Loading...Q. I am a 53-year-old man. When I turned 50, I developed severe rosacea. I tried everything and nothing helped.
I just returned from a two-week vacation in the South Pacific. I learned to snorkel and scuba dive and was in the ocean every day. By the time I left, all signs of rosacea were completely gone.
I don’t know why salt water works to clear up the skin but it’s almost miraculous.
A. Thank you for sharing your great results. For those who may not have the opportunity to go snorkeling, other readers have suggested some unconventional ways of calming rosacea. This skin condition causes redness of the cheeks, nose and forehead. Sometimes there are fine red lines visible just under the skin, and there may be pimple-like blemishes.
Use trial and error to determine which of these remedies helps:
* Selsun Blue dandruff shampoo with selenium sulfide. Apply it in the morning and leave it on for a few minutes, then rinse it off.
* Milk of Magnesia. Dab it on the affected areas morning and night, let it dry and apply the usual moisturizer.
* Elimination diet. Several readers report that eliminating gluten or sugar or all carbs makes rosacea disappear.
If you have found a home remedy that helps rosacea, tell us about it below.
Erik
Sulfur soap. I wash my face with it everyday at night in the shower before bed, and I couldn’t recommend it enough. It cleared, if I had to estimate, around 90% of my rosacea symptoms.
Michael
My rosacea started 5 years ago. I lately learned of an ongoing research on demodex facial mites as a probable cause and/or trigger to rosacea. I have oily skin that promotes the mites. I lowered salt intake and began washing my skin of excess oils. Mites survive on sebum oil in glands. However, sweating helps too. Washing with salt helps too. After retiring I was indoors a lot, then the pandemic made my rosacea worse due to being shut in. Less sun, less sweating. Next I’ll try lowering carbs. Fewer red spots and less irritation. I’ll try swimming in ocean next.
Ashley
Boston, MA
I just found this page and wanted to add a comment. About a month ago hooked up a Whirlpool Whole House Filtration System and salt-based water softener. It’s been 5 weeks and the salt is making a HUGE difference with my skin, especially the rosacea. It has also made a big difference with acne and my hair too. Salt works wonders!
Tracy
Florida
I’ve just returned from the seaside and all my rosacea has cleared . I was only there for 2 days
Dave
USA
I’m 42 and for 2 years now I have been battling rosacea. Starting this past October I had another large flair up, and with each year it seems to spread. That being said, in January I went on a weeklong trip to the Virgin Islands. During that week I snorkeled several times, probably for 2 hours total.
I was convinced beforehand that the saltwater would irritate my skin (anything irritates my skin). I couldn’t have been more wrong, my skin looked better than it had for 3 months using all types of medicine from the dermo.
However, after 3 weeks of being back in the states it has of course come back. That is what lead me to here, because I’m convinced that it is something in the salt water that caused the condition to improve so much (and stay improved for weeks afterwards). The best I have gathered is that it could be the sulfur or magnesium content in the saltwater.
Abigail
Reply to BC: Do you use Aloe Vera juice or Aloe Vera gel? The gel I have seen contains carageenan.
Lynn
Both my husband and I also have Rosacea. We too have noticed when we return from a trips from Florida or Hawaii, the Rosacea has cleared up. In Florida, we do not go into to the salt water, but in Hawaii we do. Could it be the Vitamin D gleaned from sun exposure, or the salt water? We think it is both.
Smitty
I can tell you that I do live in Florida all year round and the SUN would not help the rosacea, but perhaps the Salt did. But I would be very, very, very shocked to her the Sun helped. It never ever helped my rosacea.
Caitlyn
I’ve been suffering with rosacea on my chin for 10 years. It also made me susceptible to repeated staph infections. Then when I had a particularly bad one, I was recommended a cream called Rozex. It not only helped the infection but the rosacea pustules as well. Didn’t do much for the redness though. I also discovered making a tumeric paste from a tablespoon of tumeric, a drop of tea tree oil and a splash of water and applying it for as long as possible works like a bomb to get rid of pustules and reduce redness, but it’s not the kind of thing you can use every single day because it stains the skin. I’m pregnant and have now broken out in the most terrible acne on top of my rosacea.
Someone suggested dissolving sea salt in warm water and spritzing it on 3 times a day. It’s really been helping with both the acne and the rosacea. I had never heard of Milk of Magnesia helping, though. Will defo give that a try, and the aloe sounds like a good idea too!
Ark
Thanks
lr
When we were children (over 70 years ago) we were fortunate enough to grow up in a small seaside town on the east coast of Florida. Any time anything happened to us kids, poison ivy, rashes, ant bites, bee stings, etc. our Mom would drive us over to the ocean to swim a while. Always worked.
B. C.
Aloe Vera is amazingly good for clearing up Rosacea outbreaks quickly. I have several plants around the house. They’re inexpensive and easy to maintain — little watering needed. Just cut off a little piece, expose the fleshy inside and rub.
Cynthia
It could have been the vitamin D that your body made rather than the snorkeling. I started taking vitamin D supplements when a blood test showed I was deficient and found my rosacea improved.
C. Driggs
When I have rosacea flare ups, I use Epsom salts. I dissolve 1/2 tablespoon of Epsom salts in 1/4 cup warm water. After I wash my face, I soak a washcloth in the solution and apply it to my face making it as wet as possible without having it drip. I let it sit on my skin while I brush my teeth then rinse it off. Within a few days, the rosacea has cleared.
cpmt
I go to the beach each summer and walk on the sand and water, all my skin problems n my feet and hands disappear. (I am allergic to most soaps) SEA WATER is very good for the skin problems. (I try to go to clean beaches).