If you have the skin condition Rosacea, you know how difficult it can be to live with at times. Just when you think you have it figured out and your skin is looking good, you get hit with another flare up. Of course, these flare ups always seem to happen at the worst time, but the truth of the matter is that there is never a good time for this to happen. You’re embarrassed by the appearance of your skin and you feel like you’ve lost control.

Don’t worry. You can regain control and improve the appearance of your skin if you know what triggers your Rosacea flare ups. The key is to know the most common Rosacea triggers.

The triggers that cause the most Rosacea flare ups are the sun, emotional stress, hot weather, wind, and heavy exercise. Unfortunately, these are just a few. There are many factors that can cause flare ups. Look at the following triggers to see rosacea treatment and which ones you immediately recognize.

Foods - Liver, yogurt, sour cream, cheese, chocolate, vanilla, soy sauce, yeast extract, vinegar, eggplant, avocados, spinach, lima beans, navy beans, peas, citrus fruits, tomatoes, bananas, red plums, raisins or figs, spicy foods, foods high in histamine.

Weather - Sun, strong winds, cold, humidity.

Medical Conditions - Menopause, chronic coughing.

Emotional - Stress.

Drugs - Topical steroids, vasodilators.

Temperature Related - Saunas, hot baths.

Drinks - Alcohol, hot drinks.

Physical Exercise - Exercise, lifting jobs.

Skin Care Products - Cosmetics with alcohol or acetone.

At first glance, this list may seem overwhelming to you. Don’t let this discourage you. all of these triggers may not cause a flare up for you.

Your next step in finding your triggers is to discover what sets off your flare-ups. To do this, you need to use the process of elimination.

Start by keeping a journal or log. You will use this to record your daily activities. List everything you do and any noticeable conditions like weather, temperature, exposure to strong smelling perfumes, foods eaten etc.

Every time you have a Rosacea flare up; record it in the journal along with your activities. This may seem very time consuming but it is important to pinpoint exactly what is causing your flare-ups. Continue doing this for at least three weeks.

During your three weeks of journal keeping, you will begin to notice a pattern. You’ll see that you are very sensitive to one trigger but not to another. At the same time you will also be surprised to learn that something you thought was a trigger isn’t at all. By keeping this journal, you’ve discovered that you have been avoiding something that wasn’t a problem.

This gives you freedom and control. You’ll soon learn exactly what is causing your Rosacea flare ups. You’ll know what to avoid and what not to worry about. Study your entries in your journal and see what kind of patterns have developed. You may have been avoiding some things that aren’t a problem to you at all and unknowingly exposing yourself to your worst trigger.

Pinpointing your Rosacea triggers by keeping a journal can and is time consuming. But this is a very important step to regaining control over the appearance of your skin. The time it takes to record entries in your journal will be well worth you time.