Picture this. Your face flushes for no reason and without notice. Your cheeks often look ruddy and you can see tiny spider veins. You sometimes have breakouts in those areas too. You get flare-ups sometimes after eating spicy foods, drinking alcohol, and when the weather get hot and humid. If this sounds familiar, you could be suffering from Rosacea.

April is Rosacea Awareness Month, which calls out the symptoms of Rosacea to make people more aware of this all too common problem. Rosacea is a chronic skin condition that is often called “Curse of the Celts” because it is common in people with fair skin, and often in those of Irish or Celtic descent. Just a small fraction of the millions of people who suffer from rosacea are even aware of the condition and seek treatment from a dermatologist and even less of them receive the most effective treatments.

Flushing and persistent redness are the most common early signs of Rosacea. For some people, symptoms may only include mild, intermittent facial redness and flushing. For others, symptoms may be more severe and persistent such as redness, pimples and broken capillaries, or thickened, rough skin. Rosacea onset typically occurs any time after age 30. In some cases, it can affect the neck, chest, scalp or ears as well as the face.

Although exactly what causes the inflammation and redness is not completely understood, hormonal fluctuations and genetics, hyperactive oil glands that lead to increased oil production can all be culprits. While there is no cure for rosacea, effective treatments can be tailored to each individual by a dermatologist to keep Rosacea under control.It is also important to recognize and avoid triggers; the activities or habits that can cause flares.  These can include extreme temperatures, sun exposure, alcohol, spicy food, and stress.

For mild rosacea, Dr. Obagi recommends a daily skin care regimen consisting of ZO® Skin Health products to soothe and calm the skin and repair the skin barrier, such as:

• ZO SKIN HEALTH OFFECTS HYDRATING CLEANSER
• ZO SKIN HEALTH OMMERSE RENEWAL CREME
• ZO OSSENTIAL GROWTH FACTOR SERUM PLUS

If your case of rosacea is more severe, a combination of in-office treatments and at-home use of redness-reducing products can help improve symptoms. The first step is a consultation with a dermatologist, doctor or skin care professional to find out what is right for you.