Are Your Cheeks Always Flushed? Think You Have Rosacea?

If your face is always flushed or red, you may just have the skin ddisorder called rosacea. What is rosacea and what are its symptoms? People with rosacea suffer from chronic redness in the face. There may also be swelling involved and small pimples may also occur. Broken blood vessels may also become visible.

Commonly, rosacea affects the face area specifically the cheeks, chin, forehead as well as the nose. Other areas that can be affected by this skin disorder are the ears, chest as well as the back. But rosacea also affects the eyes. In fact about half or more rosacea patients experience redness, burning and watering of their eyes. In medical term this is called ocular rosacea.

What Causes Rosacea?

That question is till left unanswered up to this date. There are several theories but it has not yet been established as to what actually causes this skin disorder. However there are several factors that can trigger a rosacea flare up. So if you are suffering from this skin disorder, you should be aware of these triggers.

Rosacea Triggers

If you have been diagnosed with rosacea, be sure to avoid these triggers to prevent any flare-up from happening.

• Spicy foods
• Caffeine and Alcohol
• Exposure to the sun
• Physical workout
• Stress
• Cosmetics and toiletries with irritants
• Massaging, scrubbing as well as rubbing the face
• Exposure to extreme temperatures

There are as well factors that increases your chances of getting rosacea. If you are a female with fair skin, between the age of 30 and 60 years old as well as having relatives with rosacea, this increases your risk in getting this skin disorder.

Diagnosing Rosacea

If you are experiencing rosacea symptoms, consult with your physician. He or she would inquire about the symptoms you have and check your medical history. Your physician may refer you to a skin doctor or a dermatologist as this type of doctor holds specialty in skin disorders. You should not self-diagnose or self-medicate as you may just worsen your condition.

Treating Rosacea

Just like other skin disorders like eczema and psoriasis, rosacea also has no known cure yet. However there are ways to control it. The doctor may prescribe medications such as antibiotics to be applied on the skin or antibiotic pills. The doctor may also give prescriptions for topical ointments such as tretinoin (Retin-A) or sulfa.

Preventing Flare-ups

Rosacea can be a difficult disorder to live with. Preventing a flare up can be tough too. Here are some steps on how you can prevent your rosacea from flaring up.

• The best way to control rosacea and prevent flare-ups is avoiding exposure to known triggers.
• Keep your skin protected from the glare of the sun. If heading outdoors, make sure that you lather on sunscreen lotion with an SPF of at least 15 and also wear protective clothing such as a hat.
• When exercising choose a cool environment so that your skin does not overheat.
• You should not let anything that you know irritates your skin touch it.
• You should only use cleansers, moisturisers, beauty products and toiletries that do not come with alcohol in its ingredients and are known to be gentle to the skin.