How to Prevent a Rosacea Flare-Up
The best way to live with rosacea is to manage your condition and prevent flare-ups. In order to do that, you first need to understand what your triggers are, as rosacea affects everyone differently.
At Dermatology Associates of the Lowcountry, with offices in Hilton Head, Okatie, and Beaufort, South Carolina, Dr. Oswald Mikell, and his experienced team are experts at helping you identify your rosacea triggers so you can reduce symptoms. Learn how to prevent rosacea flare-ups so you can focus on your life instead of your skin condition.
Understanding rosacea and its triggers
If you have rosacea, you know that when it flares, your face becomes red and irritated, and you may even have visible veins or tiny, red bumps that look like acne. While the exact causes of rosacea aren’t clear, certain lifestyle and environmental factors can activate and increase your “redness response.”
Triggers are different for everyone, but some common catalysts are:
Spicy foods
Dairy products
Certain fruits and vegetables
Sunlight and heat
Hairspray and other hair care products
Stress and anxiety
Sudden emotional changes
Red wine and other types of alcohol
Wind and cold temperatures
Exercise
Some medications
Skin care products and makeup
It may be difficult to know which triggers are contributing to your rosacea flare-ups, but with a little investigation, you can pinpoint these activators so you can avoid them whenever possible.
Why it’s important to know your rosacea triggers
For more than 16 million Americans, rosacea is more than an occasional inconvenience. Each time your skin becomes flushed during a flare-up, the redness may last a little longer than the time before. Rosacea can also affect larger areas of your cheeks, nose, chin, and forehead with every attack. Additionally, with each flare, blood vessels can become more visible and your facial skin may thicken over time.
When you identify your triggers and make lifestyle changes to avoid them, you can reduce these prolonged symptoms and manage your chronic condition more effectively. Preventing flare-ups may also help alleviate the long-term, visible effects rosacea has on your skin.
How do I discover my rosacea triggers?
The National Rosacea Society recommends keeping a diary of the foods you eat along with environmental and lifestyle situations that aggravate your rosacea symptoms. Keeping track of any correlations between foods, skin care products, and activities that cause a flare-up can help you know to steer clear of those triggers. Be as detailed as possible recording the foods, circumstances, and symptoms that occurred.
Rosacea is manageable when you know what to avoid. Additionally, Dr. Mikell may recommend using a prescription topical cream to constrict blood vessels at the surface of your skin, as well as any of the following:
Using gentle facial cleansers to prevent further skin irritation
Wearing sunscreen daily
Wearing a hat when you’re outside to protect your face
Taking antibiotics to control inflammation or infection
Dr. Mickell takes a personalized approach at helping you discover triggers and manage your rosacea flare-ups so you can get long-term relief. Rosacea isn’t just a skin condition; it often causes emotional stress and negatively impacts your self-confidence.
The more you understand the triggers that lead to flare-ups, the easier it is to prevent them and improve your sense of well-being. Call the Dermatology Associates of the Lowcountry location closest to you to schedule a consultation.
