How to Properly Care for Your Rosacea & Red Skin

Generally speaking, each individual will have a somewhat unique set of guidelines for rosacea skin care because what evokes a rosacea flare-up for one person may have no significant effect on another. However, despite the unique nature of this condition for each person, there are common triggers to avoid and particular guidelines that each patient should follow.

Drastic environmental change is an enemy of rosacea skin. It is not so much the sun or cold itself which causes the rosacea to flare, it’s the drastic change that causes the negative reaction in the skin. The skin essentially “throws a fit” in response to this drastic change. Such environmental conditions can have a significant effect on rosacea and can keep a person from ever gaining a hold over their embarrassing redness. Gaining control is not easy, especially for those who live in colder climate zones. However, there are precautions a person can take to help reduce the effects of environment. In colder zones, a simple face scarf or face mask is very effective in tempering a drastic temperature change. For those in sunnier zones, high SPF sun lotion and a hat can keep a person’s face cool, along with a little dab of water. Some find aloe to be a great benefit as well.

In addition to external environment, emotional factors are part of the equation of rosacea skin care. If you are prone to emotional situations or are in a stressful environment, this can cause a drastic change on your blood pressure and hormonal levels. Again, just as drastic changes externally can have an adverse effect on your skin, so also can an internal change cause facial redness. Avoid such situations, if at all possible, either by removing yourself from these situations, or by learning inward mental skills to deal with these stressers. Consultation with your physican is important in any case.

Just as emotional states can have an effect internally, so can diet. As an example, alcohol consumption can cause your rosacea to a flare-up in response to the drastic changes in blood chemistry. In addition to the direct alcohol content in the blood, the liver also produces certain enzymes and proteins that can be released or inhibited according to alcohol levels. These drastic changes in blood chemistry have a bearing on rosacea skin and can cause flare-ups to occur.

Just as alcohol can cause blood chemistry to change, so can spicy or otherwise exotic foods. As you can probably guess, spicy foods release adrenaline into the bloodstream and causes the skin to sweat – another drastic change that triggers rosacea. For some, even milk can cause flare-ups because of the hormones introduced into the bloodstream. It is recommended that you cut your diet to simple bland foods, such as rice and beans, and add other foods in time to test what may cause your skin to react negatively. This can be a long process but is vital to gain control – to know your boundaries.