You may have gotten your eyebrows from your great uncle, your sense of humor from your grandma, and your rosacea from your parents, according to a recent National Rosacea Society (NRS) survey.

More than half (51 percent) of the 610 patients who took part in the survey said they had at least one family member with rosacea. Of those, surprisingly more said their father had rosacea (44 percent) than their mother (37 percent). Thirty-six percent said a sibling also had the disorder, and 21 percent had a child who developed the condition. 

Pinpointing potential rosacea triggers can be challenging and may lead to a hard-to-remember list of seemingly incongruous foods like alcohol, chocolate, citrus and bell peppers. While these foods may seem disparate, there may be a logical explanation for why certain foods cause rosacea to flare, according to Dr. Rajani Katta, clinical assistant professor of medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and the author of Glow: The Dermatologist’s Guide to a Whole Foods Younger Skin Diet.

Leaves are rustling, apples are in season, and there’s football on the television. Autumn is in the air! And it may be giving you a rosacea flare-up. In an NRS survey of 852 rosacea patients, nearly 90 percent said the changing seasons affected their skin. 

Enjoy the relief from the brutal summer heat, but be careful to avoid the common autumn triggers that could be a tripwire for your rosacea. Here are a few tips to make it through fall:

Q. Can rosacea be traced to lupus?

A. Lupus is an autoimmune disease that can cause inflammation, pain, and damage to various areas of the body including skin, joints and internal organs. Rosacea and lupus have some symptoms in common, such as facial redness and rash, and sensitivity to light. However, lupus affects many different parts of the body, including internal organs, while rosacea typically affects the facial skin and eyes. 

A recent study analyzing the genetic data of thousands of rosacea patients has pinpointed seven genomic regions potentially associated with rosacea symptom severity.¹ This builds off information gathered in a similar study funded by the NRS, which identified two genetic loci, or specific regions on chromosomes, linked to rosacea.² These are some of the first genome-wide association studies on rosacea, an exciting area of research which could lead to the identification of potential new pathways for treatment.

Over the course of nearly two decades since the National Rosacea Society (NRS) issued its first research grants, this program has fostered dramatic strides in the understanding of rosacea, and has now awarded more than $1.5 million to date.¹ Funded exclusively by donations from individuals, the NRS research grants program was established in 1999 to provide support for medical research into the potential causes and other key aspects of this poorly understood disorder that may lead to improvements in its treatment, care and potential cure.