New Research Shows How Certain Foods & Drinks Affect Rosacea 

I have rosacea: This is something I've mentioned several times before in my writing. I consider myself lucky because it's easily masked by a simple wash of BB cream or tinted moisturizer—and for the most part doesn't come with too many pimple-like breakouts. It's a mild to (sometimes) moderate case that I find more of an annoyance than anything else. 

Rosacea is an inflammatory skin condition that affects the appearance of your skin in a variety of ways. It affects anywhere from 1 to 20% of the population and can form on any skin type, gender, tone, or age group. 

Food, environmental stressors, and lifestyle habits are commonly understood triggers. "We know that sun, hot beverages, chocolate, spicy food, and alcohol—many 'fun' things in life can exacerbate rosacea," Vivian Shi, M.D., associate professor of dermatology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, said in a statement. "But something that we don't hear a lot about is that cold and formaldehyde-containing foods may also affect rosacea."

The first group of triggers is better understood: They cause our outermost layer of your skin cells to produce a pretty fancy-sounding protein called transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4). And this protein? It sets off a chain reaction that ultimately results in the release of histamines and cathelicidins by your skin's immune system. (You may recognize histamines, for example, from allergy talk.) These substances are what cause the irritation, flushing, and pimple-like bumps.

It turns out that these aren't the only groups of food and drink to cause flares. Cold drinks, some herbs and spices (mustard oil and a compound found in cinnamon), certain fruits (papayas, oranges, pears, and bananas), and some animal products (milk, fish, poultry) can also give your skin pause—but through an entirely different skin mechanism. 

See, formaldehyde occurs naturally in trace amounts in many living organisms. This sounds alarming, but it's actually a completely normal byproduct in natural foods—and is in such small quantities that it's not harmful to human health. (Problems arise when it's used as a preservative in foods and personal care products.) 

If you have rosacea, you should be mindful of your triggers as best you can. But every single case is unique—so just because one of your favorite foods makes the list doesn't necessarily mean it's affecting you. That's why it's so important to try to ID your unique circumstances. 

For example, stress is a common flare-up inducer, so you should do your best to develop mindfulness practices to help keep your cortisol levels even and balanced. And, of course, you should keep an eye on your food and drink triggers, but don't let it consume your life. I still have my morning cup of coffee and margaritas with friends—I just know that it may end up causing a flare-up later in the day. And that's OK! I just deal with it.

You can also be careful with your skin care practices. The general rule with rosacea is that you should default to gentle cleansers and soothing face creams—and a minimal routine. Introducing too many actives or steps can irritate the skin.