Rosacea can be a vicious cycle – the more you worry about its dreaded appearance, the likelier it may come crashing in at the worst possible time, showing up in the most conspicuous and embarrassing place – the face – as a redness that won’t go away, often with unsightly bumps and pimples. Fortunately today, rosacea sufferers have more reason than ever to be optimistic. The good news is that important advances in medical and procedural therapy have made it increasingly possible to achieve the next best thing: clear skin.

A recent study may have those at risk for rosacea racing to refill their coffee mugs: A team of Brown University researchers led by Dr. Wen-Qing Li found that the more caffeinated coffee women drank, the lower their risk was for developing rosacea.

A recent article in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology reviewed epidemiological studies of rosacea in people of color and offered tips on how to better recognize its signs and symptoms in darker skin.

In addition to medical therapy, rosacea sufferers often use many different products on their skin, from sunscreen to moisturizers to makeup. But because rosacea skin can be so sensitive, it’s important to know what’s in those products and avoid ingredients and products that could cause a flare-up.

During a scientific session at the American Academy of Dermatology annual meeting in Washington, DC in March, Dr. Yolanda Helfrich, associate professor of dermatology at the University of Michigan, provided an overview of current treatment options for rosacea, and offered recommendations to physicians to keep in mind when evaluating a rosacea patient for the first time.

A recent study conducted by researchers at Wake Forest School of Medicine found a correlation between rosacea severity and level of depression.