Although not every rosacea patient responds to the same triggers, the list of potential rosacea triggers in various individuals may be endless.













































The National Rosacea Society published a survey of 1,066 rosacea patients. They found that the most common factors were exposure to sun, stress, heat, wind, heavy exercise and alcohol consumption. Here’s a list of factors and the percentage of people who found them to trigger rosacea:

Factors

81% Sun exposure
79% Emotional stress
75% Hot weather
57% Wind
56% Heavy exercise
52% Alcohol consumption
51% Hot baths
46% Cold weather
45% Spicy foods
44% Humidity
41% Indoor heat
41% Certain skin-care products
36% Heated beverages
27% Certain cosmetics
15% Medications
15% Medical conditions
13% Certain fruits
10% Marinated meats
9% Certain vegetables
8% Dairy products
24% Other factors

The following list was compiled from patient histories by Dr. Jonathan Wilkin and produced by the National Rosacea Society.

Foods

• Liver


• Yogurt


• Sour cream


• Cheese (except cottage cheese)


• Chocolate


• Vanilla


• Soy sauce


• Yeast extract (bread is ok)


• Vinegar


• Eggplant


• Avocados


• Spinach


• Broad-leaf beans and pods, including lima, navy or pea


• Citrus fruits, tomatoes, bananas, red plums, raisins, figs


• Spicy and thermally hot foods


• Foods high in histamine

Heat related

• Saunas


• Hot baths


• Simple overheating


• Excessively warm environments

Weather

• Sun


• Strong winds


• Cold


• Humidity

Drugs

• Vasodilators


• Topical steroids

• Alcohol, especially red wine, beer, bourbon, gin, vodka or champagne


• Hot drinks, including hot cider, hot chocolate, coffee or tea

Emotional influences

• Stress


• Anxiety


• Exercise

Skin care products

• Many cosmetics and hair sprays, especially those containing alcohol, witch hazel or fragrances


• Hydro-alcoholic or acetone substances


• Any substance that causes redness or stinging

Other triggers

• Frequent flushing


• Menopause


• Chronic cough


• Caffeine withdrawal syndrome

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but these are the most common rosacea triggers. If you haven’t already noticed any of them as causative factors, start paying attention to what your specific triggers may be. Keep a notebook and jot down your activities, weather and/or environmental conditions, the foods you eat and drink and the products that you use. After a while you’ll begin to see patterns.

Once you know what triggers your rosacea, you’ll be able to protect yourself or avoid the trigger.

While there is no cure, there is good news. The FDA has approved a slew of topical treatments for this condition. The usual acne medications don’t work with rosacea as it is primarily inflammatory. So acne medications such as Retin-A or Accutane don’t help at all. The reason is that Rosacea is aggravated by the sun and certain foods, rather than hormonal imbalances. A complete reddening of the face, called flushing, is common.

Again, the biggest reason flushing occurs is from sun exposure. The next biggest reason is emotional stress. Hot weather in general also aggravates rosacea. So the first thing to do is to always protect yourself from the sun and heat and learn to stay calm in stressful situations.

If you decide you need medical treatment for your rosacea, anti-inflammatory antibiotics taken either topically or by mouth are available by prescription. Or you can discuss any of the new topical treatments with your dermatologist.

Your dermatologist can now select from the following creams and ointments:

• Avar


• Azelex & Finacea (azelaic acid)


• Clenia


• Cleocin & Clindamax (clindamycin)


• Klaron


• Metrocream


• Metrogel


• Nicomide (nicotinic acid)


• Noritate (metronidazole)



• Ovace


• Plexion


• Rosenil (all forms of sulfa)


• Rosula


• Rozac

Got rosacea? You’re in good company. Some of the most famous people in the world have it or have had it. Why, it seems to run rampant through the Royals in nearly the entire British House of Windsor, having affected Lady Diana, Princess of Wales, as well as Prince Harry, Prince Charles and Prince William of England.

Here are a few more actors, actresses, comedians and politicians you can feel affiliated with:

Celebrities With Rosacea:

Bill Clinton – Is this former U.S. President just red-faced about getting caught with his pants down?

Or is it rosacea?

Actually, a close look at any of Bill Clinton’s photos shows tell-tale ruddiness and the start of red-nosed rhinophyma. Will he end up with a nose like W. C. Fields’? Only time will tell.

Borris Yeltsin – Those red-faced photos weren’t just from barking orders all day (or from drinking Vodka all night). Well, maybe the Vodka…

Cameron Diaz – Well concealed. This American actress smitten with rosacea can afford pay for the best make-up artists to get her skin looking smooth as silk.

We wonder if she uses our favorite brand of Mineral Makeup?

Janis Joplin – Relentlessly pounded on and called, “Pig-face” in high school for her red, blochy skin, she was even dubbed, “The ugliest ‘man’ in school.” She showed them. No doubt all that teasing contributed to, or was the source of her raw, intensly emotional singing that brought her fame.

