Rosacea triggers: Exercise Induced Flushing

Exercise is a common trigger for flushing in people with rosacea , but altering exercise regimens can reduce the effect.

However, 42 percent said they modified their exercise routines because of the skin condition, and nearly 9 out of 10 of those that did so said those changes reduced the effect of exercise on their rosacea.

"While exercise is important to a healthy lifestyle, people with rosacea should anticipate flare-ups of rosacea signs and symptoms, especially with strenuous activity or outdoor heat exposure," Dr. James Del Rosso, an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at the University of Nevada Medical School.

"By doing simple things, such as working out in the early morning or late evening when the weather is cooler or in a cool indoor environment, rosacea sufferers may be able to reduce the intensity of flare-ups."

Other ways to reduce or avoid flare-ups:
exercising more often, but for shorter periods of time;
running a fan or opening a window in order to keep cool indoors;
and cooling off by drinking cold fluids
or by keeping a damp towel around the neck.

The survey found that walking triggered rosacea in 36 percent of the respondents, followed by jogging or running (33.5 percent), aerobics (30.5 percent), weight lifting (16 percent), push-ups or sit-ups (15 percent), and bicycling or spinning (15 percent).

Along with exercise, other common triggers of rosacea flare-ups include hot weather, alcohol, sun exposure, emotional stress, humidity, indoor heat, spicy foods, heated beverages and irritating skin-care products. Exercise is a common trigger for flushing in people with rosacea , but altering exercise regimens can reduce the effect.

Caring For Rosacea Skin

Optimum health and beauty in skin care is actually a result of finding the right balance to unlock the full potential of your skin.  A balanced rosacea routine reduces the chance of poor health and diseases such as diabetes, allergies, sinus conditions, obesity, osteoporosis, rheumatism, arthritis, lupus, and cancer. Many of these problems can be prevented or drastically reduced by an alkaline diet.

Acidic foods and drinks range from 0 to 7 on the pH (potential of hydrogen) while alkaline foods and drinks are in the range of 7 to 14. The human body functions best when the pH is in the 7.4 range or alkaline.  Stress and adverse health conditions act as life's acids, wearing the body down by reducing the pH. Even lactic acid caused by heavy exercise or just the average wearing of body cells over a lifetime continues to decrease the "alkalines" that keep the body from degenerating nearly as fast.

A Study On The Role Of Sun Exposure As A Rosacea Trigger

Sun exposure appears to trigger a substance in the body that may lead to the visible blood vessels that often appear with rosacea, a conspicuous facial disorder now estimated to affect 14 million Americans, according to research funded by the National Rosacea Society and reported at the 2002 annual meeting of the Society for Investigative Dermatology.

"Our initial study showed that sunlight may indeed have a role in causing rosacea," said Dr. Marita Kosmadaki, research fellow, Department of Dermatology, Boston University, who presented results of her research with Dr. Mina Yaar, professor of dermatology at Boston University.Drs. Yaar and Kosmadaki found that exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation -- a component of sunlight -- led to the production of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a substance that has been linked to the development of visible blood vessels (telangiectasia).

"The melanin in the skin of darker-skinned individuals appears to make it difficult for UV radiation to reach the lower layers of the skin," Dr. Kosmadaki noted. "As a result, in darker-skinned individuals VEGF would tend to be induced only in the upper skin layers, and hence would not affect the blood vessels. In contrast, sufficient ultraviolet rays could induce VEGF synthesis in the deeper skin layers in fair-skinned individuals."Because other researchers had found the production of VEGF can be triggered by another molecule called tumor necrosis factor (TNF), Drs. Yaar and Kosmadaki hypothesized that the UV radiation first induced the production of TNF, and its release in turn led to the synthesis of VEGF.They then tested whether a hexapeptide, which binds TNF and cancels its effect, would block VEGF production and leave blood vessels unaffected. However, their research found that blocking this single pathway was ineffective in preventing the production of VEGF."Our findings have shed new light on the potential pathogenesis of this vascular component of rosacea," Dr. Kosmadaki said. "It appears that sun-induced VEGF may play a significant role in rosacea, and its production process seems to involve factors other than TNF. This opens the way for further research that may lead to substantial improvements in treatment or prevention."

Publication of results: Kosmadaki MG, Yaar M, Arble BL, Gilchrest BA. UV induces VEGF through a TNF-alpha independent pathway. Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Journal 2003;17:446-448.

With Rosacea It's Best to Prepare The Skin Prior to Treatment

Prior to beginning any new rosacea treatment, one needs to prepare the skin, and allow the skin to heal from the effects of previous treatments which may have left the skin damaged or overly sensitive. Rosacea sufferers often say that the rosacea treatments they had been using left their skin so sensitive that "even water hurts their skin".

By allowing the skin a healing period during which time use only a gentle cleansing bar and following the cleansing with Jojoba Oil to soothe, calm and moisturize the skin that the skin is able to begin to repair itself from the harmful effects of lasers, acids, retinoids, etc.

Reducing the acidic nature of foods in your diet and balancing them with more alkaline based foods and water will also add in the healing of the skin. Simply increasing your water intake can reduce facial redness.