Rosacea Triggers

[nat007]

High Humidity.....95% thick like a sauna kind of weather.....within minutes my face swells, turns dark red, throbs and the burning is out of control crazy painful.

Stress/Upset/emotions.....I have a super low threshold and will flush and burn

Almost all topicals.....my skin is super hyper reactive.

Hot or spicy foods.....I just don't eat them.

Hot direct sunlight....can't handle it at all.

Breezey Cold Weather....has a wind burn effect....if I try covering with a scarf I must be careful as my breath trapped in the scarf makes it to warm and brings on a flush....so I run into stores with my head down....hood up and holding a scarf.....I look like a nut case!

I'm the same! Apart from that I'm afraid I react to ALL the options given.
I can excersize in a way: I can have a long walk every afternoon, but I can't run. Just cross walking is fine with my face, as long as it's not too hot outside. I react very strongly to foods unfortunately, although antihistamines do help to take the sharp edges off. I don't always flush straigh away from some foods, like creme brulee (custard like, sairy with egg yolks and sugar and vanilla), but the next day(s) my skin is more red and prone to flushing and I even get some p&p's from sugary foods.

I find that when it is warm outside I can handle that 'natural' warmth better then central heating warmth.

[Strive]

Here's what does:

-Heat delivered in any fashion (showers, baths, cell phone, sun, super-heated rooms)
-Cold
-Temperature transition in extreme temperatures (hot to cold; cold to hot)
-Temperature hot beverages or food
-Sleeping in too long
-Intense mental concentration
-Crying
-Sometimes wine (maybe it depends on the tannins?)
-Sometimes dark beers (maybe it's the yeast?)
-Many topicals

Here's what doesn't:

-Weak sunlight
-Moderate exercise, when I sweat, actually makes my face pale.
-Generally, hard alcohol does not seem to make me flush
-I don't eat a lot of spicy food, but it doesn't seem to have much of an effect
-I pretty much eat anything I want with no noticeable reaction, but I'm trying to pay more attention, in case I'm just being clueless and not making the connection

I've often wondered if people notice different types of flushes with different types of triggers. Some for me are just red; some bring on inflammation with the redness; some bring on inflammation without the redness; some aren't very red, but feel like I'm on fire; and some are very red and on fire.

[Melissa W]

Hi Strive,

Same for me re exercise. It can actually make my face pale when I sweat and I think that's because it is acting as a cooling mechanism in a way.

Same for hard alcohol (as long as I don't have much though )
and food. But like you I wonder if I am just missing the clues.


The only differences between my flushes are mild with mild redness and burning all the way to severe with intense burning and flushing of whole face and ears.

[chenoarae]

For the people whom alcohol does not cause flushing -
Does anyone know if alcohol works similarly to aspirin in that it thins the blood? I think someone mentioned that drinking actually made them paler, and I know I've experienced this too.

Also, is there any reason why hard liquor would cause less of a flush reaction than say red wine or beer? I think I read somewhere too that whiskey, rum and tequila caused the least amount of reaction in people (it must've been a poll on some rosacea site).

Any other experiences with whiskey, rum and tequila specifically?

Also - Melissa, in addition to your skin looking better after a workout, do you find that it will look worse if you go a week or two without sweating? I wonder sometimes if releasing toxins through sweat is good in that it rids you of those toxins, or if it is bad because that sweat dries and stays on the skin. Or if it just doesn't matter.

[Melissa W]

Hi Chenoarae,

I think the reason wine causes a flush for many of us is because of the allergic reaction some of us may have to the sulfites contained in wine.

http://wine.about.com/od/wineandheal...nesulfites.htm

Sulfur dioxide (SO2), or sulfites as they are best known in the wine world, is a chemical compound that occurs naturally at low levels during the process of wine fermentation.

Signs of sulfite sensitivities include: nasal congestion, headaches, skin flush, broncho-constriction, nausea, abdominal pain, and dizziness.

Alcohol though in any form causes peripheral blood vessel dilation

As a result of peripheral vasodilation (widening of small blood vessels) the face becomes flushed and the drinker will feel warm, although in fact a greater amount of body heat is lost.

http://www.amsa.org/resource/natlinit/alcohol.cfm

So for me I guess that is why in more than small amounts I will flush even in response to hard liquor but I will flush no matter what when drinking wine.

