weight lifting and rosacea

[arcticlobo]

I was diagnosed with rosacea about 6 months ago. Basically both my cheeks flush, usually brought on by heat/exercise/sunlight (without sunscreen). I have been weightlifting (4 times a week) for about two years, and really it is my only consistent flush trigger. For the few hours after my workout, (or a soccer game) my ears are red hot, and both my cheeks are fully flush. Aside from that, most of the time I just have a persistent shade of pink in my cheeks.

My question is, how damaging is weightlifting to rosacea, and can continual weight training really complicate my mild form of rosacea?

[drnase]

It can take decades for weightlifting to have any effect..... or never.

Change your workout slightly to limit flushing -- e.g. limit the severe bending over positions of the excercises that put a lot of strain on the abdominal muscles -- find a machine to keep your abs in shape.

The best advice I have is to monitor your flushing:

1. Is the flush staying with you longer and longer each month
2. It the intensity getting greater

If so, then I would re-evaluate your excercise program.

[Max]

My question is, how damaging is weightlifting to rosacea, and can continual weight training really complicate my mild form of rosacea?

beside what dr. nase said - if you take any supplements have a look at them, some might make rosacea worse.

i also think it makes a huge difference if you do weightlifting with weights that are easy to handle or working right below or above your personal limit. what i've seen in tv, some of that heros get a pretty red face (with weights it takes three of us to even lift them:). and i guess that kind of exercise could be bad for us? but i don't really know.

[drnase]

The thing that I miss most is doing those three extra reps for the pump and muscle gain. That is a tough trigger.

[NoMoreRed!]

I don't know if I am suppose to post a reply here or not, but..

Actually, if you want hypertrophy (muscle growth) you should not be going to failure. So this is a positive thing for you. :)

If you are going to do a regulare set of 3x10, I think you should do it this way: 1.set 9 reps, 2.set 9 reps, 3.set 7, 4.set 5 reps. This way, you can actually increase TUL (Time Under Load), without frying your CNS and trigger the rosacea.

And, as Dr.Nase are saying, the choice of exercises are really important.

[Max]

This way, you can actually increase TUL (Time Under Load), without frying your CNS and trigger the rosacea.

what does CNS stand for?

[NoMoreRed!]

This way, you can actually increase TUL (Time Under Load), without frying your CNS and trigger the rosacea.

what does CNS stand for?

Central Nerve System. You can train more often if you don't mess with it so much. Failure training really messes with CNS.

But this is way of topic - I'm sorry.

[fut]

NoMoreRed! - there is a lot of debate about wether going to failure is the optimal way of training. you are neither wrong nor right, my friend.

[drnase]

Fut and NoMoreRed,

This is certainly off topic. I use to be an avid weight lifter. As a physilogist, I had acesss to all the best minds in Excercise Physiiology and their equipment.

The only thing I learned was a true fact was that no one could prove any method was the best (in general). Your body type and your fast twitch vs. slow twitch muscle fibers and inherent genes makes us all so unique that the secret was to experiment and find out how your individual body responds to a certain stimulus. They all certainly dont respond the same.

I learned to dismiss 90% of the information in OTC magazines because they were not well researched. I did take home points to try and see how my biceps would respond to one particular recommendation.

Everyone is soooooooooooooooooooooooo different.

[fut]

DrNase,

I've always wondered if there was any techniques in finding out exactly the composition of each muscle in regards to fast and slow twitch fibers without actually experminenting with weight lifting on your own. I know there are "averages" out there so my guess it that there is some sort of tool that can measure this individually.

[drnase]

Fut,

A nice deep punch biopsy into the back of the calf will tell you.

[andrew_rosacea]

Hi Geoffrey

Interesting, if off-topic discussion to all of us who like to try and keep in shape with weights. Personally I find that weight lifting if done in a cool gym, with sensible exercises and good-form results in very little flushing for me. Unless I really strain on the last set, which I don't -- purely to keep my rosacea in check.

Just wanted to clarify what you mean below: Is this still a trigger for you?

Andrew.

The thing that I miss most is doing those three extra reps for the pump and muscle gain. That is a tough trigger.

[drnase]

Hi Andrew,

Yes, that is still a moderate trigger for me that I cant push too hard or it will push right back at me. You know, when you are dead tired on bench presses with a ton of weight and your spotter's sweat dripping in your face and yelling for three more reps that you dont possibly have left in you, but you use all your forehead veins to somehow get that bar up inch by inch with a slight nudge by the spotter to keep you in motion........ those kind of things that bring out a facial flush in 99% of the people on this planet.

Boy will I be starting from scratch in another 6 to 9 months. Ugghhh.

Most people really have a problem with increased intrabdominal pressure so I like the machines for this.

I also go to the cables a lot -- lots of new cable machines out there with set resistance.

[NoMoreRed!]

Yes, there's a lot of discussion about the failure/not failure. It may never end. :) But, because of your condition, Arcticlobo, I think it may be smart to split your sets in 'clusters' as I suggested in the other post. Do you take an baby aspirin before playing soccer or training weights? I found that helpful.

But, as Dr.Nase says, you'r probably not the only one with a red face in the gym. :D

[andrew_rosacea]

Agreed... I see lots of bursting veins in my gym but most people faces return to normal skin-tone after 30 seconds or so. Interesting to watch.

For general discussion, I tend to avoid exercises like bench-press and do ones where you are seated or standing upright. Usually works out OK. Saw a tip from you on good breathing form which has really helped me. By breathing out on the exertion phase of an exercise and keeping good control of breathing throughout I find I really minimize those "straining" flushes.

Andrew.

