Life with Rosacea: Lex Gillies

Lex has a condition called rosacea, which causes her face to turn red during flare-ups. Triggers vary between individuals and can include alcohol, spicy food, temperature changes, and sun exposure.

“It instantly affects my mood. Physically I feel uncomfortable and hot and my skin can feel itchy and sore; psychologically I feel like my face is a beacon, glowing bright red and attracting stares and judgements from others. I feel self-conscious and like my body is not my own, it’s often a very upsetting and disorientating experience,” says Lex.

At first, Lex struggled to manage her condition, but over time she learned to identify her triggers.

Now, Lex focuses on educating people about rosacea to improve acceptance and understanding.

“I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who said something about my rosacea maliciously, it’s always someone who thinks they’re being funny or is curious. People ask if I’m sunburned, or drunk, if I’m blushing because I fancy someone, or the evergreen ‘what’s wrong with your face?’ It immediately makes you feel self-conscious, exposed and vulnerable. I used to try to ignore the comments but now I try to educate people.”

Lex explains that educating others not only raises awareness but can prevent intrusive comments being repeated to someone newer to managing the condition.

Having a visible skin condition often leads to unsolicited remarks:

“Over the past 14 years I’ve heard: ‘are you sunburned?’, ‘are you embarrassed?’, ‘are you drunk?’ When I was younger, comments like these would have me running to the bathroom and feeling self-conscious for the rest of the day. Now I try to reframe these situations.”

Lex’s tips for responding:

1. Treat every comment as an opportunity to educate.
2. Briefly explain your condition: “I have rosacea, it’s an incurable skin condition that means I’m often red/have bumps/have to avoid certain triggers.”
3. Don’t internalise negative opinions; they often reflect more about the speaker than you.
4. Use your condition to identify supportive people in your life; those who judge do not deserve your friendship.