Rosacea: Serious Blushing

Turning pink in the cheeks can be endearing. But for those who suffer from the permanent rosy glow of rosacea, the flush is unbearable, and spirals into self-consciousness and low self-esteem. Since the sometimes-painful symptoms flare in nerve-wracking situations, sufferers tend to avoid taking risks like going on dates and interviews, and public speaking.

A study suggests an eventual way out of this discouraging cycle. The environmental and emotional triggers of rosacea's bumps and pimples cause something akin to an allergic reaction, finds Richard Gallo, chief of dermatology at the University of California, San Diego. A normal immune system facing sun exposure, emotional stress, and spicy foods produces antimicrobial peptides called cathelicidins. But in those with rosacea, the natural antibiotics act like overzealous guards and cause inflammation. A drug that interferes with cathelicidin production, Gallo says, "would represent an entirely new approach to rosacea therapy—it would be treating the cause rather than the symptom."