What cream would help with redness?

Dr. Irwin
December 8, 2015
What would be a good cream to help with redness from rosacea? I don't have any popsules or bumps from rosacea, just the redness. I do have acne prone skin in the tzone(blackheads, whiteheads). I just want something to help with the redness which is on my cheeks, forehead, and chin. I was looking and saw metrogel, metrocream, and finacea. I'm 33, female,combination skin, fair complexion, and live in the south. I use Vanicream gentle cleanser to remove makeup at night and Cerave skin renewing night cream to moisturize(not the one with salicylic acid). Any guidance would be really appreciated.

Okay ….so two things on this issue.    In general, it’s important to see a doctor for rosacea and get a medication prescribed like the Metrocream or gel or one of the others.   Why?   Because even though these prescription topicals won’t take away the redness you have now….they will help prevent it from progressing over the next 20-30 years that you will have your rosacea!  And, save you money on laser treatments.

Secondly, there is NO cream, gel etc. that will take away this type of redness and flushing reliably – no matter what the companies say!    The vast majority of people will need treatments – usually 3-5 – with a gentle laser  like the IPL (photorejuvenation but must be done by a  good clinic) or a pulsed dye laser like the VBeam.   These lasers don’t break the skin at all but will get rid of the extra blood vessels.   Yearly mainenance is usually needed after that.   The Mirvaso cream that was FDA approved not too long ago, just masks the redness temporarily.

Hope this helps, Dr. I

Dr. Brandith Irwin, MD

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