What can trigger rosacea to flare-up?

A number of lifestyles factors can cause rosacea to flare up. Some common triggers thought to affect rosacea include hot and cold weather extremes, sun exposure, mental stress, and hot or spicy food and drinks. These triggers vary from person to person, so it is both important and helpful to find out which ones make your rosacea symptoms flare up. Knowing this can help you to better manage your condition because you will be able to avoid things that can potentially aggravate your skin. Keeping track of your symptoms and activities in a journal can help you to identify triggers, which you can discuss with your doctor.

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Food and beverages

What you eat and drink can affect rosacea symptoms as well, especially spicy foods or hot soup and drinks. Here is a list of things to watch for in your diet – track when you eat these trigger foods and drinks to determine which ones affect your symptoms:

• Thermally hot drinks, such as soup and hot chocolate
• Caffeinated beverages, such as tea or coffee
• Spicy seasonings such as white or black pepper, paprika, red pepper and cayenne
• Alcohol, especially red wine

Sun exposure

UV exposure seems to make rosacea worse so it is recommended that rosacea sufferers wear sunscreen with an SPF value of 30 or more daily. A sunblock may be better tolerated than a sunscreen in people with sensitive skin. Also, it is best to avoid the sun at peak times, primarily between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Temperature extremes

Extremely hot or cold weather conditions, very dry or humid, wind, and indoor heat exposure can act as triggers. So the key is to stay cool in hot weather, cover up skin and moisturize when it is cold outdoors, and avoid hot baths, saunas or other environmental factors that raise your body temperature.

Intense exercise

High-intensity workouts overheat the body, which can trigger flushing. Avoiding vigorous exercise or dividing it into shorter sessions may help. You can also find ways to stay cool while working out, such as exercising outdoors during cooler weather, and indoors in an air-conditioned space when it is hot outdoors.

Stress

Stress, or emotional upset, is one of the most common triggers associated with rosacea flare-ups. If this is a trigger for you, seek out ways to manage stress, such as getting enough sleep, exercising regularly, deep breathing and stretching, and eating a healthy diet. Keep in mind that too much caffeine and sugar, dehydration or skipping meals, can also increase stress levels.

Medications

Certain medications that cause flushing can cause flare-ups. Drugs that cause vasodilation (ones that cause your blood vessels to enlarge) such as ACE-inhibitors and some cholesterol-lowering drugs (i.e. niacin) may play a role. Extended use of prescription-strength cortisone creams on the face can worsen rosacea symptoms.

Cosmetic products

Products with fragrance, alcohols, abrasives or other irritating ingredients can aggravate rosacea symptoms. Remember that rosacea-prone skin is sensitive and dry, so choose only gentle products.