Can Rosacea Be Caused By Drinking Wine?
Rosacea is a common condition of the skin that affects millions of people around the world. The most vulnerable demographic group is Caucasians who have fair skin.
The symptoms are characterized by a dilation of the tiny blood vessels beneath the skin that results in a redness of the skin. This redness is more intense than just normal redness.
You can see these red blood vessels that look like small, red lines. The skin on your face flushes and becomes inflamed. This can sometimes resemble a rash or acne. More severe types of rosacea are accompanied by red cysts that may even be filled with pus. Because these symptoms resemble those that can belong to other types of skin conditions, people often mistaken rosacea for something else.
The redness often centers around the facial areas, around the forehead, the cheeks, the nose and the chin. The good news is that rosacea is not contagious. The condition cannot be spread if someone with rosacea comes into contact with another person. Rosacea is a chronic condition. It is not something that one can outgrow. Unfortunately, there is no cure for it.
The exact causes of rosacea are not known. One possible cause may be skin mites that cause a bacterial infection on the skin. Another possible cause may be hair follicles on the skin that are over-irritated by something.
Some people assume that drinking wine or other forms of alcohol can cause rosacea. However, that is an incorrect assumption. It is true that consuming alcohol will lead to dilation of the blood vessels.
However, that in itself is not rosacea. People who are not predisposed to rosacea will not develop it just because they drank wine. However, for people who are predisposed to rosacea, wine can be a trigger. So, even though wine does not cause rosacea, it can trigger a flare up in those who already have it.
People who have rosacea suffer from recurrences. Rosacea sufferers deal with these recurrences in two ways: treating the symptoms and avoiding the triggers.
Treatments that can bring down the inflammation or calm down the flare ups are helpful. If triggers can be identified, it can minimize the number of flare-ups.
Everyone’s skin is different and is sensitive to different things. What acts as a trigger to one rosacea sufferer may not affect another person. However, there are triggers that are more common than others. As mentioned above, wine is a common trigger. A recent survey conducted by the National
Rosacea Society showed that consuming wine has more affect on rosacea sufferers than consuming other types of alcoholic beverages. The survey was conducted with 700 rosacea sufferers. 20 percent of the respondents said that either they did not drink alcohol or alcohol had no affect on their skin condition.
Of the other 80 percent who was affected by alcohol, 76 percent of them said that red wine triggered their flare-ups. 56 percent reported that their condition was affected by drinking white wine.
33 percent said that champagne affected them. Other alcoholic beverages like beer and even hard liquor like vodka, bourbon, tequila, rum, or gin affected a lower percentage of the survey respondents whose rosacea symptoms were triggered by alcohol.
So, this survey presented some interesting findings. It is not the amount of drinking that affects the severity of rosacea, but what you drink. Red wine seems to be the most common trigger among rosacea sufferers. The survey continued by saying that when these survey respondents limited their alcohol consumption, 90 percent of them reported that the frequency of their rosacea flare-ups decreased.
In addition to alcoholic beverages, there are other things that can be triggers. Overexposure to the sun is another common one. The UV rays can irritate sensitive rosacea skin. When the skin gets warmed up by the sun, blood vessels will dilate and the skin will redden. So, by wearing a broad spectrum sun block and staying out of the sun, rosacea flare-ups can be reduced in frequency.
Certain foods can be triggers. Spicy foods are especially problematic. The spiciness causes a dilation of the blood vessels that results in flushing of the skin. Therefore, rosacea sufferers should avoid spicy foods.
Vigorous exercises increase blood circulation but also dilates blood vessels, leading to rosacea flare-ups. So, for rosacea sufferers, they should exercise moderately and not allow their bodies to overheat.
What seems to help reduce rosacea symptoms are things that can cool down the body. Taking anti-inflammatory medications can help. Calming the face with cool compresses can provide relief.
Avoiding makeup and skincare products that contain irritants will also help keep the flare-ups under control. Rosacea cannot be prevented, but it can be controlled. Symptoms can be minimized so that roscea sufferers can still maintain their quality of life.
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