Do you have a progressive reddening of your face that concerns you? Is it not going away, no matter what you do? You may notice some acne outbreaks and even red lines where there didn’t use to be any, and it’s all on your face. Some can look like red patches and other parts like a rash. What is rosacea and what are the underlying triggers?

Essentially, rosacea is an inflammatory condition that affects the skin on your face. Your face will always look like you’re blushing, and you may experience acne. While acne and rosacea are two different conditions, acne can be a symptom of rosacea, especially when it’s accompanied by the all-over redness of the face.

People who get rosacea are usually over the age of 30 and it affects both genders equally. It seems to be an auto-immune condition where your immune system starts attacking your facial skin. However, the symptoms can be made worse by lifestyle and environmental factors, such as eating spicy foods, drinking alcohol, getting too much sun, and even changes in temperature. Some medications may also worsen the condition.

As with most autoimmune disorders, it appears that the triggers are different in different people. So, your triggers may not be the same as someone else’s and vice versa. You need to pay attention to what seems to make the condition worse in YOU, and then avoid those particular things. Make a list if you need to, and discuss it with your doctor. Your particular triggers may affect the type of treatment that is offered to you. Two common triggers are the sunshine and emotional stress. Intense exercise, hot baths, certain cosmetics and spicy foods are also common triggers.

There are several treatments for rosacea that you can get from your doctor, the most common of which is steroids. These are very effective for minimizing the symptoms, but steroids can have harsh side effects on their own. Even topical steroid creams, which many use for rosacea, can ultimately cause your skin to become thin and easily bruised, so you want to be careful with your prescrption creams Many people find that natural treatments like homeopathy and acupuncture work well for relieving this annoying, but ultimately harmless skin condition. Flax seed oil for omega 3, soaking the skin with green tea compresses, adding lipase supplements and incorporating burdock root tea into one’s diet are some methods that ease the rosacea symptoms for some individuals.