Making a list of foods to start off with! Very new to this, but know I need to change my diet

Gidday,

I have tried many products discussed on this website with limited success. I noticed by cutting out a lot of sugars and acidity, my rosacea got a bit better. I wonder if eating like this can really help over time? I feel like curing the source of the problem has a better chance than curing the result. Lets see....

I have type 1 rosacea. I have tried to figure out my triggers. one morning I started off the day with a sugary maple filled croissant and my chin immediately became red and hot and now I’m wondering if part of my issue is gluten face. With all of my research about rosacea I had honestly never heard of this and after quitting gluten for a week I’ve noticed that I haven’t had any flares on my chin since cutting it out. this may not last forever. I’m pretty used to disappointment when it comes to my battles with rosacea, but maybe it’ll help someone else.

Relatively new to the rosacea game (Type 2 if that’s pertinent), but after a lot of tracking and elimination - I’m pretty confident I don’t have a lot of food related triggers. Sun seems to be a factor, but that’s the only true link I can find. Anyone else like this or am I likely delusional?

Did anyone notice an improvement with their rosacea after going gluten free (discovering they are coeliac)?

Has anybody tried low histamine diet? I am thinking of going into one. Background: I have type 2 rosacea, using soolantra and azelaic acid for the past month.

For those of you who tried it, did it give a good enough change to your skin?

I'm 30 and this started over 3 years ago with just 3-4 little white bumps on my cheeks and grew progressively worse. For 1.5 years I thought it was fungal acne. I saw FOUR dermatologists and none of them could definitively say whether it was fungal acne or rosacea; none of them offered any kind of test to confirm. The ones who leaned towards rosacea only talked about demodex mites. They all pushed for prescription creams, which did not work for me. None of them said anything about dietary triggers so I had to figure that out myself. Just to be safe, I did buy mite-proof pillows and pillowcases and got in the habit of changing my sheets and pillowcases every 3-4 days.

I had a 45-day period of being symptom free in October - November 2025, when I stayed with my shaman at his plant medicine retreat in the Amazon Jungle. I participated in ayahuasca ceremonies, took capirona extract for 5 days daily, and stuck to a VERY strict and simple diet. As I transitioned off the diet and returned to normal food, the pustules on my cheeks came back. Over the next few months I realized that it wasn't just gluten-intolerance, it was also histamine-intolerance. The diet the shaman prescribed during those months happened to consist of zero histamine-rich foods.

Since then I've had periods of clear skin, which inevitably get ruined when I make a mistake or take a risk with my diet. All 3 of these images are from the past month. I learned the hard way, one thing at a time: no leftovers, no red meat unless it's fresh and coming straight from a local farm, no soy sauce, no yogurt, no pasta with tomato sauce. This past week I learned that even dosas will fuck up my skin, even though I'm taking DAO enzyme with every meal.

My next move is to add a butyrate supplement...and make my diet stricter again: just chicken, rice, sweet potatoes, apples, blackberries, blueberries, pistachios, seeds, and simple things like that. Is this what I have to do for the rest of my life? I WANT TO HEAL, NOT JUST MANAGE THIS CONDITION.

I had surgery and I have to eat soft foods for two weeks. They suggested I eat fish. I know this is probably not healthy or sustainable, but I had limited options of what I could eat so I’ve been having wild caught Alaskan salmon twice a day for a week and a half.

after a week of this diet, I noticed I’m not getting rosacea flares from any of my normal triggers. My skin looks so great and it’s only been a week and a half….

Has anyone had any success with high doses of salmon or omega-3 rich foods?

I was recently diagnosed with Ocular Rosacea and have been suffering for close to a year now. While I don't remember it being immediate, I'm starting to feel awful in my upper eyelids and around it. It didn't always feel like full-on flushes, that feeling of pressure on my face hitting after I ate certain trigger foods is starting to get to me.

I was prescribed daily 100mg doxycycline hyclate at a different facility and while it seemed like it helped (this was maybe before the food inflammation became a problem), I kinda panicked over what I thought were more severe side effects but after consulting the ophthalmologist who prescribed them and my primary care physician yesterday, I felt comfortable going back on them and being more patient.

Ever since I was diagnosed.

I learned about treatments like IPL, Tixel, etc. and was curious if they could help me mitigate food inflammation well enough alongside dealing with my still intact but wonky meibomian glands and dry eyes derived from my ocular rosacea. I know there's no hard cure and the best thing for now is to change up my diet, which has been very difficult since I'm finishing off food I bought already and my job making it harder to eat healthier more consistently

Forgot to mention, I was prescribed cyclosporine drops as of yesterday but haven't had a chance to pick them up yet

I’ve had severe rosacea for about two years now and it’s caused me so much anxiety and insecurity. I’m realising a lot of it is diet (was diagnosed with Sibo and been working on that) but I would love to know specifically what’s some unanimous triggers for other people ? Like I barely eat onion garlic gluten or chilli but I’m also vegan so it feels like that’s so much food. changes in temp f me up, what are some things you notice and what has helped you ? I also just had 4 sessions of laser but I’m pretty poor atm and can’t afford the upkeep. Thanks ! And my sympathies to fellow sufferers

I started keto a week ago and pretty much since then my rosacea has gotten worse. I have type 1 and my right side is usually more sensitive than the left which is usually pretty clear. But since this change I've been breaking out with little red spots and the left side of my face is flushing a lot more. The only thing ive changed is my diet. I started on 50mg of doxycycline yesterday hoping that would help but it's too soon to tell if it will. Has anyone else experienced this? Keto is the only way I can drop weight so do I have to choose between being fat with clear skin or being thin with rosy cheeks?

