Keeping Rosacea prone skin cooler in the summer heat: 20 Tips
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INTRO
Hello my friends! I hope you are doing well and enjoying your start to summer!
I decided to create this episode based on some wild weather we're having in Seattle right now, where the meteorologists are predicting it may get up to 109 degrees over the next few days, and that, for us in this area, is absolutely INSANE!
There are only a couple of times the temperature here has hit as high as 104 degrees, at that has been since the early 1800's when they first started recording temperatures. Crazy!
So we have extra air conditioning units in and we're trying to stay ahead of this record breaking heat. I, of course, always think of the scary stuff, like what if our a/c units stop working, or what if there is a major power outage from everyone running their a/c's non-stop...109 degrees sounds like living in an oven, so it's a little scary, but hopefully we'll get through it just fine.
And by the way, I hope the roar of our air conditioner won't be too loud as I record this, so I apologize if it's bothersome.
Now let's get on to our topic!
I decided to focus on:
Helpful tips to Minimize Rosacea Flares in the Summer Heat
...because that's what's happening to us right now.
We know that the objective for Rosacea during the summer is to try to stay cool so your face doesn't get too hot and flush.
It's all about avoiding extremes.
In order to prevent getting too hot and flushing, I have lots of things I do to help maintain my body temperature so I don't overheat and I keep my Rosacea at bay, and thought it might be helpful to share these tips with you.
I came up with:
20 Things you can do to protect your Rosacea prone skin from the heat this summer
I broke these things down into 4 categories, although some of them kind of overlap.
THINGS THAT SHADE
Shade in the summertime is your friend. Baking in the direct sun is not. Even if you're on a boat with the wind whipping through your hair, the sun can still be beating down on you (not to mention the possibility of getting hot wind burn - which nobody wants!)
1. Seek outdoor shade or stay indoors (if it's cool enough)
2. Wear a wide brimmed hat that can protect your face and neck
3. Sit under umbrellas at the beach, outdoor restaurants, etc. to avoid direct sun
4. Wear sunglasses - the skin around your eyes and your eyes themselves, need to be protected and shaded from the sun
Easy enough.
Now lets jump to the next category...
THINGS THAT HYDRATE
(keep in mind we're also looking for things that can help to bring your body temperature down)
5. Drinking cold water...and better yet?
6. Drinking ice water...now if you don't have water but you do have ice?
7. Sucking on ice
All of these things can help reduce your body temperature in case you have gotten overheated or flushed, these things can help to bring your body temperature back down and to help reduce that redness and flushing
Tip number 8 applies to your eyes:
8. Use eye drops for dry eyes and ocular rosacea. Staying hydrated is said to help with dry eyes, but I always carry extra eye drops to keep my eyes hydrated (especially since I wear contacts)
Next category-
THINGS THAT COOL
(this kind of overlaps with hydrating)
9. Apply a cold compress - basically it's using a soft, wet, cold washcloth to cool your face and neck. It can be so refreshing when it's hot and helps to cool you down. I recommend our Fairface Washcloths in either the Dual style, with a soft flannel front and absorbent terry cloth back or the Delicate style, with double-sided soft flannel.
I have often shared this story, about one of our customers from Texas who was throwing an outdoor dinner party. She ordered like 100 of our washcloths and was going to keep them in a tub of lavender ice water, as a soothing way for her guests to cool down. It was such a kind gesture and very well received by her guests.
10. Apply ice packs to your body (not your face). I say ice packs with a disclaimer and warning to use ice packs with caution. Don't put ice directly on your face or even your body skin, as it can actually burn or damage it.
Even if you have a cloth between your skin and the ice pack, that is appropriate for your body skin, do not put an ice pack on your face. The cold is too intense and can make your Rosacea worse.
Instead, apply the ice packs with a protective cloth on the cooling spots of your body, also known as pulse points. Those areas are under your arms, the insides of your wrists, your neck and your temples. From what I understand, placing an ice pack in one of those areas helps to cool the blood that is circulating and is closest to the surface there, so that it helps to cool your whole body down faster.
