Lifestyle Recommendations

It is important to treat rosacea in as many ways as possible. Those who modify their lifestyles, eating habits and reduce their level of stress often experience a much greater degree of rosacea clearing. While you try to treat the symptoms of the skin (rosacea) that are most visible and distressing, you should try treating the cause! If we find and treat the cause, then maybe all the symptoms of rosacea need not occur! Good health for your skin as well as your entire body may require a permanent lifestyle change that will reward you with a longer life and more beautiful skin to wear during those extra years.

Follow these recommendations for better health and better looking skin:

1.If you do 'not have rosacea', and you are very small (at approximately 100 pounds then you should drink at least 8 eight ounce glasses (2 liters) of water per day. Considerably more is needed if one is larger, working outside, playing a sport, or doing something else physically taxing. Since heat relates to vascular dilation (also referred to as flushing) in most people, the rosacea sufferer needs even more water. Those with undesirable skin conditions should consume between 10 and 12 glasses (3 liters) of icy water per day to cool the face and body and to assist the body in proper excretion of oil, waste, and toxins. The water must be icy cold to help prevent flushing and to reduce it once it has occurred.

2. Stress is the body's reaction to a perceived threat. Adrenaline and hormones are released, and the nervous system is activated, sharpening our senses, but simultaneously our pulse rises, our muscles tense and our immune system begins to shut down. Those that can not relieve stress as needed may experience fatigue, upset stomach, and frequent headaches. Adult acne and rosacea are sometimes by-products of stress and/or dehydration.

Avoid stressful situations. Anger, embarrassment and fright may all result in flushing and trigger rosacea symptoms.

You can combat stress by changing your situation, your attitude toward people and things (we can learn to be positive), and taking the personal time out to have fun and friendship. Sleep eight hours or more per night to help alleviate stress. Caffeine, being a stimulant, can make you hyper and cause difficulty in sleeping.

3. Stimulants such as coffee, tea, cigarettes, and excessive sugar from sweets and soda are vascular dilators and should be avoided. Sodas (soft drinks, pop) containing aspartame and or NutraSweet cause excessive redness in approximately 30% of rosacea sufferers and should be avoided. Anything that affects the entire body, brain, and nervous system to awaken it in the morning or stimulate it during the day can easily stimulate the sebaceous glands to secrete more oil that has to leave the body via the pores. Also, stimulants create stress.

4. It's best to avoid alcohol or at least minimize alcohol intake. Alcohol is a diuretic; that is, it pushes water out of body cells, causing increased urine production resulting in dehydration. Dehydration causes the skin's pores to shrink, making them more prone to clogging. Also, alcohol inhibits sleep, causing more fatigue and stress, which lead to more rosacea symptoms. A rosacea sufferer who drinks alcohol should follow it with much water to hydrate the body and prevent rosacea flare-ups.

5. Hot baths and showers should be avoided, as should very cold water on the affected areas. To prevent vascular dilation, use warm water well below 98.5 degrees on the affected areas so as not to redden the face more. Scrubbing and abrasives should be avoided, as they irritate the skin, which should be left intact as a natural barrier against bacteria.

6. Many people with rosacea have other symptoms that suggest the diagnosis of food allergy. The involvement of the central face has often been a puzzle to some rosaceans. A red nose, cheeks and red ears act like warning lights that turn on when a food reaction starts and the need to identify reactive foods when this flushing or vascular dilation occurs. Often, it is the symptoms of food allergy that motivate people to start diet revision and an improvement in their rosacea condition is noted along with improvement in other symptoms such as gastrointestinal disturbances, migraine headache, sinusitis, and fatigue.

There are different types of flushing caused by the intake of various foods and beverages. Everyone is different; therefore what triggers one may not trigger another.

Rosacea redness is partially caused by high calorie carbohydrates (pastas, breads) and sugar spiking from all sweet foods. So think of things that give you a high burn rate, high energy, or foods that would most likely add fat to your body, and you would be identifying the worst culprits.

Quite different are the foods that are blood vessel dilators such as vinegars, hot spices and various other spicy seasonings, hot sauces, peppers (including black pepper) and meat marinades. Tomatoes, citrus fruits and related juices, bananas, and red plums, raisins, figs, pasta, cheese, and chocolates are some of the worst offenders to many. Other very common known flushing foods are liver, yogurt, sour cream, vanilla, soy sauce, yeast extract, eggplant, avocados, spinach, broad-leaf beans and pods, including lima, navy or peas. Allergies to malt and yeast beverages, and fermented alcohols would fall into the allergy category.

