Introduction
Food habits can do wonders in tackling certain skin conditions, ranging from pimples to severe allergic skin reactions. Modifying dietary choices is equally important and influential, like medicinal therapy. Rosacea is a peculiar, long-standing skin condition where certain foodstuffs provoke and intensify skin reactions. As it develops chiefly in the facial area, it is an aesthetic concern for many patients and considerably impacts the person's social life.
What Is Rosacea?
Rosacea is a frequently encountered skin condition, particularly in white-skinned individuals, within the age range of 30 to 50 years. Studies have concluded that the condition slightly prefers the female population. However, at times it does develop in the male population, which can be much worse than that of females. The affected person develops red-tinted pigmentation over the upper portion of the cheek, sides of the nose, and chin area. The redness sometimes extends into the neck, forehead, and chest portion. This redness is relatively transient and sometimes becomes more palpable and evident.
In addition to the color change, the person also experiences a burning pain in the reddened area. Individuals with a family history of rosacea are more prone to develop the condition due to the familial influence of the disease. Some people reported having pimple-like lumps on the affected area, which typically carries pus.
What Leads to the Development of Rosacea?
Studies are ongoing to determine the exact cause that leads to the development of rosacea. However, there is a great deal of hypotheses that explain a possible reason for rosacea development. Some of the relevant hypotheses include the following:
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Intestinal Infections: Helicobacter pylori bacteria inhabit the intestinal area and are proposed to be the agent responsible for bringing about rosacea. It is believed that infection by Helicobacter pylori makes the person susceptible to developing the condition.
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Skin Mites: Certain mites are routinely encountered in the skin and remain nontoxic. Demodex is one such mite, which, when grown exponentially, evokes skin reactions in the form of rosacea.
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Trouble With the Immune System: Certain hypotheses suggest rosacea as an immune-mediated exaggerated sensitivity reaction to normal healthy cells that line up to form the skin. Immune cells react with skin cells to bring about inflammatory changes.
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Vascular Problem: This theory proposes that aberrations in the blood vessels make the area appear reddened, with prominent veins over the area. However, there is no appreciable scientific evidence to confirm the same.
What Is the Significance of Diet in Rosacea?
The choice of food can directly impact the precipitation of rosacea. Certain factors and foodstuffs are known to evoke rosacea breakouts. Though rosacea lacks a curative treatment, the flare-ups and the manifestations can be effectively tackled by keeping oneself away from the triggering factors. Foodstuffs that are known to influence rosacea include the following:
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Spicy Food: The influence of spicy food on rosacea breakouts is proven by research. Pepper, chilly, and other spicy ingredients are rich in a chemical called capsaicin, which opens up the blood vessels and enhances the flow, eventually evoking rosacea skin reactions.
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Alcohol: Beverages containing alcohol can potentially stimulate rosacea flare-ups. Hence patients suffering from rosacea are strictly advised to keep alcohol away.
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Hot Drinks: Hot caffeine-containing drinks or even hot tea can pave the way for rosacea flare-ups in susceptible individuals. Dairy products can be a triggering factor, and when consumed hot. They can elicit a double impact on flare-ups.
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Cinnamaldehyde: Cinnamon, citrus, tomatoes, and chocolates are rich in cinnamaldehyde compound, which can fuel rosacea symptoms. By avoiding these items, one can reduce the frequency of rosacea breakouts.
What Are the Dietary Proposals Advised for Rosacea Patients?
As an inflammatory condition, Rosacea is driven by triggering factors, which can be addressed by following specific dietary suggestions. Routinely recommended foodstuffs that can calm down the rosacea include the following:
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Omega 3 Fatty Acid-Rich Foods: Fishes like tuna, salmon, dry seeds, and walnuts are potential sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Being an anti-inflammatory, omega fatty acids help tackle redness and other associated inflammatory changes, aiding in rosacea management.
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Anti-inflammatory Foods: A range of anti-inflammatory foodstuffs helps the body deal with inflammatory reactions like rosacea. Beets, berries, nuts, avocados, leafy vegetables, broccoli, and turmeric are some anti-inflammatory foods. Anti-inflammatory foods calm down and smoothen irritated and reactive skin cells.
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Probiotic Foods: These include foods like legumes and yogurt that help nourish the microorganisms involved in maintaining a person's health (microbial flora). Probiotics enhance the health of the intestine and prevent gut infections. It facilitates good bacteria to flourish in the stomach and intestine, thus controlling rosacea flare-ups.
What Are the Non-dietary Triggers of Rosacea?
Besides dietary triggers, specific non-dietary triggers are known to provoke rosacea flare-ups. Exposure to sunlight, hot climatic conditions, emotional breakouts like extreme anxiety and anger, stressful conditions, hot baths, and strenuous and tiresome exercises are some of the widely reported triggers for rosacea. In addition, certain health conditions like fever, hypertension (enhanced blood pressure), cough, and cold can also precipitate rosacea symptoms. Likewise, medicine, particularly antihypertensives and steroid intake, also facilitates rosacea reactions.
What Are the Treatment Interventions Available for Rosacea?
Treatment strategies for rosacea primarily focus on tackling the symptoms and the discomfort. No single drug can make the condition disappear. However, the symptomatic approach helps in enhancing the quality of life. Antibiotics like Clindamycin, Doxycycline, Erythromycin, and Metronidazole are often advised to interrupt bacterial growth. Brimonidine is the most widely prescribed medicine for rosacea, which works by calming down the redness of the irritated skin. In addition to these medical strategies, dietary modifications and trigger management are also advised as an effective way to live with rosacea.
Conclusion
Rosacea being a lingering condition, needs effective and strategic therapies in the long run. The frequency of precipitating rosacea reactions in the skin can be restrained by undertaking appropriate dietary alterations. Incorporating anti-inflammatory foodstuffs and avoiding dietary triggers in the routine diet help deal with the manifestations of rosacea to a great extent, even without any pharmacological intervention. Non-dietary triggers are also given equal emphasis in tackling the skin condition.
