Identifying Rosacea Triggers

Rosacea triggers are factors that may cause a rosacea sufferer to experience a flare-up - a more intense outbreak of redness, bumps or pimples. Anything that causes your skin to flush or raises your blood pressure can be a potential trigger, and triggers vary from person to person.

Print this Symptom Trigger Journal to track your triggers, so you can learn to avoid them and minimize flare-ups.

Sun, heat, humidity, cold, and wind can all trigger a rosacea flare-up. And Canada's climate offers all environmental factors just described! Here are some tips to protect your skin from the effects of the weather:

• Protect skin from the sun - avoid exposure between 10 am and 2 pm, especially during the summer months, and use sunscreen year-round. Choose a broad-spectrum sunscreen (one that blocks both UVA and UVB rays) that has an SPF (sun-protection factor) of 15 or higher.
• Stay cool on hot-humid days - seek out an air-conditioned environment.
• When it's cold and windy, cover cheeks and nose with a scarf.

Food and drink can affect rosacea symptoms. Here are some examples of foods and drinks that may cause rosacea symptoms to flare-up - keep track of which foods and drinks trigger your rosacea symptoms, so you can share your trigger list with your doctor AND so that you try to avoid them in the future:

• Hot soup and hot drinks, such coffee, tea, hot chocolate, hot apple cider, mulled wine
• Alcohol - especially red wine, beer, vodka, gin, bourbon, champagne
• Chocolate
• Spinach
• Certain citrus fruits*
• Certain dairy products*, such as cheese, yogurt, sour cream
• Avocado
• Eggplant
• Liver
• Vinegar
• Soy sauce
• Hot spices, such as white or black pepper paprika, red pepper and cayenne
  * Be sure to replace the nutrients found in these foods if they are being avoided.

Exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle, but it may cause rosacea to flare-up. Moderation is the key -- try these precautions to reduce the chance of triggering rosacea:

• Avoid heavy exertion or high-intensity workouts that cause overheating and bring on flushing.
• Try exercising for shorter, more frequent intervals.
• When exercising outdoors during warm weather, choose early morning or early evening hours when it's cooler.
• When exercising indoors, make sure the room is well ventilated and try to stay as cool as possible - you can also keep a bottle filled with cool water to spray your face.

Emotional stress is an important trigger for people with rosacea. If stress is a problem for you, try some of the following stress reducers:

• Maintain good health. Eat well, exercise moderately, and get enough sleep.
• When you're feeling stress, try relaxation exercises such as deep-breathing and visualization techniques.
• Try gentle stretching to relax your muscles.

Some underlying health conditions can stimulate a flushing response and trigger rosacea flare-ups. In many cases, treating the underlying condition may help bring rosacea flare-ups under control:

• Hot flashes associated with menopause: The hot flashes that often occur before or during menopause have brought on rosacea's first appearance in some women and a worsening of symptoms in others.
• Fevers, coughs and colds: these common ills may provoke the flushing that begins a rosacea flare-up.

When flushing is accompanied by itching, breathing difficulties or diarrhea, seek medical attention.

Certain drugs can cause facial flushing, resulting in flare-ups. If you experience flare-ups as a result of the following drugs, discuss the problem with your doctor or pharmacist. Do not discontinue any medication without consulting your doctor.

• Vasodilator drugs: In some patients, drugs used in the treatment of cardiovascular disease (because of their ability to dilate the blood vessels) have been reported to cause symptoms called "vasodilator rosacea."
• Topical steroids: Long-term use of topical steroids has been found to aggravate rosacea or induce rosacea-like symptoms. In one study, symptoms improved for patients who discontinued the steroids and were prescribed antibiotics.