Q: What Are The Most Common Lifestyle And Environmental Factors That Cause Flare Ups?
It is incredibly important to understand your personal triggers when it comes to flare ups. By understanding what lifestyle and environmental factors contribute to your personal flare ups, you’re able to make better decisions and navigate through life more at ease. From talking to our customers, the most common triggers seem to be: strong winds, spicy foods, exercise, hot showers, and alcohol. This is why knowing your triggers is incredibly important. Personally, hot showers always flare up my skin. Whilst of course it is frustrating, I know if I am going out for dinner to change up my routine when getting ready and make sure I have showered at least 45 minutes (enough time for my flare up to reduce) before I leave for dinner. By knowing this trigger of mine, I am able to go out for dinner without feeling conscious about my redness simply by changing up my routine when getting ready. If for example you’re able to identify that exercise personally causes flare ups for you, you can then work around this (see next question) to ensure you’re still able to exercise and minimise the chance of a flare-up.
Q: When I exercise, my rosacea flares up. What can I do?
Exercise is a common trigger for rosacea flare ups, however this definitely does not mean you can’t exercise. By acknowledging that this is a trigger for you, you can put together a work out plan that is best suited for you to ensure you’re still able to exercise and minimise the chance of a flare up. To begin with, it could be beneficial for you to do short spurts of exercise rather than a long consistent workout session. Exercising in 15 minute segments 4 times throughout the day as opposed to a 60 minute continuous workout should reduce the chances of overheating and flaring up your skin. For example, go for a walk 15 minutes every 2-3 hours to break up your day, rather than going to the gym for an hour after work. If sun is a trigger for you also, we recommend working out in the morning or later in the evening when the sun isn’t at it’s peak. We also find having a cool towel nearby to place around your neck in between workouts helps to stay cool and constrict blood vessels to reduce redness.
Q: How Can I Calm My Skin Down During A Flare Up?
To minimise your redness during a flare up, you can try placing ice packs on your face to calm down the inflammation. Applying a hydration gel mask can also help reduce redness during a flare up. Our Sleep With Me Hydrating Gel Mask is a great option as it’s packed with vegan hyaluronic acid (to gently hydrate) and aloe vera which is an incredible soothing anti-inflammatory ingredient.
Q: Will My Rosacea Get Worse With Age?
Yes, if not treated rosacea tends to get worse with age. Unfortunately at this stage there is no complete cure for rosacea, however a consistent gentle skincare routine will help lessen symptoms. By understanding your triggers in order to navigate around them, as well as incorporating a natural skincare routine full of hydrating anti-inflammatory ingredients which is going to be gentle on your skin to ensure it doesn’t aggravate your sensitive skin will give your skin what it needs to be clean, nourishing and balanced.