Skin & Rosacea
Rosacea manifests as chronic redness - apparent ‘blushing’ - across the cheeks, forehead, nose and/or chin. The skin across these areas is sometimes accompanied by small pink bumps within the red area during a flare-up, which may thicken or sting, especially when contact is made with skincare products or even water.
Rosacea symptoms are the result of near-surface broken or over-dilating blood vessels. There are four different types of rosacea; erythematotelangiectatic, papulopustular (sometimes called acne rosacea), phymatous (which may evolve into a condition called rhinophyma whereby skin on the nose thickens & roughens and the nose becomes ‘bulbous’ in appearance) and ocular rosacea (manifesting specifically around the eyes). Each has its own pain point, and as such Nutritional Therapy programmes can be tailored to subdue the defined type.
An universal root cause of rosacea is unknown. Metabolically-speaking, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), irritable bowel disease (IBD), small intestine bacterial overgrowth/translocation (SIBO) and Coeliac Disease are sometimes (but not always!) co-associated. However rosacea root causes may be genetic or a result of systemic inflammation, immune cell over-activation, an imbalance of gut microbiota, a food allergy/intolerance, nutrient imbalances (potentially oriented around fatty acids and vitamin B3), hormones, a stressful life event, or other environmental factors such as contact with pollutants, certain species of bacteria (the most researched being Helicobacter Pylori) or mites. To reiterate; just as rosacea triggers & mediators are unique to every individual, so are the Nutritional Therapy programmes to help ease rosacea symptoms and flare-ups.
So whilst you’re considering which package of Nutritional Therapy Consultations with Eat Drink Think Nutrition® is right for you, three decent dietary starting points for promoting optimal skin health and potentially helping relieve symptoms or likelihood of rosacea flare-ups are:
avoid ‘hot’ foods – the chemical compounds capsaicin and cinnamaldehyde often found in spicy foods may aggravate internal systemic inflammation;
limit the quantity of high histamine foods (yes that does include alcohol and caffeine!) in your diet as these may be triggering inflammation … BUT REMEMBER it is very important to consult a Registered Nutritional Therapist before initiating and managing a low histamine diet to ensure your body still gets the nutrients, vitamins & minerals it needs to achieve & sustain optimal health;
be more ‘biotic – this means introducing a few easily-obtainable prebiotic foods such as artichoke, asparagus, chicory, oats and/or sweet potatoes into your daily diet to help subdue inflammation and nurture gut health … more on this to come in a future blog post.
REMEMBER: if you are taking any medications always consult a Registered Nutritional Therapist as well as your Doctor before making significant dietary or lifestyle changes. This blog post is written for educational purposes only and in reference to ‘food’. It is NOT advocating taking dietary supplements. It is very important to please always consult a Registered Nutritional Therapist or your Doctor before introducing any dietary supplements into your health regime as these qualified professionals will be able to offer personalised recommendations.
If rosacea is something you are struggling with and you want to discover the inspiring & sustainable diet & lifestyle programmes offered by Nutritional Therapy, get in touch via the Contact Me page on this website, or directly on info@eatdrinkthinknutrition.co.uk for more information about 1:1 Consultations with Eat Drink Think Nutrition®.
