Researchers have found in a small study that those with rosacea were more aware of and embarrassed by blushing than those without the disorder.¹

Drs. Peter Drummond and Daphne Su, Murdoch University, Perth, Australia, monitored changes in forehead blood flow with laser Doppler fluxmetry in 31 rosacea patients and in 86 individuals without rosacea while singing, giving an impromptu speech and listening to recordings of these activities.

Insensitive questions about facial appearance can be a double whammy for rosacea sufferers — the questions may not only cause embarrassment, but can lead to stress that may make the symptoms even worse. Fortunately, however, rosacea patients can usually bring this potentially destructive cycle to a halt by reacting positively, according to psychologists familiar with dermatological disorders.