Hammerling-Hodgers: Rosacea can flare up during the holidays; here's how to keep it in check
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It’s exciting that the holidays are approaching and we are able to see friends and family at gatherings and parties.
However, Tara, 53, is extremely stressed with all of the shopping for the holidays she is has been doing.
After shopping, she went to relax with some friends at the local wine bar. While having a glass of red wine she noticed her face immediately became more flush.
She complains to her friends of the constant redness on her face with breakout in pimples.
Susan's previous three columns:
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She feels like her skin looks like she is a teenager again. Her face seems to be breaking out more recently with all the stress from work and family.
She has also noticed her face seems to break out more frequently while drinking a cup of coffee or eating chocolates.
The culprit: Rosacea
Rosacea can occur in men and women, especially those of European descent.
Signs and symptoms can be as mild as some redness in the face or as severe as a thickened bulbous nose and pimples on the face.
Rosacea can affect the skin by simply making it more red in appearance or having pimples scattered throughout the face.
Some patients even can have involvement of the eyes known as ocular rosacea.
Sometimes patients’ faces fluctuate with redness depending on certain exacerbating factors such as exercise and sun exposure.
Others may suffer a more consistent acne-like eruption on the face with red pimples.
A few individuals may have chronic inflammation, which goes untreated for years, leaving them with the WC Fields enlarged red nose.
Unfortunately, some people are mistakenly labeled as "alcoholics" if they exhibit signs of moderate to severe rosacea.
Nobody knows exactly why rosacea occurs but many people complain of the same trigger factors such as heat, spicy foods, stress, coffee and alcohol to name a few.
By keeping a food diary or being aware of what makes your face flare can be helpful to controlling the rosacea and limiting the likelihood of a flareup.
As a result of the irritating factor, the blood vessels dilate, causing the flushing appearance.
What can be done for rosacea?
There are several treatment options for rosacea depending on the severity of the redness, pimples and budget.
For more mild cases of rosacea involving redness of the face, simply avoiding the trigger factors can help reduce flares.
For example, if you go into extremes in temperatures whether hot or cold, then your face may react.
Or if you go for a power walk or bicycle ride outdoors and your face becomes bright red.
Applying a cold wash cloth to the face can be soothing and instantly reduce the redness.
Wearing a quality sunscreen can also help with the rosacea flares.
Some over-the-counter options are Aveeno Positively Mineral Sunscreen, Cerave Hydrating Mineral Sunblock, sunblocks by La Roche or Elta MD.
Topical prescriptions used daily from a dermatologist such as Metronidazole Cream, Azelaic Acid, Ivermectin, or Brimonidine can be effective for red bumps and redness on the face.
In more moderate to severe cases of rosacea, oral antibiotics such as doxycycline may be prescribed to use once or twice a day to help control the inflammation.
A chemical peel may sound scary but can give impressive results to patients with rosacea when done by a professional skin expert such as an aesthetician or health care provider at a dermatologist or plastic surgeon's office.
Some peels such as a Sensi peel, which contains lactic acid and is calming for rosacea, can be safe and effective.
As we age, our skin does not exfoliate like it did when we were younger. As a result, our skin becomes more dull in complexion.
Other benefits of seeing an aesthetician for a peel can result with less oil production and prevent of acne outbreaks.
Other options at a dermatologist or plastic surgeon’s office can include intense pulsed dye laser treatments to reduce the redness of the face.
Usually, it takes 2-3 treatments spaced one month apart and last awhile.
As you see, there are many tools in the toolbox to help you look your best not only during the holiday season but all year.
Don’t go online and try to save money by ordering trendy creams or at-home light treatments that can burn your face.
If you have questions or concerns about your rosacea, see your dermatologist for guidance to develop an individualized treatment plan best for you.
Susan Hammerling-Hodgers, a Member of the National Psoriasis Foundation, is a PA-C (Certified Physician Assistant) and MPAS (Master of Physician Assistant Studies) and works at Brevard Skin and Cancer at the Merritt Island, Titusville and Rockledge offices.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Here's how to know if you have rosacea and how to deal with symptoms
