Acne Rosacea, the common name for Papulopustular Rosacea, like all forms of Rosacea has proven itself exceedingly difficult to treat with modern medicines. Each patient is different and thus each treatment must be different, patient specific treatments are difficult to devise with much trial and error. Many sufferers from Papulopustular Rosacea are misdiagnosed as suffering from acne because along with redness across the face, red pustules often accompany this kind of rosacea, disguising it as acne. Unfortunately acne treatments quite often have the opposite effect on Rosacea and make the symptoms worse rather than better. Most treatments for Rosacea are only effective some of the time to some patients while rosacea is a permanent disease that only worsens without treatment, and as such there are many Rosacea sufferers out there who are still looking to find a cure and so turn to herbal medicines.
Herbal medicines aren’t as harsh as manufactured medications because the active compound mixture is naturally occurring in plants. So plants like feverfew, tea tree, ginger and lavender are generally milder and thus produce fewer side effects than professionally created chemical mixtures. Green tea, oatmeal, and chamomile are all excellent herbs because they possess anti-inflammatory properties that soothe the skin, as well as aid in the release of heat and allow skin to heal.
Licorice is one of the prime herbs used to treat Rosacea, and has been used in herbal medicine since the middle ages. Licorice has been proven to reduce inflammation and soothe irritation which work wonders in reducing the redness suffered by most Rosacea patients and the itchiness of those red patches. Licorice also promotes mucous secretion and stimulates adrenal gland activity kicking your body’s natural defense system into overdrive to remove the germs that can exacerbate rosacea and cause those nasty pus filled pustules. Oatmeal face washes work towards relieving the itching, while the natural antibiotics found in ginger imbibed as teas also help to reduce inflammation and reduce redness.
Regardless of what regimen or treatment you seek for your Rosacea, be sure to inform your dermatologist of what you are taking as he or she can better track the progress of the relief of your symptoms or lack thereof and will be more knowledgeable of what combinations of certain herbs will produce unwanted effects. Your dermatologist will also be able to inform you of the efficacy of certain herbs and in general will need to be kept in the loop on all your treatment regimes just in case of a possible adverse reaction.