of. 

2: Alcohol causes rosacea

3: Caffeine / coffee triggers rosacea

It is commonly thought that caffeine as an ingredient is a big trigger for rosacea. While everyone’s triggers are highly individual, caffeine itself isn’t a common one. The reason people think this is due to getting flare-ups after drinking coffee. In actual fact, this comes down to the heat of the beverage rather than the caffeine.

Any hot drink can be triggering for rosacea. If you like coffee but don’t want to flare up, try reaching for a cold brew or an iced coffee next time and see how you get on!

4: Rosacea is a result of poor hygiene

Rosacea is challenging, but you’re never alone

This is something we say all the time and maybe you’re sick of hearing it by now. But it’s a fact worth highlighting and reiterating for the month that’s in it. You’re very far from alone if you’re struggling. A study in 2018 estimated that as many as 415 million people suffer from rosacea globally. The curse of the celts as some call it stems from northern Europe and is common across Ireland, the UK, the US and the Nordics.

It affects both men and women and can come on at any age. It’s most prevalent though in middle aged women. It can also affect those with darker skin tones but can be more difficult to notice and diagnose.

If you take a look at some of our customer stories you’ll see that there’s quite a diverse group of contributors in terms of age and gender. 

Our Finca Story

I’ve suffered from rosacea since my early 20s. My confidence was hit hard and I didn’t know what was going on at the time. After I finally got my diagnosis I spent years trying every cream and serum I could get my hands on. I just wanted something that didn't make my rosacea worse. Time and time again I was confronted with the same thing: a product with a long list of ingredients that I couldn’t understand.

After years of research, I discovered that a lot of these ingredients were unnecessary fillers and chemicals that can irritate and heighten the sensitivity of your skin. I realised that if I was going to help my skin it would be by using a simple formula with minimal, plant-based ingredients. This is how Finca Skin Organics came to be. I knew I needed something different than what I was finding. And it seemed that if I wanted that, I’d have to make it myself.

I learned that there are two main types of rosacea skin and they are very different. Subtype 1 rosacea is characterised by dry and dehydrated skin whereas subtype 2 rosacea is an underlying oily skin condition. This led to the conclusion that an effective skincare routine needs to be matched to the specific subtype and not generalised.

When I created the first Finca Skin Organics product (now known as Calming Serum 1), I aimed to keep the list of ingredients very short. I learned that plant-based ingredients are the best skin care for sensitive faces, combined with gentle preservatives. That was really me finding a solution to my own problem and putting it out there when I realised there were others out there with the same struggles. This put me on the path of creating our plant-based, minimal ingredient range which now also includes our best selling Calming Serum 2, our Tinted SPF, our Moisturizing Balm and our Anti-Redness Primer.

I’m not a dermatologist or a medical doctor - I’m an engineer who found passion in skin care and plant formulations. I want to help others as best I can by sharing my experience and by allowing others to tell theirs.

The entire Finca Skin Organics range has been specifically formulated for sensitive skin including rosacea. After using our products, 87% felt the appearance of their skin improved significantly after using our products and 100% said their skin felt more comfortable*. We only use minimal, plant-based ingredients to avoid any further irritation to your skin. 

View the range of Finca skin organics products here or find out what rosacea subtype your skin is.
If you have any queries regarding your rosacea or how to use our products get in contact with us, we'd love to hear from you.

With love from Ireland,

Finola

*Clinical evaluation by Harley St. dermatologists on 23 subjects after 8 weeks of use.