I tried cream that promised to reduce redness — it actually did something else

I have always had redness in my face, particularly on my cheeks and across my nose. On good days, I think it looks just like a warm, sunkissed glow; on bad days, it can make me look ill and can feel sore and dry.

So, while I tend to opt for gentle moisturisers, sun cream, and minimal makeup such as correction creams, when Dermatology M reached out and asked if I would like to sample their 'redness reduction' range, I was keen. I have never been formally diagnosed with rosacea, but I do feel it is very likely this is what I have. Rosacea is a skin condition that causes redness, visible blood vessels, and sometimes bumps or pus-filled spots. As with many skin conditions, it can have flare-ups. The degree to which it is chronic varies from person to person.

Using his decades of experience in dermatology and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), Dr Mazin Al-Khafaji has created redness reducing skincare for rosacea which is said to be formulated to cool, calm and protect skin that suffers from the unpredictable or persistent redness, irritation and inflammation associated with rosacea.

Redness Reducing Tincture, £38 — available at dermatology-m.com or on Amazon here

The tincture blends Chinese herbs traditionally used to improve the appearance of sensitive skin prone to redness.

It promises to deep-clean pores, calm and refine, leaving skin visibly clearer and brighter. This unique herbal blend is designed to actively calm and reduce the appearance of redness while enhancing skin resilience.

It contains Huang Qin (scutellaria baicalensis root extract or Chinese skullcap) said to have powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, Da Huang (Chinese rhubarb root and stalk extract), one of the most widely used herbs in traditional Chinese medicine, known for helping reduce redness and inflammation while protecting skin from oxidative damage.

Also, Monnier's Snowparsley said to have a natural anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antimicrobial qualities. It also promises to helps reduce itching and redness, plus enhance skin resilience.

Using a pipette, apply Redness Reducing Tincture to affected areas of the face, then dab into skin and allow to dry. Allow to absorb. Repeat up to two to three times daily.

Redness Reducing Cream, £42 — available at dermatology-m.com or available on Amazon here

This is said to be a calming complex that blends Chinese herbs traditionally used to reduce redness. It softens, helps improve barrier resilience and restores bright, more even-toned skin. It's also suitable for skin prone to rosacea and acne rosacea.

It contains vitamin C and zinc oxide, both of which are said to offer antioxidant protection, helping reduce redness and protect skin from free radical damage.

It also has organic rosehip oil obtained through CO2 extraction, said to be one of the richest plant-based sources of omegas 6 & 7 said to restore skin barrier defects, improve blood circulation and powerfully calm skin.

It contains horse chestnut, rich in escin, which is said to help maintain healthy blood circulation and strengthen capillaries in order to reduce skin redness.

You massage a small amount of Redness Reducing Cream over clean, dry skin on the face. Repeat morning and evening. Allow to absorb.

I have been using the Dermatology M Redness Reducing Tincture and the Dermatology M Redness Reducing Cream, twice a day for a month. I felt it was important to test it out over a month, as women's skin in particular can change over 28 days.

I didn't use any other creams, just my usual sun cream and a cleansing balm face wash.

At first I didn't notice anything, which I think is fair and to be expected, and wouldn't expect instant results from any cream.

But then I noticed how much smoother my make up went on my face. And that is when I realised a very unexpected result for me.

I had been waiting for the redness to go down, but had not expected my skin to feel so smooth and healthy. It feels more youthful and fresh, as if there is a bounce back in the skin. It completely changed my skin texture in the best way.

It looked so glowy that even my husband noticed. The redness took a little longer to show an effect, but I did see one.

You can tell from the photographs of my left cheek (the redder part of my face) the noticeable reduction in redness over the course of a month. My skin looks so much better you would think I had added a blurring feature to my pictures. I was very impressed with the results.

My new love affair with the Dermatology M Redness Reducing range didn't start well. I have to say, I enjoy putting my cream on at the end of a long day, a ritual just for myself before bed.

But this tincture smells awful. It has quite a potent medicinal smell and do not let it touch your lips so that you accidentally taste it — yikes!

The cream is also very thick when applied, which gives it a more medicinal quality, but at least it does not smell quite as intense. Once I started seeing the results, I enjoyed putting it on more.

If I put on make-up in the morning, I would use sun cream afterwards and then make-up. I was initially concerned that the thickness of the cream would affect my foundation, but it did not at all.

I think this is easily the most effective cream I have used to reduce the redness in my skin. So far it hasn't removed all the redness but it never claims to do this, just reduce, and I think it has done so to a level that is has really blown me away and changed how my whole face feels.

Now, make-up goes on better and my overall complexion is so much more even. And despite with the price tag of £68 for set of the 100ml bottle of the tincture and 50ml of the cream on Amazon, I would be saving up to rebuy because the results are amazing and my skin looks and feels like it did 10 years ago.