What is aggravating your rosacea?

Your Guide to managing your Rosacea?

Rosacea is an inflammatory skin condition that results in redness in the form of flare-ups. Remission of rosacea is a wonderful time with beautiful skin but maintaining this decrease of this common condition can be difficult. Skin specialists still aren’t sure about the cause of rosacea but one of the most important tools for anyone suffering from rosacea is an ability to identify and understand your own personal triggers.

Below is a list of the most commonly recognised triggers from rosacea research experts and surveys from rosacea sufferers:

Sun exposure and warmer weather:

Rosacea and summer weather is a bad combination. Sun exposure is most commonly reported for activating symptoms of rosacea. Almost all people seeing a dermatologist for rosacea report a flare-up after spending time outside in the sun. It’s important to limit time in the sun, dress for the hot weather and use plenty of sunscreen. One survey saw more than 80% of patients diagnosed with rosacea reporting this as a common trigger.

Dairy Foods:

Of course, every person with rosacea reports different foods that increase the onset of the condition. Food journals often help pinpoint what is causing skin change but even that can be difficult to maintain. However, dermatologists have seen dairy products such as milk, cheese, yogurt and ice cream regularly reported with an outbreak.

Spicy food and hot soups:

It seems like it could be a rule of thumb that rosacea doesn’t like heat. Many people reported that eating these “hot” foods created a flare up in the form of intense face flushing. There have been reports of letting food cool to decrease the chance of a flare up.

Alcohol:

As little as one alcoholic beverage has been conveyed as causing a rosacea flare up. Generally speaking, a high percentage of people consider alcohol as an activator and more specifically, red wine can trigger an outbreak.

Stress:

Stress isn’t good for anyone’s skin but high levels of stress also increase the chance of an occurrence for rosacea patients. What’s more difficult is stress can cause rosacea flare-ups and then the flare-up causes more stress. It’s important to find stress-relieving activities and calming techniques to reduce the likelihood of an outbreak. One of our clients recommend a “yoga” breathing technique for when she flares up due to stress or public speaking.

Overheating:

Exercise is great but exercise also increases your body temperature, causes sweat and can increase the chance of an outbreak. It’s important to be aware of your body temperature while exercising and if you are outside, go during the cooler times of day (usually morning and evening) and in places that have shade if you’re outside.

Saunas and Hot tubs:

We’re back to the problem with heat. Saunas and hot tubs increase body temperature and the likelihood of an outbreak occurrence of rosacea.

Beauty Products and Hair Spray:

There is high variability of the contents and ingredients in beauty products and hair sprays and people will a variety of conditions can find them irritating. If you believe a beauty product, cleansing cream or hair product has triggered a flare up, it’s important to try a different product and possibly consult a dermatologist about the best choice of product for you.

If you have been diagnosed with rosacea, at least some of these triggers probably resonated with you. Keeping food diaries and documenting days with increased flare-ups can help you identify your own triggers. Once you’ve created your list of possible activators, share the list with your skin specialist to make a comprehensive skin care plan to decrease and avoid flare-ups of your rosacea.