The ESK blog
April 2026 Science Wrap Up
29 April 2026
It’s April, so Happy Rosacea Awareness month to all who celebrate! Rosacea can be an awful condition. It is not just pimples mid face- it’s redness and heat/ burning and stinging. It can make applying skincare and wearing makeup close to impossible. I should know. I found out about mine in my 40s. I had to deal with daily TV makeup, bright lights and then removing the thick gooey sticky pancake foundation. Ouch doesn’t even come close to describing it. So I am always OBSESSED with rosacea studies- and here are three amazing new studies that will be super interesting to skincare geeks, rosacea sufferers and their friends and family members!
So, you’ve been thinking about laser for your rosacea?
If you’ve ever wondered whether lasers for rosacea are worth it, a new German systematic review gives us a clearer, but slightly humbling answer. Looking across 25 randomised trials, the review found that laser and energy-based devices do help with redness and visible vessels, but the evidence isn’t as rock-solid as you might expect. The evidence overall, the authors said, is questionable. There’s some evidence for pulsed dye laser (PDL), but newer options like radiofrequency microneedling may actually perform better for redness and patient satisfaction. Albeit with what the authors describe as “low to moderate certainty”.
Apart from the questionable evidence, the authors point out that these treatments are not a “one and done.” They work best as part of a longer-term strategy, needing multiple sessions, and results are usually temporary. Side effects include redness, swelling and pigmentation but blistering can occur, particularly with devices like IPL.
So how should patients think about it? These treatments are certainly not a cure and given the iffy benefits, the cost and the need for repeated treatments, if you do decide to go ahead with these treatments, go in expecting maintenance rather than magic. At least you can have good skincare!!
New insights into the origins of rosacea
Rosacea isn’t just “sensitive skin” having a bad day. It’s more like a perfect storm of biology. A brand-new review published in the journal Frontiers in Immunology pulls back the curtain and shows that rosacea is driven by multiple systems all misfiring at once: your nerves, immune system, skin barrier and even your microbiome.
One of the big takeaways? The flushing and redness aren’t random. They’re wired into your nervous system. Everyday triggers like heat, stress or spicy food activate nerve pathways that release chemicals causing blood vessels to dilate and inflammation to flare. At the same time, the immune system is on high alert, overproducing inflammatory signals (like LL-37 and TLR2 pathway), which keeps the cycle going.
Then there’s the skin barrier. In rosacea, it’s leaky and fragile, losing water, letting irritants in, and amplifying inflammation. A stuffed barrier can cause shifts in the microbiome and inflammatory and immune responses- which causes a self-sustaining loop.
So, with all the new research, what do you need to do to control your rosacea?
Sadly, there isn’t one cause, and there isn’t one fix. BUT:
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Triggers matter because your skin is biologically primed to react. If you don’t know your triggers, invest the time to work them out. And then do everything in your power to avoid them!
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Focus on skin barrier repair, anti-inflammatory topicals with some simple skincare tweaks to try to stop the spiral.
Think of rosacea less like a condition to “cure”… and more like one to outsmart.
That rosacea burn…
Burning in rosacea isn’t just “in your head”. A new study published in the journal Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology shows it’s very real, very common, and very biological. In fact, over half of patients with rosacea experienced burning before they were even diagnosed, and it strongly tracks with worsening redness.
It turns out, researchers found, that rosacea skin is on high alert. Patients with burning had higher facial blood flow, which likely delivers more inflammatory signals to already sensitive nerve endings. Add in overactive nerve receptors (like TRPV1), and suddenly everyday things like heat, spicy food, stress and even lots of harsh skincare can feel like your face is on fire.
The triggers are telling. Alcohol, spicy food, hot showers, exercise, stress, and even frequent face washing all came up. Winter was a big one too, probably because cold air plus indoor heating wrecks the skin barrier, making nerves even more reactive.
So what should you do?
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Burning is not random: triggers, temperature swings and barrier damage all matter. Don’t ignore your triggers and use gentle, skin barrier building skincare.
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Let’s just double tap on that last one. Calming the skin with barrier repair + anti-inflammatory skincare will help soothe the burn and treat the redness.
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Rosacea Skincare Kit - Anti Redness
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