Signs and Symptoms of Rosacea

Rosacea (pronounced roh-ZAY-sha) is a common but poorly understood disorder of the facial skin.  Although it is estimated that over 16 million Americans - and as many as 415 million worldwide — are affected with this skin condition, many of them do not even realize they have it.

Signs and symptoms of rosacea

 The first and then later signs of rosacea include...

• Redness or blushing across your nose, cheeks, forehead and chin that comes and goes.
• A burning or stinging feeling when using water or skincare products.
• The redness may be harder to see on darker skin.
• As rosacea gets worse, your cheeks, nose, skin and forehead will be red all the time.
• Tiny broken blood vessels that do not go away may appear on your skin.
• You may get small pink or red bumps. Sometimes these become filled with a yellowish liquid.
• Other symptoms can include dry skin; swelling, especially around the eyes; yellow-orange patches on the skin; sore eyelids or crusts around roots of eyelashes (this could be blepharitis); plus, thickened skin, mainly on the nose which only usually appears after many years.

As well as understanding the symptoms to look out for, it is useful to know that there are different stages.

The different stages of rosacea

The interesting thing about rosacea is that there are different and distinct stages of this skin condition.  They occur in this order:

• Pre-rosacea: Frequent flushing and skin sensitivity.
• Vascular rosacea: Small blood vessels on the nose and cheeks swell and become visible.
• Inflammatory rosacea: Small red bumps appear and become painful. 

While it is not known what causes rosacea, there are some triggers that can make symptoms worse or even cause outbreaks.

Common triggers for rosacea include

• alcohol
• spicy foods
• cheese
• caffeine
• hot drinks
• aerobic exercise like running

Ideally, you should get a medical diagnosis when suffering from any serious skin condition so that you know what you are dealing with and can take appropriate action.

Tips to soothe your symptoms

Coolness is key, so avoid getting overheated when exercising and avoid saunas. Protect your face from the sun by using a natural sunscreen and wearing a wide brimmed hat.

Certain foods can trigger a rosacea outbreak. These include spices, eggplant, soy sauce and even avocado but keeping a food diary may help you to pinpoint other food culprits. At the same time reduce or eliminate any alcohol use.

Vitamins that help

The most recommended rosacea vitamin is vitamin A. It is always best to get your required daily vitamins by eating raw, organic food if possible. Foods high in vitamin A include leafy greens, sweet potatoes, carrots and butternut.

Also try to get as much vitamin D as possible. The best source of vitamin D is the sun. One of the best places on your body to absorb vitamin D is your stomach. Simply set aside 10-20 minutes per day to get safe sun exposure on your stomach. Make sure to be in the sun well before or after midday and don't use sunscreen for optimal absorption.