Another category would be thermally hot foods and drinks as they even cause flushing in non-rosaceans. Avoid all hot foods and drinks until they have cooled to body temperature or better yet cooled well below body temperature. The best way to drink a small amount of coffee, tea, or soft drink is refrigerator cold as this will not cause as much vascular dilation.

Another category would be aspartame and NutraSweet in soft drinks, jellos and other foods. Aspartame and NutraSweet as a sugar replacement causes noticeable flushing in 30% of rosaceans. Try a 60 day non-aspartame period to watch your facial blushing improve.

7. Exercise for stress reduction! It is best to exercise in moderate temperatures: in the early morning during the summer, and during the heat of the day in winter.

Body stress and fatigue has much to do with rosacea redness and rosacea papules. Don't work out 'heavy' when you are already stressed; just take a positive walk for 15 minutes, or enjoy an exercise that is positive and mentally uplifting. By washing the face thoroughly before the exercise program, the face will remain cooler and limit the film of oil which blocks the pores thus preventing acne pimples. You may have watched many working out in various health spas alternate between working with weights, a cooling shower, a swim in the pool and back to the weights, back in the shower, back in the pool, etc.

The most ideal exercise is swimming in a properly treated indoor chlorinated pool (bromide treated pools are too harsh on the skin). Chlorine kills fungi, bacteria, viruses, and parasites that can worsen rosacea as well as acne and seborrheic dermatitis. The swimming pool water is usually 75 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit, which is well below normal body temperature of 98.6 degrees. Thus, it cools the entire body, including the rosacea affected areas, while providing excellent exercise to reduce mental stress and physical tension.

Try the following:

• Moderate the intensity of the exercise.
• Break up the exercise into smaller sets, not a 1 hour workout, but two half hour sessions or four 15 minute sessions. Too much exercise in a short span of time will cause a buildup of lactic acid (this is when you "feel the burn").
• Exercise when it's cool - early or late in the day.
• Ideally 10 to 12 glasses of water daily for the average size person.
• Put a freezer block (that you place in a lunch box to keep food cold) and an extra towel into your exercise bag and use to cool off during exercise. Try to blot and absorb moisture instead of 'wiping and irritating the skin.'

8. Astringent soaps and any astringent agents that shrink the skin pores such as witch hazel, alum, oatmeal, very cold water, and rubbing alcohol should be avoided. When skin pores shrink, more body oils are trapped in the skin.

9. Change wash-cloths and body towels after each use. They are a great place for adult acne-causing bacteria to grow and be reapplied to the skin later. Wash facial wash cloths, pillow covers, and personal undergarments daily with Clorox to decrease rosacea-related bacterial growth. Change clothes and sheets frequently.

10. Keep body weight as close to that prescribed for your age, height, frame size, and gender as possible. An overweight body puts a heavier load on the cardiovascular system which results in an increase in rosacea-related vascular dilation, facial blushing and redness.

11. Eat three small meals rather than one big meal to help prevent rosacea flare-ups. Also graze between meals to keep the blood sugar level up. However, always consider calorie intake and weight control.

12. Avoid the sun as much as possible. The sun does kill bacteria, but it also acts as an astringent to tighten, dry, and clog the skin pores. The sun directly affects 61 percent of all rosacea sufferers. Avoid extremely cold weather as well, so as not to freeze and clog pores. Moisturizing the face and body and staying in temperatures ranging from 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal. Sunscreen moisturizers are helpful year-round.

The sun causes skin cancer and irritates rosacea even when you use sun block with a SPF of 45. Your skin will look better if you avoid sun burning and tanning, and the resulting wrinkling.

Nonetheless, a small amount of sunshine is good for us. In the presence of full-spectrum light, human skin actually makes vitamin D, a vitamin necessary for maintaining strong bones and regulating calcium and phosphorus in the body. But humans do not need much sunshine to make enough vitamin D. Most people receive adequate exposure in the course of daily errands.

Some people want additional sun exposure. Rosacea sufferers must be careful of such exposure. If you sunbathe, cover your face entirely. When you go out, wear a hat!

Certain medications can make those who take them more sensitive to the sun, causing a rash or unexpected severe sunburn. If you're taking such a medication, sunglasses are critical to prevent damage to your eyes, and to ward off ocular rosacea, a condition that is quite difficult to manage.

A myriad of compounds can make skin and eyes more vulnerable to the sun's rays, worsening rosacea redness. Many antibiotics prescribed for rosacea, birth control pills, blood pressure medicines, diabetes drugs and pain relievers can increase the likelihood that UV radiation will do damage.

So many things can affect rosacea – but not everything may affect YOUR rosacea. The key is to find what triggers your rosacea so that you may control your situation in the best way possible.

We continually update this site to keep you informed of the latest scientific findings about rosacea.

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