Rosacea diary

Photo of a doctor examining a man’s face

Red skin, pustules and swelling on the face are all typical symptoms of rosacea. Certain triggers can make these symptoms worse. Keeping a diary can help you to find possible triggers of the flare-ups.

Certain things can make the common rosacea symptoms flare up. These include:

  • Spicy foods
  • Hot drinks
  • Alcohol
  • Cosmetics
  • Soaps
  • Medicines that dilate (widen) blood vessels

UV rays and extreme cold or heat can make the symptoms worse too. Different people have different triggers though. Even if you don’t have rosacea, it’s always a good idea to protect your skin from strong UV rays and prevent sunburn.

If you know what things trigger your rosacea flare-ups, you can try avoiding at least some of them. A diary can help you to find out what makes your symptoms worse. Here is a diary that you can fill out yourself (PDF file).

Image: Rosacea diary

Use the diary for a few weeks or months to record

  • what you had to eat or drink,
  • what your skin was exposed to (like sunlight, wind, sweat after exercise, hot water, certain cosmetic products),
  • how severe the rosacea was, and
  • which medications you took, how often you took them, and at what dose.

If, for example, you think that a facial cream you are using is making things worse, you can stop using it for a while. The diary entries can then help you to tell whether you have fewer rosacea flare-ups or less severe symptoms once you stop using it.

Preview of rosacea diary

Rosacea diary

PDF file, A4

Augustin M, Herberger K, Hintzen S et al. Prevalence of skin lesions and need for treatment in a cohort of 90 880 workers. Br J Dermatol 2011; 165(4): 865-873.

National Rosacea Society (USA). Information For Patients. 2023.

Rebora A. Papulopustular rosacea. In: Williams H, Bigby M, Diepgen T et al (Ed). Evidence-based Dermatology. London: Blackwell Publishing; 2008. S. 105-110.

Van Zuuren EJ. Rosacea. N Engl J Med 2017; 377(18): 1754-1764.

IQWiG health information is written with the aim of helping people understand the advantages and disadvantages of the main treatment options and health care services.

Because IQWiG is a German institute, some of the information provided here is specific to the German health care system. The suitability of any of the described options in an individual case can be determined by talking to a doctor. informedhealth.org can provide support for talks with doctors and other medical professionals, but cannot replace them. We do not offer individual consultations.

Our information is based on the results of good-quality studies. It is written by a team of health care professionals, scientists and editors, and reviewed by external experts. You can find a detailed description of how our health information is produced and updated in our methods.

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Updated on September 19, 2023

Next planned update: 2026

Publisher:

Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG, Germany)

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