Brad Goreski Shares How He Finally Got His Rosacea Under Control After Having It His 'Entire Life'

Brad Goreski Shares How He Finally Got His Rosacea Under Control After Having It His 'Entire Life'

The stylist reveals what major life event finally made him book an appointment with a dermatologist

Celebrity stylist Brad Goreski is a very famous face in the fashion industry. From his time on reality TV (remember The Rachel Zoe Project?) to appearing alongside his A-list clients on the red carpet (he's a staple on E!), Goreski has become a TV regular. But under his camera-ready glam, there was an issue he hadn't quite faced up to before — his lifelong struggle with rosacea.

"I've basically had [rosacea] my entire life. That's why I'm super excited that I have the opportunity to partner with Galderma on the Face Up to Rosacea campaign," he tells PEOPLE exclusively. "This campaign is meant to bring awareness to people, but it's also meant to encourage people to see a dermatologist and get on a treatment plan like I did because it was so life-changing. I don't think people know how many treatments are available and it's different for everybody."

The reason treatment plans (and dealing with rosacea in general) can be especially frustrating is because it flares up in people in different ways. According to Dr. Shereene Idriss, board-certified dermatologist and Galderma consultant, there are four main types of rosacea: erythematotelangiectatic (flushing), papulopustular (presents more acne-like with bumps and blemishes), phymatous (this occurs due to longer term damage and chronic inflammation resulting in thickened appearance of the skin) and ocular rosacea.

For Goreski, he experienced redness and flushing. "Once I moved to L.A. and I started doing TV work, there was only so much that makeup could cover and I would get redness; my cheeks get very flushed very easily," he explains. "When I get excited or when I'm on TV or I'm interviewing a celeb that I'm obsessed with, I get super, super fiery red."

Like many others with rosacea, Goreski relied on makeup to help cover up his redness, "I've always been that guy digging in my mom's makeup bag and pulling out her concealer or her cover-up."

But with increased pressure in the spotlight, Goreski wanted to rely less on covering up his redness everyday — especially for the biggest day of his life (his wedding). "Once everything also took off with social media and everything was photographed all the time and every single moment captured, I was like, 'Okay I feel like I really now need to be dealing with this.'"

He finally decided to get professional help from a derm before his wedding day to accomplished TV writer and producer Gary Janetti in 2017.

"I decided when Gary proposed to me that I would go see a dermatologist because I didn't want to be worrying about it on my wedding day," Goreski shares. "We got married on a cruise ship, so I didn't really want to wear makeup on a cruise ship. I just wanted to see what was out there and what treatments were possible."

The stylist says at first, it was "trial and error" finding a treatment plan that worked for him. "We tried different things to see what my skin would react to the most because everybody's rosacea is different. For me, it was really treating the spots that were flaring up on a regular basis. So we pinpointed exactly what was working, but it definitely took a couple of tries of different things. But once we found that, the results happened pretty quickly."

Dr. Idriss explains that while there's no cure for rosacea, there are treatments to help mitigate symptoms and prevent breakouts. Her tips include avoiding flare-up triggers such as spicy foods, intense heat, UV exposure and hot drinks and she also advises to get as much info as possible from your dermatologist.

"I think it's important that patients educate themselves on the difference between acne and rosacea. On FaceUptoRoacea.US you can download a "Discussion Guide" for tips and resources on how to have a proactive conversation with your doctor about rosacea," Dr. Idriss says.

Once at the doctor's office, typical treatment options range from topical antibiotics, to topical anti-parasitics and vasoconstrictors, explains Dr. Idriss. "Additionally, oral antibiotics with or without the combination of in-office laser procedures can also help."

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For Goreski, topical creams and light lasers were beneficial. "It's interesting because it can be a very isolating feeling because people think that you have something the matter with you. And they don't feel bad about pointing out something. 'Oh, you've got something on your face,' or 'What's that?' or 'What's all this? Do you have a rash?' And it can be a little embarrassing."

He continues: "I'm really happy that I have the opportunity to do this and to also let people know that they're not alone."

For someone who's typically busy in front of the camera, coronavirus has slowed down Goreski's styling schedule quite a bit, but he says he's working with this clients "slowly but surely" again (which includes Jenna Dewan, Demi Moore, Kaley Cuoco and more).

He also has multiple TV projects on the horizon, including hosting a beauty competition show alongside Real Housewives's NeNe Leakes on E! and starring in a travel-based show with his husband Janetti on HBO Max as soon as production can start back up again.