Managing Rosacea In Autumn Part 2: Long-Term Plan
By Jean Eng
When it comes to managing rosacea, getting to the root of the cause is critical if you want to avoid unexpected stress. While the skincare and treatment solutions I suggested in part 1 will give you immediate sensitive skin relief, long-term stress-free management can be attained only with a deeper understanding of the condition. You will get the added benefit of increased self-discovery as treating rosacea long-term requires you to reflect on your mind, body, and spirit.
In order to find the root causes of this chronic skin condition, we must first understand what rosacea is. Rosacea is an increasingly common skin condition that shows up on complexions as skin redness, profuse blushing, and broken capillaries. In its later stages, the redness can become chronic in addition to a thickening of the skin and the emergence of papules.
So how is this redness created? There are a few different causes of rosacea, but at the root of it is internal heat that is caused by stress or by a physical factor like poor digestion or overexertion. The heat leads to inflammation. Internal inflammation affects hydration levels which in turn dehydrates the skin. Skin dehydration can cause capillaries to dilate and/or break, creating redness.
The long-term way to achieve healthy, balanced, redness-free skin is to maintain a hydrated and balanced body.
One of the easiest ways to do this is to eat hydrating foods that are not heating, such as:
- Root vegetables (eg. Sweet potatoes and carrots).
- Sweet vegetables (eg. Squashes).
- Whole grains.
- Oily vegetables like avocados, nuts, and seeds along with their oils.
- Don’t forget to add anti-inflammatory spices like ginger and turmeric to your dishes and, to counteract the inflammatory effects of poor digestion, consume spices that aid digestion, such as cumin, coriander, and fennel.
Since stress dehydrates, choose activities that reduce stress and help us relax. Here are some helpful tips for decreasing stress:
- Get adequate sleep.
- Meditate regularly.
- Practice gentle stimulating exercises like yoga and tai chi to increase body circulation without adding stress.
Deeper but much more difficult ways to maintain a naturally hydrated + calm body is to look at how our thoughts and emotions influence our day-to-day choices and our ability to stay balanced. One of the best ways to look at our life perspectives and how they may not serve us well is to understand the negative outcomes of our Ayurvedic dosha characteristics. You can read a summary of the positive + negative characteristics of the 3 doshas here.
With increased awareness and with practical, long-term strategies to keep our mind, bodies, and skin calm, managing rosacea in the fall (and, in fact, all year long) becomes a much simpler and less daunting task.
Have a question about managing your rosacea? Feel free to leave us a comment on the blog!
To read part 1 of the Managing Rosacea in Autumn series, click here.
