Q. I have had rosacea for several years and now I've noticed that one of my cousins looks as though she has symptoms of the disease. How do you tell someone you think they have rosacea?

Altering your lifestyle to reduce or eliminate rosacea tripwires helps effectively control rosacea, according to a survey of 1,221 sufferers conducted by the National Rosacea Society.

Women with rosacea may be more likely to experience migraine headaches than those without rosacea, according to findings reported in the medical journal Dermatology.¹

In a study of 809 randomly selected workers, Drs. M. Berg and S. Liden of the Department of Dermatology at Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden reported that 14 percent had experienced migraine, and that it was significantly more common in women.

If your rosacea makes it difficult to enjoy the holiday season, try focusing on things you can do to avoid flare-ups this time of year. Remember that many holiday-related activities -- eating spicy foods, drinking hot or alcoholic beverages, cooking in an overly warm kitchen, going in and out of stores in cold or windy weather -- can aggravate rosacea in many individuals. Emotional stress also often leads to a flare-up. So do what you enjoy during the holidays, but use good rosacea sense. Here are some tips to help keep your spirits high:

Winter conditions may be particularly harsh on patients with ocular rosacea, according to Dr. Guy Webster, associate professor of dermatology at Thomas Jefferson University Medical College in Philadelphia. He noted that eye symptoms of rosacea seem to worsen during this season, perhaps because of the frequent gusty winds and cold temperatures.

Shoppers beware. Everyday items you put in your grocery cart could end up registering a rosacea flare-up. That's why reading food and skin-care product labeling before getting to the check-out line, and planning a grocery list in advance, may help sufferers learn to better manage their condition.