Discovering and avoiding your own individual rosacea tripwires can be a challenge. While the list of lifestyle and environmental factors that may aggravate rosacea is long -- ranging from sun and wind to spicy foods, heavy exercise and hot baths -- not everyone is affected by them all. Here's how to pinpoint and avoid those potential rosacea triggers that may affect your individual case.

Sensitive facial skin has been widely observed as one of the most common features of rosacea. Fortunately, however, this problem can be minimized with medical treatment, special precautions in facial care and avoidance of skin-care products that may cause irritation.

Medical scientists reported significant progress in exploring the potential causes and other key aspects of rosacea during a recent research workshop organized by the National Rosacea Society.

The session was attended by more than 70 researchers, and was held for the second year during the annual meeting of the Society for Investigative Dermatology to review ongoing studies funded by grants from the National Rosacea Society and to foster increased scientific interest in rosacea research.

Mark (not his real name) couldn't see the whole picture. In fact, he was having trouble seeing at all. His eyes were red and irritated. But he never suspected that this irritation was related in any way to the mysterious redness on his face.

"I woke up one morning and my eyes were sore," Mark said. "It felt like I had something in them that I couldn't get out." Despite the irritation he went to work anyway.

With the holiday season coming up, many rosacea sufferers should take special precautions to prevent flare-ups when preparing festive meals, according to a new survey by the National Rosacea Society.

The greater warmth of the facial skin of rosacea sufferers may play a role in triggering the unsightly bumps and pimples that are common signs of this disorder, according to a new study funded by a grant from the National Rosacea Society and reported at the recent annual meeting of the Society for Investigative Dermatology.

Q. If you have acne as a teenager, are you more likely to get rosacea as an adult?

A. While both conditions may cause pimples, no relationship has been established between teenage acne and rosacea. In fact, many rosacea patients have reported that they had always enjoyed exceptionally clear complexions prior to developing this disorder.