When it comes to rosacea triggers, everyone is an individual. What causes rosacea symptoms to flare up for one person may have no effect on another, so it’s probably worth your while to keep at least a mental record of when your breakouts occur and what you’ve either been doing or which foods or beverages you’ve been consuming, at the time.
Common Rosacea Triggers That Cause Flareups
I know that for me, red wine is the big one! After reading a lot about rosacea, it also seems to be the number one alcoholic drink that does it to a lot of others. So if you suffer from this condition, the important thing is, to be aware of what does it for you and avoid these triggers as much as possible.
One of the dangers in not knowing your rosacea triggers, is that by putting the wrong medication on your skin, you can actually exacerbate your rosacea instead of improving it. For example, when I thought my rosacea was acne, I went to a doctor who prescribed antibiotics and some acne solution – but the solution only served to make my face redder and inflame the sores. Once I realized that it was rosacea and started a different regimen, things began to improve dramatically.
This Survey Revealed the Main Rosacea Triggers
A survey of 1,066 rosacea patients found the following most common triggers for rosacea:
Factors |
Percent Affected |
| Sun exposure | 81{950de5e870313faf4c5db3a7d190801ab62f662c92458036dbe5490915c0acf5} |
| Emotional stress | 79{950de5e870313faf4c5db3a7d190801ab62f662c92458036dbe5490915c0acf5} |
| Hot weather | 75{950de5e870313faf4c5db3a7d190801ab62f662c92458036dbe5490915c0acf5} |
| Wind | 57{950de5e870313faf4c5db3a7d190801ab62f662c92458036dbe5490915c0acf5} |
| Heavy exercise | 56{950de5e870313faf4c5db3a7d190801ab62f662c92458036dbe5490915c0acf5} |
| Alcohol consumption | 52{950de5e870313faf4c5db3a7d190801ab62f662c92458036dbe5490915c0acf5} |
| Hot baths | 51{950de5e870313faf4c5db3a7d190801ab62f662c92458036dbe5490915c0acf5} |
| Cold weather | 46{950de5e870313faf4c5db3a7d190801ab62f662c92458036dbe5490915c0acf5} |
| Spicy foods | 45{950de5e870313faf4c5db3a7d190801ab62f662c92458036dbe5490915c0acf5} |
| Humidity | 44{950de5e870313faf4c5db3a7d190801ab62f662c92458036dbe5490915c0acf5} |
| Indoor heat | 41{950de5e870313faf4c5db3a7d190801ab62f662c92458036dbe5490915c0acf5} |
| Certain skin-care products | 41{950de5e870313faf4c5db3a7d190801ab62f662c92458036dbe5490915c0acf5} |
| Heated beverages | 36{950de5e870313faf4c5db3a7d190801ab62f662c92458036dbe5490915c0acf5} |
| Certain cosmetics | 27{950de5e870313faf4c5db3a7d190801ab62f662c92458036dbe5490915c0acf5} |
| Medications | 15{950de5e870313faf4c5db3a7d190801ab62f662c92458036dbe5490915c0acf5} |
| Medical conditions | 15{950de5e870313faf4c5db3a7d190801ab62f662c92458036dbe5490915c0acf5} |
| Certain fruits | 13{950de5e870313faf4c5db3a7d190801ab62f662c92458036dbe5490915c0acf5} |
| Marinated meats | 10{950de5e870313faf4c5db3a7d190801ab62f662c92458036dbe5490915c0acf5} |
| Certain vegetables | 9{950de5e870313faf4c5db3a7d190801ab62f662c92458036dbe5490915c0acf5} |
| Dairy products | 8{950de5e870313faf4c5db3a7d190801ab62f662c92458036dbe5490915c0acf5} |
| Other factors | 24{950de5e870313faf4c5db3a7d190801ab62f662c92458036dbe5490915c0acf5} |
Whatever your rosacea triggers are, will of course be an individual matter. Although the above table shows the most common ones, it’s different for everyone – and it will also depend on which category of symptoms that your rosacea falls into.
We could also classify the triggers into groups, such as foods, beverages, weather, drugs, medical conditions, skin care products, emotional influences and physical exertion. You know what you do, so this might be more helpful. Patient records have revealed the following rosacea triggers related to the above groups:
Rosacea Triggers by Category
FOODS:
- Liver
- Yogurt
- Sour cream
- Cheese (except cottage cheese)
- Chocolate
- Vanilla
- Soy sauce
- Yeast extract (bread is OK)
- Vinegar
- Eggplant
- Avocados
- Spinach
- Broad-leaf beans and pods,
including lima, navy or pea - Citrus fruits, tomatoes, bananas,
red plums, raisins or figs - Spicy and thermally hot foods
- Foods high in histamine
BEVERAGES:
- Alcohol, especially red wine,
beer, bourbon, gin, vodka or champagne - Hot drinks, including hot cider,
hot chocolate, coffee or tea
WEATHER: (Erythematotelangiectatic Rosacea suffers are more susceptible to these)
- Sun
- Strong winds
- Cold
- Humidity
- Saunas
- Hot baths
- Simple overheating
- Excessively warm environments
DRUGS:
- Vasodilators
- Topical steroids
MEDICAL CONDITIONS:
- Frequent flushing
- Menopause
- Chronic cough
- Caffeine withdrawal syndrome
SKIN CARE PRODUCTS:
- Some cosmetics and hair
sprays, especially those
containing alcohol, witch hazel
or fragrances - Hydro-alcoholic or acetone
substances - Any substance that causes
redness or stinging
EMOTIONAL INFLUENCES:
- Stress
- Anxiety
PHYSICAL EXERTION:
- Exercise
- “Lift and load” jobs
Please be careful to not assume that ANY of the above items will affect you. Many may not. However, if you are aware of the most common potential rosacea triggers then you can keep a mental note of times when you use any of these and whether it causes a flare up.
