How Cynthia Nixon Controls Her Rosacea

Cynthia Nixon, the award-winning actress best known for her portrayal of Miranda Hobbes on "Sex & the City," told ThirdAge that during the filming she used to resort to heavy foundation to camouflage frequent outbreaks of red pimples she assumed were acne flare-ups.

"I had acne as a teenager," she says. "The pimples and rashes I started seeing in my late 30s looked a lot like what I dealt with in high school, so I tried antibacterial soaps, abrasive scrubs, and astringents. I had no idea that I had a condition called rosacea and that what I was doing was making it worse than ever!"

Rosacea is sometimes dubbed "adult acne" but that's a misnomer, as Cynthia's experience demonstrates. She finally learned the truth four years ago during a routine visit to a dermatologist. Now she's on a mission to educate people about rosacea. in collaboration with the National Rosacea Society, she is appearing in April in a public service announcement timed to coincide with National Rosacea Month.

"I want everyone to know that even though rosacea is incurable, you can learn to live well with it," she says. As someone who is in the public eye, minimizing outbreaks is especially important to her. She has learned what her personal triggers are and avoids them, especially if she has a performance, a filming, or a photo shoot scheduled.