The bad news is that if you’re plagued by the reddened or roughened skin that comes with rosacea, a cure doesn’t yet exist for your condition. The good news is that controlling many of the environmental factors that trigger a flare not only keeps your skin looking good, but often protects your health in other ways.
The expert dermatologists and skin specialists at Specialists in Dermatology offer effective treatments for rosacea flares and improve your overall skin quality at our offices in Houston, Texas, and The Woodlands, Texas. Here are some common triggers you need to avoid to keep your rosacea under control.
Most women and men with rosacea are fair-skinned and therefore sunburn easily. In addition to protecting your skin from skin cancer and signs of skin aging — such as wrinkles, sagging, and brown spots — minimizing your exposure to sunlight keeps your rosacea at bay.
Sun exposure is listed by women and men with rosacea as a primary trigger for flares. You can keep the sun’s damaging and rosacea-triggering rays away from your skin if you:
Your dermatologist helps you find the right kind of sunscreen that keeps you safe without irritating delicate facial skin. At Specialists in Dermatology, we offer broad-spectrum sunscreens that are formulated for your skin type. Our medical-grade sunscreen brands include:
Our sunscreens are mineral-based, chemical-free, and nontoxic, which means that they deflect sunlight from your skin to keep it safe.
Although you may miss the bite of a jalapeno pepper, you won’t miss the rosacea flares that it could cause. Hot foods raise your body temperature, which may trigger an outbreak.
Keep a food diary to find out if certain spices are associated with a rosacea flare or other symptoms. If so, cut those foods and beverages out of your diet for at least 30 days to see if your skin improves.
Short-term stress is a normal and expected part of life that helps you grow by overcoming challenges. Chronic stress, though, wears you down. It can also cause a rosacea flare.
If you feel overwhelmed by your circumstances, take time out to de-stress. Daily meditation, prayer, or talking to friends and family can help you manage stress — and rosacea — more successfully.
You probably have already heard that you’re supposed to drink about 8-10 cups of water or other healthy fluids a day. However, you need more than that if you sweat heavily or work out.
Now you have another reason to increase your healthy liquid intake. When your skin is dehydrated, it’s more susceptible to a rosacea flare.
If you live or work in an arid environment, drinking water, green tea, and other healthy liquids may not be enough. You may need to install humidifiers in your home, office, and vehicles so that your skin gets the moisture it needs.
Using a medical grade moisturizer helps lock in moisture to your skin, too, to keep it fresh and clear. Ask your dermatologist about what type of moisturizer is best for your skin type.
Just as sunlight can trigger a flare, so can other weather elements. Many people with rosacea find that hot weather, cold weather, and high winds all irritate their skin and trigger an outbreak.
Be sure to bundle up before heading out into a chilly or windy day. And wear plenty of layers in the winter months, so you can peel them off if you start feeling overheated.
You can find your personal triggers by keeping a journal of when you have a flare and what factors may have been involved. Though it sounds like a lot of work, it’s worth the effort: Almost 100% of rosacea patients who change their lifestyle to reduce flares find that it helps control their disease.
If you’re currently suffering a rosacea flare, or if you’d like help improving the appearance and texture of your skin, contact us today for treatment. Call the Specialists in Dermatology office nearest you, or fill out our convenient online scheduling form.