J. P. Morgan – His rosacea flared up so badly during stressfull times that he curtailed his social activies.

Lisa Faulkner – Diagnosed with rosacea in 2005, this actress has learned to live with the condition by concealing it, staying away from stress and avoiding triggers. Unfortunately, she’s had to severely limit drinking champagne – and that MUST put a damper on her social life at Hollywood parties!

Mariah Carey - She may have rosacea, but it’s artfully concealed. However it’s starting to show more now that she’s getting a little older. She doesn’t do facials because having people poke at her face is not good for her rosacea. She prefers using home remedies, like making little packs of milk and ice to calm it down.

Renee Zellweger – Fitting right into the role of ‘Bridget Jones,’ Renee’s rosacea has never been fully concealed by all the makeup she wears while under the lights. A pity. Maybe a change of makeup to organic Mineral Makeup that does an incredible job of covering blotches is in order.

Rosie O’Donnell – With a mouth that loud (and that crass), she deserves it. What else can we say?

Ted Kennedy – The famous senator had his share of red and blotchy skin – no doubt due to his “work hard, play harder” lifestyle that did nothing to avoid rosacea triggers.

W. C. Fields – Who could mistake that pronounced red, bulbous nose as anything else but rhinophyma from years untreated adult acne rosacea! But then, he claims he got that nose from being punched in the nose so often during youthful bar fights. Maybe, but we think its all the wine and spirits he drank. In any case, it only added to this comedian and actor’s comic appearance.

William Shatner – During ‘Star Trek’ filming, Bill’s rosacea popped up from time to time, but it only looked like he had a tough day on the deck of the Enterprise. Now, as Denny Crane, his rosacea seems to have settled down – or he has better makeup artists.

Acne Rosacea (commonly called Rosacea) is a a chronic inflammation of the blood vessels in the skin. This causes facial redness, a rough complexion, and small acne-like eruptions on the cheeks, forehead and nose. Unless it affects the eyes, it is typically a harmless cosmetic condition, as the redness is semi-permanent. However, red gritty eyes, burning and stinging sensations, and in some advanced cases, a red, bulbous nose (rhinophyma), may develop due to thickening and swelling of the skin.

Rosacea primarily affects fair-skinned Caucasians primarily of northwestern European descent and is so prevalent in people from Britain and Ireland, it has been nicknamed the ‘curse of the Celts.’ It is by no means limited to any nationality. It can also affect people of virtually any other ethnicity. Rosacea affects both sexes, but is almost three times more common in women. It’s peak age of onset is between 30 and 60.

Symptoms can include:

• Frequent redness of the face, or flushing


• Small, red lines under the skin


• Acne


• A swollen nose


• Thick skin, usually on the forehead, chin, cheeks and nose


• Red, dry, itchy eyes and sometimes vision problems

Causes of Rosacea

The causes of rosacea are not fully known. There is much speculation, however.

• It has been noticed that patients with rosacea had elevated levels of the peptide cathelicidin and elevated levels of stratum corneum tryptic enzymes (SCTEs). Antibiotics have been used in the past to treat rosacea but they may only work because they inhibit some SCTEs.
• It has also been hypothesized that rosacea is a neurological disorder, resulting from hypersensitization of sensory neurons by bradykinin following activation of the plasma kallikrein-kinin system due to exposure to intestinal bacteria in the digestive tract. This hypersensitivity then produces neurogenic inflammation upon dermal stimulation, causing the flushing symptoms and vasodilation that are characteristic of the disorder.


• It appears that triggers that cause episodes of flushing and blushing play a part in the development of rosacea. Exposure to temperature extremes can cause the face to become flushed as well as strenuous exercise, heat from sunlight, severe sunburn, stress, anxiety, cold wind, and moving to a warm or hot environment from a cold one such as heated shops and offices during the winter.


• There are also some food and drinks that can trigger flushing for sensitive people, especially in Caucasians of mainly northwestern European descent. This include alcohol, food and beverages containing caffeine (especially, hot tea and coffee), foods high in histamines and spicy food.


• Certain medications and topical irritants can quickly trigger rosacea. Some acne and wrinkle treatments that have been reported to cause rosacea include microdermabrasion and chemical peels, as well as high dosages of isotretinoin, benzoyl peroxide, and tretinoin. Steroid induced rosacea is the term given to rosacea caused by the use of topical or nasal steroids. These steroids are often prescribed for seborrheic dermatitis. Dosage should be slowly decreased and not immediately stopped to avoid a flare up.

Treatment Options

There is no cure for rosacea, nor is there a single, specific test for rosacea. In addition, it can easily be confused with, and co-exist with acne vulgaris and/or seborrhoeic dermatitis. Only an experienced dermatologist can diagnose it with certainty.

Treatment centers around management. Typically, treatment usually involves trigger avoidance and the use of topical medications to reduce inflammation.

Mild cases are often not treated at all and are simply covered up with cosmetics. Since many creams and cosmetics can cause a rosacea trigger, you’d be better off using natural mineral makeup that doesn’t clog or irritate and lets your skin breathe.

Its also important to eat a balanced diet with ample protein, fruits, vegetables and fiber to keep your body and immune system healthy.