Unfortunately, I haven't been blessed with good skin.  I've battled a combination of both acne and rosacea for most of my adult life and have tried countless creams, lotions and cleansers to help ease the symptoms and alleviate the problem.  At this time, there is no known cure for rosacea, but one of the top North American dermatologists, Dr. Jason Rivers, has developed the next best thing.

Riversol for Rosacea is a three-step skin care regimen designed to relieve the symptoms of rosacea and redness.  Recently, I had the chance to try the Riversol for Rosacea products and even interview Dr. Jason Rivers myself.  Keep reading to learn much more about the difference between acne and rosacea, my experiences using Riversol for Rosacea and my exclusive interview with Dr. Jason Rivers!

Dr. Jason Rivers, a leading dermatologist, founded Riversol after searching for a skin care line that would help relieve the symptoms of rosacea and redness, while being tolerated on even the most sensitive skin.  During his research, Dr. Rivers became aware of thujaplicin (thoo-ya-pli-cin), a potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibiotic, effective on rosacea and sensitive skin.

This is how Riversol for Rosacea came to be.  Riversol products contain no fragrances, dyes, sulfates or formaldehyde. Formulated with only necessary ingredients, Riversol is just what you need. No more, no less.

In order to receive the best possible results from the Riversol from Rosacea skin care system, simply use the following guidelines:

• 1. Start slow.  This is especially important when you have rosacea.  For the first week, use the cleanser and moisturizer just once per day.  For the second week, continue with once a day cleanser and cream and apply the serum (after cleansing, before moisturizing) every other day.  For the third week, build up to using Riversol (cleanser, serum, moisturizer) twice a day.
• 2. If you find one application of cleanser is not removing all make-up, use it twice.
• 3. The 3 products in Riversol For Rosacea work together as a system; in concert for maximum benefit.  Riversol's cleansers clean deeply, but gently, to remove impurities without disrupting the skin's mantle and leaves the face at it's natural pH (pH 5.0), setting the foundation for maximal absorption of Riversol serum.  This is particularly important with rosacea as many cleansers strip the mantle leaving the skin susceptible to bacterial imbalance (one of the suspected causes of rosacea).  Riversol serum then calms and heals the underlying biology of the skin by providing potent natural antibiotics and antioxidants that penetrate deeply.  Finally, Riversol's moisturizers following application of the serum provide deep hydration to heal and return optimal barrier function of the skin's mantle, thus maximally protecting the skin from future environmental insult and bacterial overgrowth.
• 4. For best results, use Riversol consistently twice a day and treat your body and face with kindness.

I've been using the Riversol for Rosacea 3-step skin care system for about a week now and have been following the tips above and starting slow.  So far, I've noticed a slight decrease in the redness of my cheeks, which is where my rosacea seems to flare up the most.  I am happy with the results I've seen thus far and can't wait until I can begin using the 3-step system twice per day, as recommended.

I also love that I am not irritating my skin or absorbing any harsh chemicals into my body by using Riversol for Rosacea, since Riversol products contain no fragrances, dyes, sulfates or formaldehyde.

Not sure whether you have rosacea, acne or a combination of the two?  Keep reading as I have the chance to pick Dr. Jason Rivers' brain about the differences between these skin conditions and see the video below for how you can give Riversol for Rosacea a try to see whether or not it will work for you!

Me:  If you are an adult suffering from blemishes and pimples in one localized area, how can you distinguish between whether you are suffering from acne Rosacea or just ordinary acne?

Dr. Rivers:  Sometimes it is difficult.  However, acne is always based around hair follicles and has white heads and black heads  (open and closed comedones respectively).   Also,  rosacea is generally symmetrical on the face and associated with redness of the cheeks and nose.

Me:  If you happen to have both adult acne and rosacea, do you need to treat each condition separately in order to experience relief?

Dr. Rivers:  You do need to treat condition separately but for more advanced disease, some of the treatments overlap -  for example  oral antibiotics, though the dose needed for rosacea is much less than that for acne.

Me:  Are there any specific medications to use which work well for treating both rosacea and adult acne?  Are there any to make sure to avoid?

Dr. Rivers:  Oral doxycycline works well for both inflammatory acne and rosacea.  However, for acne we often use medications topically applied to the skin that can dry it out.   As rosacea patients often have sensitive skin this agents may not be tolerated unless used in a very low concentration or in combination with a gentle moisturizer like Riversol.

Me:  Will moisturizers help or exacerbate the symptoms of rosacea or adult acne?

Dr. Rivers:  Moisturizers are helpful for both Rosacea and Acne.   They are useful for moisturizing the skin from the drying effects of some acne treatments and they are useful to restore the barrier function of the skin in people who have rosacea as this is part of their sensitive skin problem.   If a moisturizer is too occlusive,  it can make acne worse.

Disclosure:  I received the Riversol for Rosacea Three-Step Kit from Riversol in order to facilitate my review. No other compensation was received. This product review is based on my own personal experiences with this item and is completely honest and objective.