I bring pre-frozen gel packs to the beach and any time I'm feeling a little too warm, I apply them with a light-weight cloth to my pulse points and it really does help to cool my body down. Usually I put them on the back of my neck or on the insides of my wrists and it does the trick, so add that to your beach bag.
11. Use air conditioners when possible - this is an obvious way to keep your temperature down. I love air conditioners. If there is a place you can go to get out of the heat, and help to bring your body temperature down, always choose to do that.
12. Use fans - fans can help circulate the air and cool you down if you're sweating, though they don't always get you cool enough, but they're better than nothing when you don't have a/c. You can even bring a portable battery operated fan with you on the go. I've done that before and brought one to the beach, so that's an option as well if you just need to get cooled off and you don't have a breeze and you don't have air conditioning.
13. Wear loose fitting clothes that air can breath through more easily. Layers are great because you can go from a/c with a light weight sweater, where it might be a little chilly, back to outside and take that light weight sweater off
14. Take cool showers that can cool your body temperature down. I'd advise not to go freezing cold, that can aggravate your facial skin. Again, Rosacea is all about staying away from extremes.
15. Refrigerate things that touch your face: so you can put your face wash, moisturizer, spf, even your pillow case in the fridge! It's very cooling and very soothing.
And at night, it's an amazing feeling to lay my face down in a cold pillow case that's been in a zip lock bag in the fridge. Of course it will eventually lose it's refrigerated level of cold, but our new silk-cotton pillow case fabric helps keep your face cooler through the night as you lay on it, which is great for Rosacea, and keeps my hair smoother.
We actually have a podcast episode, 19: Pillow Talk for Rosacea and Sensitive Skin, where we talk about all the benefits you can get from sleeping on a silk-cotton pillow case, so listen to that episode or read it on our blog, FairfaceWashcloths.blogspot.com if you're interested in finding out more about that.
now on to the final category, for helping rosacea skin stay cooler in the heat this summer,
PREVENTION
16. Wear sunscreen religiously (this is a given any time of the year, but when the sun is at its peak, it's even more important).
17. Exercise inside where it's cooler, or opt for the early morning hours before it gets too hot
18. Stay away from hot showers, sauna's or hot tubs, anything that steams
19. Sleep on Fairface Silk-cotton Pillow Cases to keep your face cooler during the night
The final tip, #20 to help you keep your rosacea prone skin cooler and minimize those unwanted flares, is to
20. Keep a grab bag in your car for unexpected events that has all your necessities: extra spf, hat, water, battery operated fan, extra light weight clothing, whatever you think you would need if you were unexpectedly invited over to an outdoor dinner party, baseball game, beach gathering, etc. This has happened to me before and instead of having to opt out, I have the extras I need to keep my skin protected and still be able to participate, "on the go".
We also have a blog post on what to bring to the beach if you have Rosacea that I will link in the show notes: in case that can help you with summer planning or your go bag
http://rosaceawashcloths.blogspot.com/2019/06/what-to-bring-to-beach-if-you-have.html
Whew! That was a lot of tips. I hope it wasn't too overwhelming. Once I get started, I can't stop and want to share everything I've learned that has helped me with my Rosacea so that it can help you too.
If I've forgotten something, please reach out and let me know and I can add it to the show notes. I'd also love to hear anything that has helped you with your rosacea during the hotter, summer months.
You can reach out to me on social media - @FairfaceWashcloths on both IG and Facebook - I'd always love to hear from you
So I hope you are enjoying your summer! Hopefully those of us in Seattle will bear the heat wave well! I hope that you can stay cool and are able to use these tips to help your skin, and I will see you next time!
Help for Ocular Rosacea
If you also have ocular rosacea, you may benefit from our Eye Care Guide: Soothing Tips for Ocular Rosacea Eye Care Guide for Dry, Sensitive Eyes.
Click to learn more.
The Fairface Podcast is brought to you by Shannon Sorensen, the founder and CEO of Fairface Washcloths for sensitive skin. Check back for new episodes every month, on topics around sensitive skin, rosacea, wellness and even a little around small business. Thanks so much for being here!