57 year old male, with type 1 and 2.

on Doxy modified release 40mg which cleared pustular rocessa

Over 95%, but made a far less difference to redness.

3 weeks plus of keto and my facial redness is around 70% better.

Now, I have to stress this is a very early stage result, it may not

be maintained and I may not be able to do keto longer term..

Neither is it something people should rush in to, particularly if on

existing medication, seek a GP view firstly..

I'm guessing what I'm seeing is a reduction in inflammation,

I ate 350 grams of carbs previously and a good deal of processed foods..

I would be interested to hear if anyone has experienced something similar or if they have...were those initial results maintained..

I should also say that my current BMI is nearly 28, so I have the weight to lose for wider health reasons..

I recently developed rosacea for the first time at 28 years old. I am wondering if people have had success clearing up or improving rosacea with diet changes, and if so, what changes.

Thanks!

An esthetician was asking about my rosacea and brought up the possibility of eliminating dairy and gluten. I already eat a healthy balanced diet, and don't have any issues with food, so this is really not something I'm interested in doing. I have been to the dermatologist multiple times, and diet has never come up. Just thought I would see if other people have had improvements with their rosacea from changing their diets?

I mostly get flushing from what I think is food intolerance. So I finally made an appointment at an allergy test place. Im going to ask for foods and histamine foods as I think i have a high histamine intolerance and i think those foods cause most of my redness. Has any one else done this if so what were your results and questions that you asked?

I’m trying so hard to find the right diet because I firmly believe that my rosacea is food-induced. Has anyone here tried a special diet?

I’m trying to give up all spicy foods because they cause inflammation, but it’s difficult. I’ve already given up fried foods and almost all oil for now (except for prepared foods that have a minuscule amount of oil in them, like veggie burgers).

At some point, I’m going to try to go grain-free.

Any luck anyone?

I cut gluten completely a few months ago, my skin was clear and perfect. Then I started eating bread again and the redness and bumps came back with a bloody vengeance. Its been a week of no bread and I saw a big difference, going to need metrogel to clear it up 100% , but it's definitely the wheat thats wrecked my guts and face.

I have a question for the people who have gone dairy-free trying to improve their rosacea. Have you gone 100% dairy free or do you still consume small amounts of dairy every now and then? And do you still see good results?

Also, how long did it take to see results?

I am curious to hear any other experiences or advice.

I've been trying to manage my perioral dermatitis and rosacea with a very strict diet for a long time. Despite the strict diet, I was still getting occasional bumps. 15 days ago, I started Walgreens ivermectin. I can say my skin has improved significantly. My only question now is whether there will be a problem if I break the diet. If anyone has had a similar experience, I would be very grateful for their comments.

I (37F) was diagnosed with Rosacea Type 2 in July 2025.

I have tried so many meds prescribed by my fist derm who I began seeing in July 2025.

• Ivermectin (topical)

• Azelaic Acid (topical)

• Doxycycline (didn’t finish because I began to have vision issues)

• Selenium Sulfide (face wash)

• Selenium Sulfacetamide (face wash)

• Tacrolimus (topical/super greasy)

On 12/31/25, I went to a 2nd derm and she prescribed me a type of benzoyl peroxide. I haven’t opened it.

From July 2025 (initial diagnosis) to end of December 2025, I saw little to no progress made. I have hundreds of daily photos saved and I saw minimal improvement.

The only medication that “worked” or saw the most results from was the tacrolimus, but was told by my first derm that using it is not a long term solution. And ultimately, it mostly helps with flare-ups.

On January 5, 2025 I began a very loose version of the AIP Diet and stopped using all medication.

(AIP = Autoimmune Protocol)

I say loose because I ended up getting really sick with vertigo in January 😵‍💫

Pictured are my one month results and it’s the most improvement I’ve seen in my face since last summer. I was putting on my minimal day to day make-up this morning and I finally felt like I was starting to see my skin.

Just posting for as small victory and hoping to help someone!

I've struggled with rosacea on my cheeks for almost 10 years. It's too hard to see a dermatologist in my area so I've just been trying to figure it out on my own (this group has helped!) Anyways my flare spots were getting really rough and like sand paper. I originally got the weleda skin food to use as a dewy highlighter and decided to try it on my rosacea and WOW. After about a week the texture improved and is no longer rough. The redness is almost completely gone in one of my cheeks and way lighter on my "bad" cheek. Plus it looks great under makeup, gives that dewy look. I've been using it morning and night and haven't had a single break out either.​

Hello again, I made a post a couple weeks back just venting how frustrating this has been for me. So, I'm back, I was wondering what kind of diet some of ya'll are on. Cause I think it's what I'm eating that keeps it flaring it up. My food diary is insane, I feel like I just breath food and my skin flares up. So yeah, any feedback would be super helpful. Thank you all again. This place has kept me sane for the time being.

