All these years, you’ve heard “you are what you eat,” but you might not have considered your skin is what you eat, too. Who’d have thought that what you eat could play a role in the number and severity of your rosacea outbreaks? That the food and beverages you ingest can contribute to the red, itchy, dry skin with bumps on your face and across the rest of your body? Dr. Arsenault helps rosacea sufferers like you come up with a complete treatment strategy that includes paying closer attention to the way you eat.
The Healthy Rosacea Diet and Its Benefits
Although some people are simply more genetically prone to rosacea, eating better is one of the most effective ways to keep rosacea outbreaks to a minimum. Although your physical activity and environment also play a role – perspiring can increase your skin’s redness, as can bathing in hot water or sitting in a sauna – diet is one aspect where you have complete control. Adjust your diet and you’ll have fewer outbreaks period, and the outbreaks you do have will be less irritating, less obvious and last a shorter duration. First, though, you should meet with Dr. Arsenault to be sure that rosacea is what you’re experiencing so you can adjust your diet accordingly.
Adjusting to the Healthy Rosacea Diet Basics
The first step to a healthy rosacea diet is to remove the trigger foods that are causing flare-ups. Keep track of what you eat and remove items from the days when rosacea seems worse. Common triggers include spicy foods and cuisine and beverages that are hot (temperature-wise). It’s also a good idea to cut back on sugary, processed foods and dairy products. Once you take those out of your diet, eat a diet with:
- High-fiber foods;
- Leafy greens (kale, asparagus and lentils, etc.);
- Fresh or frozen fruits (no sugar added; avoid citrus fruits);
- Nuts (no salt added; avoid peanuts);
- Seeds;
- Chicken;
- Fish;
- Tofu;
- Flax seed oil.
Of course, changing how you eat isn’t the only way to tackle rosacea problems. Speak with Dr. Arsenault about prescription cream and medications as well as Sciton BBL treatment options. They’re effective and work quickly to quell current outbreaks.
Eating Better and Getting Rosacea Treatment in Florida
If you’re near Bradenton and Lakewood Ranch, stop by Dr. Arsenault’s office for a one-on-one consultation. If you can’t make the time, sign up for a teledermatology consultation, which you can attend from your home or while traveling – wherever you can access a video phone or computer. The Florida heat and humidity exacerbates red, dry, itchy skin, so if you can’t get away from the environment that makes your rosacea worse, you and Dr. Arsenault need to come up with a way to adjust your diet to minimize your outbreaks.
Schedule an appointment today by phone or online. Although eating healthy is always a wise idea, before you go so far as to change your eating habits, you need to make sure rosacea is actually what you’re dealing with.
