Symptoms and Treatment of Rosacea

Rosacea is a chronic skin disease that causes redness and swelling, primarily on the face. The scalp, neck, ears, chest, and back may also be affected. Rosacea can also affect the eyes.

Those afflicted with rosacea may first notice a tendency to blush easily. It varies in severity and does not always worsen with time. It is most commonly seen in people with fair or light skin, and particularly in those of Irish or Scottish background. The condition occurs most frequently in those between the ages of 30 and 50. Women are more likely to have rosacea than men.

Continual or repeated episodes of flushing may promote inflammation, causing red bumps that resemble teen acne.

What causes rosacea?

Experts are not sure what causes rosacea. Facial blood vessels dilate too easily and the increased blood near the surface of the skin appears red and flushed. Emotional problems such as stress, fear, anxiety, and embarrassment may trigger flushing. Suspected causes may be due to factors such as sun damage of the connective tissue under the skin, a mite sometimes found in hair follicles, gastrointestinal disease, and medications that cause the blood vessels to widen. Rosacea does seem to run in some families, but it is not clear whether heredity plays a big part.

What are the symptoms?

The main symptoms include:

Facial redness and flushing- In women the redness appears on the cheeks, nose, skin, and forehead. Facial redness in men appears mainly on the nose.

Dry facial skin

Pimples- These pimples may contain pus, and appear as small, red bumps.

Red lines- These red lines mainly appear on the cheeks.

Bumps on the nose- Men are more likely to experience these small, knobby bumps. Bumps are rare and are mainly seen in untreated cases.

Facial burning, stinging, or itching.

How is rosacea diagnosed?
Your doctor will perform a thorough examination of your symptoms and do a medical history. During the examination, tell your doctor about any burning, itching, redness, bumps, or pimples that you have on your face. There is no specific test to diagnosis rosacea.

What is the treatment?

The main form of treatment is to avoid potential triggers. These triggers include:

Alcohol
Coffee
Pizza
Candy/Cookies
Chocolate
Excessive sunlight (Use a 30 SPF sunscreen)
Cleansers with fragrance or perfume
Minimize exposure to wind
Avoid stress
Don't smoke
Get at least eight hours of sleep a night
Eat omega-3 rich foods like fish

Rosacea is a skin disease, but can have serious ocular side effects, ranging from a gritty feeling in the eyes to blindness.

Ocular rosacea is characterized by bloodshot eyes, dry eyes, and blepharitis (inflammation and debris of the eyelid margins). Other rosacea sufferers may experience inflamed and swollen eyelids with small, inflamed bumps and eyelashes that may fall out. In severe ocular rosacea, there may be corneal ulceration, which if not treated, can lead to perforation of the eye, and potential blindness.

Rosacea patients have a tendency to be dehydrated, so increasing water intake will increase the moisture in the eye, and reduce dryness and irritation. If you are going to be outside, use UV ray sunglasses to block the sunlight.

Physicians tend to prescribe oral antibiotics and other therapies to treat ocular rosacea. A number of other steps can be taken to improve irritation and discomfort. Applying warm compresses and gently massaging the eyelids will feel refreshing, help loosen debris in the tear glands and stimulate circulation. Dry eyes can be treated with non-preserved artificial tears, applied up to four times a day. A home humidifier can add valuable moisture to the air.

Laser therapy is also available, but no data exists to document its effectiveness. To maintain improvements of laser therapy, you must still avoid potential triggers, and may need additional laser treatments.

Every rosacea sufferer should have a skin care regimen. To combat dry skin, use a water-based moisturizer. Water-based moisturizers feel lighter on the skin, and don't leave that uncomfortable, greasy feeling. Many doctors recommend Tolerin skin care from La Roche-Posay. This skin care product must be ordered from your doctor and is a little more expensive than regular over the counter moisturizers, but well worth it. For those who prefer over the counter products, Cetaphil has a moisturizer that is well tolerated on sensitive skin.

Most soap-free cleansers can be used by rosacea patients everyday. Most come in a liquid form, and many prefer a solid bar, especially men. Galderma's Cetaphil makes a long lasting cleansing bar, one for normal and one for oily skin.