Want more iVillage? Sign up for our
Newsletters
Rosacea - Cause
SYMPTOMS & TREATMENTS
The exact cause of rosacea is unknown. One theory is that it may result from oversensitive blood vessels in the face. Because rosacea causes increased warmth in the skin, bacteria may grow, causing the pimples and bumps.
Tiny mites (Demodex folliculorum) that normally live on our skin may also play a role. People who have rosacea have more of these mites on their faces than those who don't have the disease.
Flare-ups often start when certain triggers cause the blood vessels in the face to dilate, which causes redness. Common triggers are sun, exercise, hot weather, emotional stress, spicy foods, alcohol, and hot baths. Swings in temperature from hot to cold or cold to hot can also trigger a flare-up of rosacea.
Many people with this skin condition have a family history of rosacea.1
There may be a link between rosacea and Helicobacter pylori bacteria, which causes an infection in the stomach, although studies are unclear.
Alcohol and poor hygiene do not cause rosacea, as was believed in the past. But drinking alcohol may trigger facial flushing and can cause symptoms to get worse.
| By: | Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: August 12, 2010 |
| Medical Review: | Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine Alexander H. Murray, MD, FRCPC - Dermatology | |
© 1995-2011 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
Welcome to Care Circle, an exclusive tool to help you take care of yourself and your loved ones. Here's how it works:
- Create profiles for yourself and your loved ones.
- Select the topics and conditions that interest each of you.
- Get customized news updates, original content, tools, and expert advice for each Care Circle member delivered directly to your personalized homepage.
The information you input is strictly private; you choose who has access to your Care Circle.
How do I add myself or someone else to my care circle?
Click on "Add someone." Fill out the short profile. Choose an avatar. Select the topics and conditions that interest this person from the pulldown menu. You can select as many as you want, but you must choose at least one. Click on "Add Someone" again. You should start getting updates immediately.
How do I save content to my Care Circle?
Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab of the person for whom you're saving content. Put your cursor over the piece of content that you want to save; a disk icon will appear in the righthand corner. Click on the disk and the piece of content will be moved to a save folder.
How do I add additional topics and conditions for someone in my Care Circle?
Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab for the person whose preferences you'd like to update. Under "Add More to Follow," select additional topics and conditions.
How do I delete topics and conditions for someone in my Care Circle?
Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab for the person whose preferences you'd like to update. Under "Follows," scroll over the topic or condition you want to delete. An "X" should appear on the righthand side. Click on the "X" and the topic or condition will be deleted from the list.
To manage your Care Circle, Please
Sign In.
