Microdermabrasion for Rosacea: Benefits, Risk Factors and Precautions

What is Rosacea?

Rosacea is a common inflammatory skin condition that causes facial redness, visible blood vessels, pimples, and swelling. It most frequently impacts the central face including the cheeks, nose, chin, and central forehead. Additional symptoms can include burning, stinging, dryness, roughness, and swollen eyes.

While rosacea can occur in both men and women, research shows it is more prevalent in women between ages 30-60 with fair skin. Those of Celtic and northern European decent also have a higher likelihood of developing the condition.

Although the exact causes are unknown, experts believe genetics, immune system dysfunction, microorganisms, and vascular abnormalities may play a role in the development of rosacea.

Subtypes of Rosacea

There are 4 identified rosacea subtypes that individuals may experience:

• Erythematotelangiectatic rosacea - Persistent central facial redness and visible blood vessels
• Papulopustular rosacea - Redness accompanied by acne-like breakouts
• Phymatous rosacea - Thickened skin with irregular surface textures
• Ocular rosacea - Red irritated eyes, sometimes with visible blood vessels and cysts on eyelid margins

How Microdermabrasion Impacts Rosacea

Microdermabrasion is a popular skin treatment that uses a wand or handpiece to spray fine crystals across the skins surface while simultaneously vacuuming the dead skin cells away. This process helps smooth skin texture, improve tone and radiance, minimize enlarged pores, and reduce fine lines.

For individuals with rosacea, microdermabrasion must be used cautiously due to the tendency of rosacea-prone skin to become irritated easily. Too harsh a treatment can trigger inflammation, stinging discomfort, increased facial redness and even breakouts.

Potential Benefits

When performed by an experienced esthetician using gentle techniques and appropriate settings, microdermabrasion can offer benefits for some rosacea patients including:

• Exfoliating away rough, dry skin cells
• Improving product absorption from skin care treatments
• Reducing appearance of superficial acne marks and scars
• Minimizing pore appearance
• Temporarily reducing facial redness and visible capillaries

Risks

Due to the sensitive nature of rosacea-prone skin, improper microdermabrasion procedures can easily trigger irritation, inflammation and flare-ups. Risks include:

• Increased facial redness
• Visible swelling around treatment area
• Stinging, burning or itching sensations
• Acne-like breakouts
• Surface abrasions or wounds
• Eye irritation

Who Should Avoid Microdermabrasion?

The following conditions mean microdermabrasion should be avoided:

• Active rosacea flare-ups
• Sensitive skin prone to irritation
• Use of isotretinoin acne medications within 6 months
• Open cuts, lesions or irritated skin
• Herpes simplex cold sores
• Eczema or dermatitis
• Uncontrolled autoimmune disorders

Pregnancy and nursing may also increase skin sensitivity making microdermabrasion inadvisable during this time. Anyone with an active flare, open sores, or highly reactive skin should avoid this treatment until their condition stabilizes under physician care.

How to Determine If Youre a Candidate

The best way to decide if microdermabrasion may benefit your rosacea is to consult your dermatologist or a trained esthetician. They will assess your unique symptoms, rosacea subtype, and skins sensitivity threshold.

In general, those with mild erythematotelangiectatic rosacea characterized by background redness and a few visible capillaries may benefit the most from conservative microdermabrasion sessions. More inflamed presentations with significant papules, pustules and phymatous changes will likely aggravate easily with this technique.

Always communicate your rosacea history in detail prior to receiving microdermabrasion so the provider can determine appropriate settings.

Best Practices & Precautions

If your skin care provider agrees youre a good candidate for microdermabrasion, adhering to pre- and post-treatment best practices reduces risk of irritation and reactivity:

Avoid Harsh Products and Retinoids

Refrain from aggressive skincare acids, retinoids and fragrances for 1 week pre- and post-treatment as these can heighten sensitivity. Use only gentle cleansers, moisturizers and sun protection. This allows the stratum corneum barrier time to stabilize following exfoliation.

Proper Crystal Flow & Suction Adjustments

The strength of crystal flow and vacuum suction capability must be customized to your facial skin thickness and level of capillary dilation. Too forceful a stream or suction can damage fragile rosacea-prone tissues. Ensure these settings err on the gentle side.

Focus on Central Face First

Restricting the first 1-2 microdermabrasion sessions to only your cheeks, chin, nose and central forehead allows you to assess how well your skin tolerates treatment. Once you confirm these central zones benefit without irritation, carefully expand to the outer periorbital regions in following appointments.

Post-Treatment Skin Protection

Following each microdermabrasion session, avoid sun, heat, extreme cold outdoor activities for at least 48 hours. Keep your skin protected with gentle mineral SPF 30+ sunscreen even when indoors near windows. Support barrier recovery with thick, fragrance-free moisturizers.

Supplementing With At-Home Products

While professional microdermabrasion performed every 2-4 weeks can help some rosacea patients, maintaining results involves careful at-home regimen.

Gentle Exfoliation

Light manual or sonic device exfoliation using soft silicone brush heads removes dead skin without over-stripping. Perform this 1-2 times weekly in 30 second intervals avoiding active pimples or irritated zones.

Hydrating Serum and Moisturizer

Replenish moisture after exfoliation to calm and hydrate. Look for soothing, fragrance-free formulas with niacinamide, ceramides, hyaluronic acid and green tea extract.

Mineral SPF 30+ Sunscreen

Daily broad-spectrum mineral sun protection tailored to facial skin prevents UV exposure from aggravated redness and inflammation. Reapply every 90-120 minutes if spending extended time outdoors.

When to Seek Dermatology Care

While some patients can incorporate occasional microdermabrasion into their routines, others find any exfoliation therapy triggers their rosacea too aggressively. Pay attention to your skins signals and immediately report concerning reactions to your provider.

Schedule an appointment with your dermatologist right away if you experience any of the following:

• Symptoms fail to resolve within 48 hours post-treatment
• Ocular irritation including red, dry, burning eyes
• Increasing number of inflamed papules and pustules
• Excess swelling, especially if asymmetric or isolated to treatment areas

Your dermatologist can provide specialized medications to calm irritation and inflammation. Proper rosacea management under physician supervision is crucial for enabling better outcomes with any spray, laser or peel skin therapy.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.