Rosacea is a skin condition that one in ten (men and women) suffer from. It is often characterised by red flushing on the cheeks, irritation and sensitivity.
If you have rosacea, you will understand the burning and stinging sensation, permanent redness, spots and small blood vessels on show, which can all have a detrimental effect on one’s self-confidence.
In extreme cases, it can cause a ‘bulbous’ nose and even cause problems with sufferer’s eyes too.
The condition itself will always be prominent, with a permanent redness on the cheeks, nose and even forehead, but what you will tend to find is that symptoms such as stinging, spots and flushing will come and go.
When rosacea decides to flare up, it can do so either out of the blue or can be triggered by certain factors, such as drinking alcohol or spicy foods.
So what can trigger rosacea?
Rosacea isn’t something that currently can be cured or prevented, this is because the exact cause is unknown.
There are, however, a few triggers that can aggravate one’s rosacea further, and they are the following:
Alcohol:
Red and white wine, spirits and beer are all well known for triggering the red and hot flushes rosacea sufferers experience. So much so that even after two drinks, sufferers have said they can feel their skin flaring up, accompanied by a burning/hot sensation.
Skin care products and makeup
Rosacea skin is extremely sensitive and needs to be handled gently and with care. Some ingredients in makeup and skincare products are too harsh for this delicate skin condition and will cause severe redness and that nasty burning sensation.
Many rosacea sufferers tend to opt for mineral makeup which is kinder to their skin because it contains minimal ingredients that are mainly natural.
In terms of skincare, you’ll want to use cleansers and moisturisers that are specifically designed for rosacea. Many high street skincare brands tend to irritate rosacea skin. Even those that claim that they’re designed for sensitive skin can still be irritating.
Foods
Spicy foods are well known for triggering a rosacea flare-up. The heat of the spice will initiate your face to start flushing, as the heat rushes to the skin surface to escape.
Dairy and refined sugar have also been known to irritate one’s rosacea too, as there has been a strong link to a person’s gut health and rosacea in medical studies. If your digestive system is irritated by dairy or sugar, so too might your facial skin.
Weather
The weather causes mayhem on everyone’s skin, but for those with rosacea, its effect is much worse.
For example, heat and sunlight are two main triggers that cause a flare-up. In the heat, your body becomes hot and needs cooling down, so blood vessels in the skin dilate to release the excess heat in the body – causing your face to flush.
When it is cold outside and the heating is on indoors, this will affect a rosacea sufferer face to become extremely dry and uncomfortable. Symptoms can include a stinging sensation and soreness.
To help protect your face from the elements, it really is imperative that you wear a sunscreen all year round as rosacea skin is susceptible to the harmful effects of the sun dir to the UVA and UVB rays
During the colder months, a rich moisturiser that helps with keeping your skin soft, as well as targeting rosacea symptoms to help soothe and restore it your skin.
Exercise
Exercising is something we all have to do to help keep fit and healthy, but it’s another factor that rosacea dislikes, and it’s all to do with the heat trigger once more.
When you get hot from exercising, you’ll find as a rosacea sufferer that your skin will become very red as the blood is taking the heat to the skin surface to be released. Your face can become itchy, sore and extremely hot.
So are there any natural ingredients that can help soothe rosacea and it’s flare-ups? Yes, there certainly are.
Natural ingredients to soothe rosacea
Aloe vera, cucumber, green tea, oatmeal and honey have all be proven to help soothe redness and irritation from a flare up, while hydrating and calming the skin.
Cucumber
Thinly sliced, cool cucumber can be placed all over your skin to calm the redness and add hydration, thanks to its high water content.
Green Tea
Make a cup of green tea and allow it to cool by placing it in the fridge. Once cooled, apply the liquid to a clean cloth and dab onto the affected areas. This will help reduce any inflammation and redness.
Aloe Vera
Aloe vera is renowned for its soothing properties when applied to irritated skin, especially sunburn. Being able to soothe and deliver much-needed moisture, it truly will become your best friend to help calm and keep your redness from being so prominent.
Oatmeal and Honey
Both oatmeal and honey can be used in conjunction with one another as a mask, to gently exfoliate the dead skin cells that are on the face, all whilst the honey soothes the skin.
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