Exploring the Facts About Rosacea
Many people have never heard of rosacea. Some learn of it for the first time while sitting in a doctor’s office, and still others may see pictures of it from the glossy pages of a magazine advertising some skin cream. Rosacea is a skin disease that appears to be similar to acne but with a reddened appearance to the skin that resembles a flush. The usual areas of the face that are affected by rosacea are the forehead, chin, and lower half of the nose – generally the middle third of the face (if the face was divided into thirds horizontally).
Males and females can get rosacea usually between the ages of 30 and 50. Even though it tends to happen to women more often than men, when males do get rosacea it tends to be more severe for them.
It is really not known what causes rosacea although certain facts concerning the skin condition are known. Facts, such as that people who have rosacea tend to blush easily, and that there are emotional, weather and chemical triggers for the condition. The emotional factors include anxiety, fear, embarrassment, and stress. Weather changes can be extreme cold or heat and also harsh winds or changes in humidity levels. The condition can be aggrevated by exposure to the sun’s rays. There is a theory that a mite found in hair follicles could play a significant part in the development of rosacea. Other theories include the bacteria heliobacter pytori, and medications such as vasodilators.
Signs and symptoms to watch for are a prolonged flush to the facial skin, enlarged facial blood vessels and pimples in the middle third region of the face. Rosacea lasts for years and if it is not treated the condition will worsen. Disfigurement can occur especially around the nose called “rhinophyma”, which consists of a growth that looks like an enlarged red nose, puffy cheeks and thick bumps on the lower half of the nose and the nearby cheek areas. Males usually have this rhinophyma condition. Severe cases of rhinophyma may cause surgical repair. The nose is not the only facial area to find special attention from this condition; the eyes can have complications as well from rosacea.
Involvement of the eyes results in burning or itching and possibly a gritty feeling that may result in a diagnosis of conjunctivitis. Untreated this may progress to damaged corneas. This could cause impaired vision.
There is no cure for rosacea however, there are treatments that can bring relief and minimize the physical characteristics of the disease.
Individuals who have rosacea should not use medications intended for acne no matter how tempting it is to do so. Certain acne medications can actually irritate the skin.
Proper treatment for rosacea include oral medications such as tetracycline, a topical ointment such as metrondazole and also erythomycin and clindamycin. sometimes something that does not require a prescription usch as antibiotic creams such as cleocin, topical cortisone steroid preparatoins and also trelinoin retin-A or isotretoin accutane or permethrin cream used when mites are suspected.
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