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It is still unsure what causes Rosacea. Some Candida experts believe that a systemic Candida infection can be to blame for a multitude of skin infections, Rosacea being one of them.

I can believe that since I know for sure that Candida played a big role in my own severe skin problem even though mine manifested as Eczema rather than Rosacea.

Once in fungus form Candida can poke holes through your gut (‘Leaky Gut’) and travel and colonise anywhere in your body. So I would not be surprised if an underlying Candida infection below the skin tissues could not cause Rosacea in some people.

What is Rosacea?

Rosacea is characterised as permanent redness of the face. Some people with Rosacea flush constantly, others develop a skin rash like pimples, for others it shows up as inflamed blotches – in any case it no doubt can be a major source of discomfort and can clearly make one feel really self-conscious.

Technically this is to do with the blood vessels underneath the skin dilating rather than the skin itself being overly sensitive like for instance when you have a sunburn.

Rosacea triggers

There a handful common environmental factors that can trigger a Rosacea outbreak:

• Drinking alcohol
• Being exposed to extreme heat or humidity in the sauna, steam inhalation, gym or on holiday
• Emotional upheaval and stress
• Vigorous exercise
• Spicy food
• Food allergens especially dairy and acidic foods like lemon
• Certain medication or illnesses that impact the blood pressure

Treatment

Being a holistic health enthusiast I am only interested in treatments that support the immune system.

With typical otc Rosacea treatments like steroids and antibiotic treatments I know from my own experience when I got those prescribed for my Eczema condition that they helped initially but in the long run made my skin thinner and pushed the inflammation deep into my tissues. This further undermined my immune system, which in turn lead to a whole host of autoimmune and hormonal problems. Thankfully there are some gentler and more effective healthy alternatives.

Natural Treatments that help with Rosacea:

• Chamomile Compress – A mild compress with chamomile oil
• Herbal paste – Mix together two teaspoons of turmeric powder, four teaspoons of coriander powder, and one to two tablespoons of fresh milk until the combination turns into a smooth paste. Keep the concoction in the fridge. Once prepared, utilise the paste as a facial mask two times a day for ten minutes.
• Aloe Vera – topically and internally; I used the forever living brand as a drink, and I also had great results with the Dr. Best aloe skin moisturiser double strength from Holland & Barrett. I literally applied it on my skin twice every day, followed by a soothing moisturiser.
• Tea tree oil – again I used the one from Holland and Barrett, made from Shea butter. It smells a little pungent, so I’d understand if you didn’t want to apply it on your face. But it heals the skin like no other (better than coconut oil for instance).
• Oatmeal – wonderful skin moisturiser as a face mask and for bathing in (just use a sock or nut milk bag with oats in it to dissolve in warm water).
• Rose Hip Oil – soothing oil to diminish any scars you might have.
• Acv – apple cider vinegar or bicarbonate soda diluted in water as skin wash and also again heavily diluted as a tonic to drink – I swear by it! It balances the ph which makes it harder for bacteria to thrive.
• Cat’s claw/ Pau d’arco tea – boosts immunity and keeps viral, fungal & bacterial infections in check like no other, so you can kill Candida and heal Rosacea, bonus!
• Zinc – speeds up wound healing.
• Avocados and oily fish are excellent for the skin, so are green juices. Coriander for instance is a great cleansing herb to use regularly to heal the skin.
• Following an elimination diet like the Candida diet or GAPS makes sense to take a strain off your immune system plus additional methods to re-balance and heal your gut.
• Get your digestive system working seamlessly (you want to avoid constipation at all costs — makes skin conditions 100 times worse!)
• Meditation & stress management — essential to stay sane during this time of feeling particularly ‘thin skinned’.

How to evaluate your healing progress?

1. Keep a daily food diary if you can, where you write down what symptoms you got, how you feel, what you ate and drank, how you slept… or at least a visual body map where you mark your symptoms (with date) and revisit this after a month, taking stock.
2. It’s also beneficial to get an accountability buddy or coach to check in with you once a week or so to encourage and empower you, drawing your attention to all the good things you have accomplished as opposed to just focusing on the negatives and the feeling that “nothing is working”. This also highlights areas where you might need to change the course of direction when you notice that things are not improving or standing still.

Recap

• It is unclear what causes the red face flush ‘Rosacea’.
• But regardless whether Candida is to blame or just an additional inconvenience your best bet is to tackle both and get rid of all underlying inflammation.
• Natural remedies like a chamomile compress or Turmeric skin paste are perfect for this as well as foods that promote skin healing like oily fish and seeds (or zinc supplements).
• A daily meditation & stress management routine that works for you is also essential as well as an elimination diet like the Candida diet or GAPS plus taking herbs specifically for re-balancing your gut flora and healing your gut walls.
• In the meantime keep a food & symptom journal so you can quickly see patterns of where certain foods or situations cause recurring Candida/ Rosacea flare ups, so you can quickly take counter-measures to speed up your recovery.

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