Calm Your Skin: Tips to Prevent a Rosacea Breakout
Skin conditions like rosacea often develop without people knowing. It’s natural to feel helpless when they first start manifesting but take comfort in the fact that there are many things about this condition that you can control. You can, for example, manage its symptoms and even take measures to avoid flare-ups entirely.
What Is Rosacea?
Rosacea is characterized by redness, swelling, bumps, and/or acne-like lesions across the nose and cheeks. Some patients also experience itchy, dry, and flaky skin. Rosacea acts up when the blood vessels in the skin are dilated. The afflicted area then “flares up” and becomes sensitive to touch. The exact mechanism causing rosacea is unknown, but experts believe that sun exposure, alcohol, spicy foods, hot beverages, dark chocolate, stress,, GI diseases that cause an imbalance in the gut microbiome, and family history can increase the risk of a person developing this condition.
Rosacea also has known triggers that can cause a flare-up:
Exposure to extreme heat
Exposure to severe cold
Rapid temperature changes
Stress
Alcohol
Certain food and drinks
Rosacea is treatable with laser skin treatment and topical medication, but it will not disappear overnight. Your goal must be to manage the symptoms and prevent flare-ups through trigger avoidance as much as possible.
Avoid the Triggers: What to Do to Avoid Flare-Ups
The triggers mentioned above are just some of the factors that can cause the face of a rosacea patient to start flushing or to develop acne-like bumps. Recall your previous flare-ups: what do you think triggered them? What were you doing that was different or what was going on in your immediate environment? You need to be observant every time your rosacea acts up so that you’ll know what you should avoid next time.
The following tips address the most common triggers and should help you avoid flare-ups:
Protect your skin when going outside during daytime. Sun exposure is a known trigger, so if you're heading outside when the sun is shining bright, always wear sunscreen and a hat. You should also consider wearing long-sleeved shirts and sunglasses (many patients also develop sensitive eyes). Finally, apply high-SPF sunscreen on your face and neck.
Choose topical skincare products that are organic, formulated for sensitive skin, and fragrance-free. The American Academy of Dermatology Association recommends creams and lotions whose main ingredients include zinc oxide and titanium oxide since these are mild substances that are unlikely to irritate sensitive skin.
Avoid multiple-step skincare routines that use commercial skincare products with harsh ingredients. Sensitive skin fares better with a simple skincare routine that uses only a few but effective products. Many commercial facial care products contain harsh ingredients that can dry and irritate sensitive skin.
Eat the right kinds of food, ones that will help your skin stabilize with its sebum production (an increase of which is characteristic of rosacea and can cause acne). Food rich in omega-3 fatty acids and zinc sulfate can help in this regard.
Avoid triggering food like pepper, jalapenos, hot sauces, spicy food, and hot-temperature food and drinks on a warm day. Eating these may increase your body temperature, which is a trigger for flare-ups. Fast food is also a trigger for many patients. Other triggers include alcoholic drinks, tomatoes, citrus fruits, wheat, gluten-rich food, and fruit with high sugar content.
Flare-ups sometimes cannot be helped, and there are days that they're more than just an inconvenience. Imagine having a Zoom job interview or a first in-person date with someone you met online and your nose is all red and inflamed. It will be difficult to put your best foot forward if you're feeling self-conscious, uncomfortable, and maybe even in pain.
Follow these steps so that you can prevent flare-ups and improve your skin’s condition. If you need more tips and advice on how to treat rosacea, get in touch with Dr Saami’s clinic in La Mesa. A board-certified dermatologist who completed his residency at Harvard and Johns Hopkins, and whose publications and lectures are widely used worldwide, Dr Saami can offer you a personalized treatment.
Book a consultation today.
