We’ve all had times when we felt our faces get warm and flushed, and when we look in the mirror, we see the blushing that is usually a sure sign of embarrassment. For some people, though, that doesn’t hold true. Their face becomes flushed and red even when they’re not feeling embarrassed, and it can be a frustrating and stressful problem.

If you find yourself with frequent facial redness, it could be caused by a chronic condition called rosacea. In fact, any of these signs could be telling you that rosacea is the culprit.

Sign #1: You have facial redness that is contained to certain areas.

Rosacea causes a rather specific pattern of facial redness, with symptoms appearing on the forehead, nose, cheeks, and chin. Although there are other conditions that can present in these areas, your dermatologist will be able to distinguish among them.

Sign #2: You have acne-like bumps within the areas of redness.

Although some people will only have redness or visible blood vessels during a rosacea flare-up, others will have acne-like bumps within those same areas.

Sign #3: Your facial redness seems to be getting worse.

Rosacea can take on many forms and differ from one person to the next, but for many patients, the symptoms are mild when they first appear and get progressively worse as the years go on. Luckily, there are rosacea treatments that help to minimize your symptoms and control the progression.

Sign #4: You have triggers that seem to cause the redness to temporarily worsen.

Rosacea is a chronic condition that tends to flare up periodically. Those flare-ups are brought on by triggers like environmental conditions, food, or drink. These triggers vary from person to person, but commonly include sun exposure, caffeine, spicy food, strenuous exercise, extreme heat or cold, alcohol, and stress.

Sign #5: You have facial spider veins.

Rosacea causes facial redness by enlarging the blood vessels below your skin. In addition to causing redness and inflammation rosacea can result in visible spider veins that look like tiny blood vessels.

What to Do if You Think You May Have Rosacea

If you suspect that you may have a chronic condition, it can be stressful to know that there is no “cure.” Fortunately, we have a variety of rosacea treatments including topical and oral prescription products as well as laser therapy to keep your symptoms at bay.