What Are Rosacea Triggers?
Rosacea triggers cause the blood vessels near the skin in the face to dilate. The face, usually the nose, the area around the nose, and the chin have a red appearance.
Rosacea triggers can be different for different individuals. Some triggers are easy to spot and others are mysterious. Knowing what triggers an episode of rosacea for others can help you in discovering your personal demons so you can avoid them.
For some rosacea sufferers it is being in the sun that sets it off. This can be controlled by wearing a sunscreen and/or a wide brimmed hat when in the sun and by keeping sun exposure to a minimum. A high air temperature can also be a trigger.
Spicy foods can also be the culprit. Foods that are hot like chili peppers and foods that are heated and consumed when very hot like a hot cup of coffee or hot soup. Hot peppers, mustard, horseradish, and black pepper alone or combined with other food are often rosacea triggers.
Alcohol, both spirits and wine, can cause a flare-up for some people. Even beer affects some.
Other foods that can act as a trigger are dairy products such as cheese, yogurt, and sour cream. These are fermented foods. Other fermented foods are vinegar, soy sauce, olive, sauerkraut, and pickles.
Citrus fruits, plums, figs, bananas, some beans, and avocados can also cause the face to flush.
Yeast extract is a big offender and it can be an ingredient in many processed foods. The yeast in bread doesn't seem to cause a flare-up for most people but yeast extract is very high in histamine and therefore it has to be avoided by some.
Other foods high in histamine are cheese, shellfish, tomato, spinach, sausages, chocolate, beer, pineapple, and unpasteurized milk.
Cosmetics and skin care products can contain fragrances, alcohol, acetone, or witch hazel and they may be a problem for some people.
Many times rosacea flare ups only happen when a person is under stress or experiencing heightened anxiety. Some women have never experienced rosacea until they begin menopause and have hot flashes.
The best way to discover your own personal rosacea triggers is to keep a diary. This is detective work and may take some time. Keep a detailed record of the food you eat each day. When you have a flare up, take a look at what you have eaten that might be the cause. If you suspect a food, eliminate that food from your diet. If no more flare ups occur, you may have found your personal rosacea trigger or at least one of them.
Read the ingredients on the labels of any processed food that you eat including frozen food. Your trigger may be an ingredient that you never suspected was even in that product.
Keeping a food diary is a lot of work but much preferable to just eliminating all foods that might be causing your rosacea. The complete list of possible rosacea trigger foods is very long. To give them all up would mean you would not only be giving up a number of foods that you enjoy unnecessarily but you would also lose out on the nutrition they provide.
The National Rosacea Society offers a Rosacea Diary Booklet to members that make it easier to keep a food diary plus activities, weather conditions, and cosmetics used each day that may be triggers for rosacea. Membership is free. Go to Rosacea Diary Booklet for the Materials Request Form.
For more information on home remedies for rosacea:
