Put Your Best Face Forward

If you're concerned about your rosacea and have booked an appointment with a local dermatologist, one of the best things that you can do is to show up for this first consultation with as much information that pertains to you as possible. Even if you'll be visiting the dermatologist in only a week from now, that's plenty of time to create a journal in which you can make notes about your skin condition to share at the appointment. The more details that you can provide, the quicker that your dermatologist will be able to help you get relief. Here are some ways to set up the journal.

Flare-Up Triggers

One of the best ways that you can control your rosacea is to identify the triggers that may cause it to worsen. Keeping a journal will allow you to take notes when your skin condition is at its worse. For example, you can note whether you've been under any significant amount of stress lately, or whether you've eaten anything spicy. Both of these things can cause rosacea to flare up. When you're look at your journal with your dermatologist, or even before your appointment takes place, you may start to see some trends — perhaps a significant period of stress preceding a rosacea flare-up.

Self-Care Solutions

You should also make some notes about what successes you've had, if any, in dealing with your rosacea symptoms on your own. For example, perhaps you've experienced some relief in the look and the feel of the symptoms by using an ointment from your local pharmacy. Or maybe you've read some tips online about making changes to your diet, and employed them with a modicum of success. A dermatologist, like those at Center Of Dermatology PC, will always be interested to know what has worked for you in the past, and will encourage you to continue using these methods.

Reactions To Makeup

If you're a woman who wears makeup, there's a good chance that you've attempted to conceal some of your rosacea with cosmetics — perhaps with varying degrees of success. It's a good idea to note some details about these efforts in your journal so that you can share them with your dermatologist at your first appointment. For example, you might note how certain products aggravate your rosacea, while others don't seem to cause a problem. Some dermatologists recommend the use of specific cosmetics as a tool for concealment, but only with the caveat that they don't make the rosacea any worse.