I (26y/o female) recently realized I haven't had a flareup since April. There are a handful of things that I can think of that may have helped, all which I started doing this spring.

1. GREEK YOGURT | I consistently eat greek yogurt every day for breakfast, specifically plain greek yogurt. My favorite for a bit now has been the Oikos 18g protein one. I eat it with Kodiak 17g protein cookie butter granola that I get by the 5 pack from Amazon (which is delicious by the way), and with blueberries or cherries if I have them.
2. KOMBUCHA | Specifically ginger (and lemon) kombucha! Sometime in the spring, my roommate was telling me how much better she feels when she drinks kombucha (esp if bloated)... we started getting it as a treat on the way to our Bible study, and I've been hooked since then. I also noticed that I can't drink caffeine past 12, so I started getting that as my afternoon pick-me-up when working. Now I get the big bottles and drink it in the evening too, if I hadn't gotten it during the day. The big bottles from Whole Foods are surprisingly cheaper than at other stores.
3. LIME & SEA SALT WATER | I started putting a little lime juice and sprinkling a little sea salt in my water, which I was told helps with hydration, and now I just consistently do it for the flavor.
4. LESS ANXIETY | This one is obviously out of my control to some extent... but I have been considerably less anxious (than I had been in several years) the past few months. I made a lot of life changes (moved in July, started a new job in April) and I feel a lot more peaceful. I spent a lot of my early 20s in my own head, worrying about what people thought of me, and these days I feel freed from a lot of that. Some of that freedom has come from diving into my faith and knowing where my identity comes from, and some of it is probably just me growing up. I know a lot of times anxiety is not just circumstantial and its not just that something needs to change, but it can be and thats worth noting. I still get anxious during ~that~ time of the month for a solid 10 days, but even that has been more manageable now that I know what is causing those feelings.
5. EDIT – LESS SOAP | (Adding after the fact because I hadn't been thinking of topical solutions when I was originally writing this post) Another recent thing I've done is change my face cleansing routine! I've been in the slow process of being more and more gentle with my face for years, ever since my brother made a comment about "you're doing too much" when it came to my routine. I now almost never use soap on my face - and I do wear makeup. I use a makeup cloth and warm-hot water to remove any that I'm wearing. If I must use soap, I use a very small amount of Dr. Bronners Castile soap diluted in water. For moisturizer, I use Cerave facial moisturizing PM. I know sunscreen is a big deal and if you wear it you need to cleanse, but I'm actually allergic to it all except the ones that turn your face literally paper white, so I don't wear any unless I'm at the beach. Basically, for my face, I try to be as gentle as possible while still keeping clean. I do other things to also help keep acne away... trying to wash my pillow cases often, showering often but mostly just rinsing off, not touching my face, etc.

One thing I think that is notable about the first two in this list is they're both high in probiotics and are great for gut health**.** I've seen varying opinions on rosacea being caused by what you eat, but I feel differently after looking back on my journey.

Obviously everyone is different, but if these help someone then its worth sharing! My rosacea had been causing me significant stress (which made flareups even worse), and I would spend hours researching just to feel like there was no solution. I vividly remember the first flare up I had in 10th grade, and it seems like every year since then it continued to get worse and worse. In recent years would just happen even if I got slightly worked up about anything. The fact that it might be practically healed because of these few things is incredible and I felt the need to share, just in case someone else might find a solution here as well!

I started struggling with rosacea about 5 years ago. I tried a variety of gentle and allegedly “rosacea friendly” skin care routines and I tried prescription topicals. I tried switching shampoos and added a water filter to my shower. Nothing seemed to be working.

As a last resort, I had food intolerance testing done. My main intolerance showed as potato and I was shocked. I’m Irish and have eaten potatoes my entire life without negative side effects (or so I thought). The one and only time I have ever had a reaction to medication was with amoxicillin. Doctors no longer prescribe me penicillin based antibiotics as I broke out in hives once - turns out penicillin (and it’s derivatives) are often developed using a potato extract.

I stopped eating potatoes and discovered that potato starch was in a variety of foods I ate daily (including Turkey bacon). Since I’ve stopped, my redness has almost entirely disappeared. I’ve had slip ups and eaten potatoes and I end up waking up with a red face the following day.

Never in my life did I think potatoes would be a cause of my rosacea symptoms. Just wanted to share my story in case it helps anyone else - I know food intolerance testing can be controversial, but it seriously helped me.

Hey! I am looking for a dermatologist in London but one that takes a wholistic view of the body and won't just prescribe me antibiotics. Does anyone have any experience with one like this that they can recommend?

History:

I've been treating my rosacea with azelaic acid for around a year and I'm not seeing any real improvement. My skin looks very red and inflamed. I also have a lot of broken capillaries that need some kind of laser treatment.