Hi Andrew,

Yes, that is still a moderate trigger for me that I cant push too hard or it will push right back at me. You know, when you are dead tired on bench presses with a ton of weight and your spotter's sweat dripping in your face and yelling for three more reps that you dont possibly have left in you, but you use all your forehead veins to somehow get that bar up inch by inch with a slight nudge by the spotter to keep you in motion........ those kind of things that bring out a facial flush in 99% of the people on this planet.

Boy will I be starting from scratch in another 6 to 9 months. Ugghhh.

Most people really have a problem with increased intrabdominal pressure so I like the machines for this.

I also go to the cables a lot -- lots of new cable machines out there with set resistance.

[arcticlobo]

beside what dr. nase said - if you take any supplements have a look at them, some might make rosacea worse.

i also think it makes a huge difference if you do weightlifting with weights that are easy to handle or working right below or above your personal limit. what i've seen in tv, some of that heros get a pretty red face (with weights it takes three of us to even lift them:). and i guess that kind of exercise could be bad for us? but i don't really know.

Supplement wise, I take a multivitiman, C, Flaxseed and Fish Oil. I also ordered grapeseed extrace and pynog...I don't remember the name. Diet wise, I eat around 2500 calroies a day, with 160-180 grams of protein through a variety of healthy foods, including home made smoothies supplemented with whey protein (I'm 6'0, 180 lbs). If your really interested in my diet (or just bored) you can check it out at:
http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/PublicJournals.html?Owner=arcticlobo

One of my friends showed me the swebsite last week, I have started using in to keep track of my nutrition plan.

As far as rosacea, I do notice that on exersices where I am lying down or at a decline (for example, bench) if I get up to about 10 + reps, my face will start to become very warm, red, and burn. (Most heavy stes I usually only get up to around 5-6) Of course, in most other people the redness goes away after 30+ seconds, and it does so for me also. But usually by the end of a 1 - 1 1/2 lifting session, my cheeks are a nice red color, taking about 2-3 hours to return to their normal pinkish hue. But considering 8 months ago I really had no symptoms at all, I would say it does seem to be progressing. And running on a treadmill or extensive cardio training? I've given up on that, that is just asking me to flush, especially considering at my gym the weightroom is about 70 F, and where the cardio is the temp is around 80 - 83 F.

By the way, thanks for writing your book Dr. Nase, I happened to get (and read it from cover to cover) about a week before I went to go visit a dermatologist. And guess what he gave me for rosacea??? Anybody?? If you guessed steroids, you win. I'm actually going back next week to get a persrciption for Elidel for my seb derm, though. I'll be sure to take you book to him.

[drnase]

Andrew,

I also switched over to mostly bench presses sitting up with the new machines that give programmable tension.


One of my secrets though (when I get back into it) is you cannot beat doiing a lying down bench press with a large bar for a big broad chest and it does expand the rib cage physically. I use the smith Kline bar with a slight tilt upwards and do many reps with a ton of weight (smith kline) you can pack on about 350 pounds and its only like doing 200 pounds but you can do it slow relaxed and with the proper breathing rate. Try this out Andrew if you already have not.

[Bob Bear]

Sounds like 'arcticlobo' has a very similar problem to myself. Take my advice friend, dont push yourself into major flushing during exercise - it advanced my rosacea considerably.

I'll explain:

At school I was never aware of my problem, it basically didnt exsist. I may have flushed a little, but not that I or anyone else seemed to notice. After school I got really into boxing and karate, and with in two years I was WELL into mild rosacea, probably moving into moderate. I literally couldnt touch my toes without inducing major flushing. So I eventually had to give up my sports and resume a more sedate form of exercise. Now I take a short walk / jog each morning - enough get some physical benefit, but not inducing a flush.

Ofcourse, weightlifting is very different to martial arts. But if you are finding your sport is yout main trigger, then be very careful. It really isnt worth advancing your rosacea 10 years for.

[drnase]

Like Bob Bear and Andrew mentioned -- listen to your own body and judge your flushing reaction over time.

[drnase]

The one thing I cant do with the intensity like I would like to do are the seated rowing machines for the entire upper body, arms, abs and back. These are tough excercises for rosacea sufferers but are the greatest 10 minute warm up machines I have ever found.

[SP1975]

Alright this is an area i may be of help in, i am a fellow rosacea sufferer that is also a competitive bodybuilder. Some tips i have to keep a flush down to a minimal during weight training would be: like Dr. Nase said, to stay in a more inclined position and avoid a declining position, make sure you breathe well b/c holding ur breath obviously brings blood to ur head when straining with heavy weights. have a large glass of ice cold water handy, and drink constantly holding a mouthful in at once pressed against ur cheeks, the ice cold water causes constriction of blood vessels, it works with me everytime. granted i may only have mild rosacea on my cheeks taking a shower soon after exercise completely gets rid of any flush i may have previously had and the redness really for a period of time. A flush of any degree will be inevitable during weight training, but these tips may help u keep down the duration of intensity of the flush during and after the exercise.

[drnase]

All great tips above. The cold water works well as you said. If you have accesst to finely crushed ice, that really does a great job by cooling down the oral cavity and activating sympathetic constrictor fibers. It fakes them out.


Arctic had an awesome point that EVERYONE SHOULD HEED. 90% OF THE NEW WEIGHTLIFTING DRINKS, SUPPLEMENTS, METABOLIC ENHANCERS ARE DEADLY TO ROSACEA. BE CARFUL. PLEASE.

[littledragon]

What are the weightlifting drinks and supplements that are deadly to rosacea? Any specific substance they contain?

Is creatine safe for rosaceans? Amino Acids?

Thanks,