Because there is no cure for rosacea, individuals with this chronic skin condition regularly take medication to keep the skin problems in check and under control. There are a number of prescription medications used to treat rosacea, and you can learn more about those by reading the following article: Rosacea Treatment: Antibiotics and Prescription Medicine. In this article here, we will look at the other side of the table; over the counter medications used for rosacea treatment.
This is a category that a complete list will not suffice, as there are always new products coming out to be sold over the counter for rosacea. Instead of trying to note all of them, let’s take a look at the more popular and effective OTC meds.
One of the most popular brands out there associated with OTC rosacea treatment is called ZenMed. ZenMed is described as a “combination of soothing topical lotions” and the manufacturer suggests it’s use for both mild and severe rosacea. Side effects are minimal to null, and the lotions themselves are made up of pure botanical ingredients, of which the company freely allows you to view on their website here.
To give you an idea of what is meant by “pure botanical ingredients” , ingredients such as various herbal extracts (geen tea, licorice, willow bark, cucumber) are used, organic aloe vera, jojoba oil, Vitamin A, B5, D3, E, and many essential oils such as lavendar, lemon, lime, tea tea, rosewood, Ylang Ylang, and rose geranium.
The ingredients here hint at many of the all natural herbal treatments people use on their own for rosacea relief. This includes licorice, lavender, tea trea oil, chamomile, and green tea, 4 herbs many people buy directly and used at home to treat rosacea. This could be in the form of drinking green tea directly for the indirect health benefits or something more specific to rosacea, such as cooking raw green leaves in boiling water, letting them cool, and then directly applying them to the face for 30 minutes. The ingredient “epigallocatechin” in green tea is said to reduce facial redness and inflammation.
Another popular over the counter product is somewhat awkwardly titled B Kamins Booster Blue Rosacea Treatment. This is another topical treatment aimed at reducing red blotchiness on the skin and inflammation in general. The main or active ingredient in Booster Blue Rosacea Treatment by B. Kamins is dimethicone. Dimethicone is used to treat irritation caused by chapped and dry skin. It accomplishes this by creating a moisture barrier that keeps helps keep the skin from drying out. Dimethicone also helps reduce itchiness. It is a common ingredient in not just over the counter rosacea medicines, but many different products aimed at helping people with sensitive skin.
