Dealing with a skin condition can be difficult, particularly when it comes to knowing how best to approach it with your skincare regime. When rosacea and skin positivity campaigner Lex Gillies turned 21, she was diagnosed with rosacea. A common, inflammatory skin condition, rosacea can affect skin in several ways, including redness, flushing, spots that look similar to acne and sensitive skin.

The range in symptoms can make it harder to treat but over time. Noting stress as her biggest trigger, closely followed by sunlight, Gillies has developed a skincare regime that is all about soothing and cooling irritated skin. “I try to keep things very simple, with tried and tested products I know that my skin loves,” says Gillies.

“I remove make-up with the Pai Light Work Rosehip Cleansing Oil, £36, then do a second cleanse with La Roche-Posay’s Toleriane Dermo Cleanser, £12.50,” she explains. While it’s okay to cleanse just once in the morning, double cleansing at night is important to make sure you thoroughly remove dirt, SPF and any traces of make-up.

“I spritz on the La Roche-Posay Toleriance Ultra 8 Face Mist, £14.61, followed by La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Serum, £38, and finish with La Roche-Posay Toleriane Ultra Fluid, £18.50.”

“Three or four times a week, I use the Medik8 Crystal Retinal 1, £39, which I love: I built up to this very slowly as it’s better to be safe than sorry when you have sensitive skin. And finally, I have been fanatical about sunscreen ever since I was diagnosed and wear La Roche-Posay Anthelios Shaka Fluid SPF50, £17.50, all year round.”

As for quick hits of skin relief, Gillies has a few tips she constantly relies on. “I always have a bottle of the La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water, £7, in my fridge (and in my handbag in the summer) to spritz onto my face for instant soothing,” she says. Gillies adds another great trick when you’re having a flare-up is to run your wrists under the cold tap as this cools your body temperature.

As stress is the biggest factor behind a flare-up, Gillies stresses that it’s also important to focus on your mental health: “Rosacea is also very linked to my emotions and psychological state, so I find it really useful to focus on calming and de-stressing the body: deep breathing, positive mantras, and visualisation techniques are really useful.”

The skincare kit

Main image: Lex Gillies