September 21st, 2015

Symptoms and Treatment of Rosacea

Rosacea is a common skin disease affecting more than 14 million people in the U.S. Rosacea often begins with frequent flushing or blushing. The redness may begin on the nose and cheeks, spreading to the forehead and chin. Besides persistent redness of the face, other symptoms include the development of visible blood vessels, swelling, and acne-like breakouts on the face, a thickened, bumpy texture of the nose, and even eye redness and irritation.

Most people that get rosacea are:

• Between 30 and 50 years of age.
• Fair-skinned, and often have blonde hair and blue eyes.
• From Celtic or Scandinavian ancestry.
• Likely to have someone in their family tree with rosacea or severe acne.
• Likely to have had lots of acne — or acne cysts and/or nodules.

Although there is no cure for rosacea, it is important for patients to learn what triggers their rosacea (such as sunlight, alcohol, spicy food, heat) and avoid those triggers. The following may also be used to treat rosacea:

• Medicine that is applied to the rosacea.
• Sunscreen (wearing it every day can help prevent flare-ups).
• An emollient to help repair the skin.
• Lasers and other light treatments.
• Antibiotics (applied to the skin and pills).

As different types of rosacea require different treatments, and some over the counter medications can actually make rosacea worse, it is important to see a dermatologist. See the video below from the American Academy of Dermatology to learn more management tips for rosacea.
[The text above is adapted from the AAD Rosacea website https://www.aad.org/dermatology-a-to-z/diseases-and-treatments/q---t/rosacea]