Re the exercise I am almost embarrassed to say this but I have never gone more than a day without working out for as long as I can remember let alone in the last 2 years of my rosacea diagnosis. But I would have to agree with your theory about sweating and toxins. I think it is good to sweat to get the toxins out of your system and I don't think it is a problem to let sweat stay on your face for a bit but sometimes I do use a baby wipe as I am working out to refresh myself LOL.
My thought is that as you are working out and sweating you are also getting those neuropeptides chemicals depleted and preventing a flush from that as well. This is a thought I got from that article The Warm Room Flush
http://www.ausci.com/ROSACEA%20BOOKLET%202009.pdf


Best wishes,
Melissa

[badhairday]

Hi All,

I agree with the exercise bit - my face calmer after 30 minutes on the elliptical - makes even more of a difference when I sweat - though any lifting/pushups will cause a flush.

Things that are ok:
Hard alcohol ok - wine a big no no
sun with a hat b/f 10 am and after 3 pm-
temps below 80 degrees in the morning and 72 in the afternoon and 68 at night - anything above that and I will flush
I do ok in cold weather
embarrassment and anxiety and public speaking sooooo much better due to yoga, meditation and therapy (CBT)
hot/warm shower ok as long as I'm not in for too long
Foods ok unless too hot and I have to be careful about eating a small dinner as I think digestion in the evening gives me a good flush (no carbs at night)

Worst triggers - forced hot air, warm room/warm temps, sex, New England summers (heat and humidity), change of temps cold to hot, Hot food, sleeping conditions

One positive I can pull out of this horrible disease is that I eat better than I ever have, exercise more, I'm in great shape and I have more energy!

Oh well....

[mattdog323]

i actually find when i get to a certain temp idon t flush at all my face goes really red i run do weights Evey day i just dont mind if i flush working out,
So there for i dont worry about it and hardly ever flush,Where if i walked into the gym thinking o boy im gna flush no doubt ill flush,

My face is red for hours afterwards but i feel so much better the next day i personally think that exercising has brought my flushing right down,

Im a builder and can work out side in really hot temps all day and not flush,
And at the same time i flush so easy to anxiety (when I'm worried about it)

Remember flushing is emotions and nerves its not like its an organ in our bodies that we cant tame,

Its actually better trying not to cool ur face down,although its relief as soon as your face is reintroduced to heat u will flush,Being hot cold hot cold can have devastating effects u want to keep ur face warm which with practice u get comfortable with,

And when ur face experiences even hotter temps u dont flush where as if i tried to kool my face down then walked in to a hot room i would flush its the rapid change in temp,

Where if my face was warm and i felt comfortable and walked in to a hot room i wouldn't flush,

This became easier to do the fitter i got

I Was amazed how i could go from not even being able to bend over to the point where i could work in 30 degree temps all day and not flush,

[travellingpete]

My triggers seem to be stress, vigorous exercise, Ironing and my CRT computer monitor.

So I have stopped ironing.

[skwpt]

Anyone remember when this thread was about what DOESN'T make you flush

Maybe the thread should be named Rosacea non-triggers. ;-)

NO FLUSH
Sun doesn't bother me unless I get sunburned or it's extra hot and humid
Hot showers — I get some pinkness that calms down soon enough.
White spirits, like gin and vodka.
Hot drinks are no problem unless I gulp or hold the liquid in my mouth like a blowfish.
Cold weather. My face loves the cold.
Stevia.

FLUSH
(I am still learning, but there are some definites)
Stress, anxiety, anger, embarrassment, laughter.
Excessive indoor heat, particularly entering a hot house on a cold winter day.
Strong winds, especially on mountain tops or out on the ocean.
Halogen lights in department stores.
Exercise, including stuff for fun, like mountain climbing and gardening.
Changes in body temperatures from hormonal imbalance.
Jungle sex.
Red wine, port, and beer.
Dark spirits, like bourbon and whisky.
Spinach, cantaloupe, yogurt, pineapple, wheat.
Acidic fruits, including tomatoes.
Any spicy foods.
Excessive consumption of sweets, including artificial sweeteners.

What fascinates me most is, after looking at the food triggers at rosacea.org, many of the common triggers are the same ones I recently discovered sensitivities to, based on the ELISA IgG ACT serum test. My challenge is that there is so little left to eat, I am facing a strict Paleo diet -- which makes me feel sad and deprived, but can only be good for my health.

[shellsdoll]

FLUSH-ers (in order):
~anxiety, nervousness
~extreme heat or sun
~after mad exercise (but after cooling down face gets paler than normal)
~very dry weather
~spicy foods
~slightly warm in hours of late afternoons and early evenings.

NON-FLUSH-ers
~acidic food. fruit juices, vinegar, salty stuff
~dairy products
~wheat products (gosh these are flushers? im worried now!!! theres LOTS here in asia)
~alcohol (makes me paler. Wine tends to make me slightly warm)
~cold weather (unless its dryness)