Discover natural remedies for controlling rosacea.

With rosacea, each person has personal "triggers," such as being in the sun or eating hot peppers, that cause flare-ups. Just as triggers are personal, natural treatments seems to be, too. Different people report better or worse results from various treatments. That means you may have to try different ones to find what works best for you.

Even though there's some overlap, it's useful to classify the natural approaches to taking care of rosacea into four categories: curing the cause, improving your diet, avoiding personal triggers and using creams and ointments. You'll find information about each one below.

Curing the Cause

Scientists don't know what causes rosacea and they haven't yet come up with a cure. But others believe you can cure it on your own.

Banish Rosacea. Rosacea causes plenty of embarrassment. Author Robert Campbell claims he was so embarrassed one night in front of a potential girlfriend that he invented a cure that will "permanently rid your body of rosacea." This is one of the most popular eBooks about rosacea on the web and it may be well worth the price since it's less than half the cost of a single prescription for Metrogel^tm. [Go to the web site.]

Improving Your Diet

Most people with rosacea notice at least one food that triggers flare ups. It may be that changing your diet will help your rosacea improve radically.

The Rosacea Diet. Author and rosacea sufferer Randy Barrows claims that sugar causes rosacea. His book provides a simple diet for conquering the disease by eliminating sugar. Sugar has been implicated in a variety of health problems from obesity and tooth decay to cancer and heart disease. Getting rid of sugar in your diet may not only cure your rosacea but other illnesses as well. [Read book review]

Avoiding Personal Triggers

Every rosacea sufferer is aware that certain activities or foods trigger flare ups. It makes sense to avoid your triggers but that's more easily said than done. It can be difficult to identify triggers and even more difficult to change your lifestyle to avoid them. Still, it's worth doing.

Rosacea: Your Self-Help Guide. Naturopathic physician, Dr. Arlen Brownstein and her co-author, Donna Shoemaker, present a hypothesis about what causes certain foods to trigger flare-ups. Based on their hypothesis, they suggest a method for determining quickly and easily what triggers you should watch out for. Their method could save you weeks and months of trying to figure out your triggers by normal observation. [Read book review.]

The National Rosacea Society has a list of common triggers. They are a good starting place for identifying your own triggers. But you may have other triggers they don't mention. [Go to web site]

Using Creams and Ointments

Creams and ointments are meant to clear up the redness, pustules and other symptoms of rosacea when you have a flare-up. Some creams are silky smooth luxuries that make you feel glamorous and pampered. Others are inexpensive home remedies. The big question is, what works for you?

Chinese Medicine. Chinese medicine is far more ancient than its Western sibling and it offers solutions that are often gentler and more effective. Herborium, Inc. offers an all natural treatment for rosacea based on Chinese medicine in its AcnEase line. (Type "rosacea" in the search box or click the link in the menu on the left side of their web site to find it.) [Go to the web site.]

Zinc Oxide with Dimethicone. A couple of people have mentioned in our forum that sunscreen containing zinc oxide and dimethicone clears up rosacea symptoms rapidly for them. If it works for you, it's a very inexpensive way to reduce symptoms. At least one author says that rosacea is sunlight sensitive and zinc oxide blocks light.

Magnesium Compounds. Some people have reported that applying liquid Milk of Magnesia (magnesium oxide) to affected areas overnight helps clear up your skin. According to Wikipedia, there could be some mild side effects from taking Milk of Magnesia internally for a long period of time, but no side effects are mentioned for using it on the skin. Other rosacea sufferers have found relief from soaking their skin in a solution of epsom salts (magnesium sulfate). As the magnesium sulfate gets absorbed into your skin, it reduces inflammation. Again, this is an inexpensive treatment if it works for you.