Over 40 Skin

Acne Rosacea, also known simply as Rosacea, is a skin disease that causes facial redness (erythema,) a flushness in the skin, small, hard, pus-filled pustules (pimples) and tiny, visible veins called telangiectasias, which have a spidery appearance. Other symptoms can include rhinophyma, a condition in which the nose swells and takes on a bulbous appearance, often accompanied by facial swelling.

Rosacea is most often found among people in their 30’s and 40’s,  and can migrate to the chin, forehead, cheeks, neck, scalp, back and even arms and legs.

It is called acne rosacea when referring to its resemblance to acne, but rosacea is not the same as acne.  In cases of both acne and rosacea, skin can develop papules and pimples, but people with rosacea do not develop blackheads or cysts.

Unlike acne, there is no known cause of rosacea. Researchers have concluded that sufferers may be vulnerable to a multitude of biological and environmental factors that cause the facial blood vessels to overreact. Genetics may also be a factor in who develops rosacea, but no concrete evidence to support that conclusion has been produced to date.

 Rosacea sufferers are typically women and fair-skinned men, possibly (but not confirmed) those with Celtic ancestry.

During the onset of a rosacea outbreak, the first telltale symptom is usually flushing. In a short period of time, different facial areas become constantly red and telangiectasia surfaces on the cheeks and nose, followed by blistering  postules and papules (tiny, solid bumps containing no fluid.)

The skin can eventually take on a tactile courseness, like the skin of a grapefruit. Some rosacea sufferers may develop ocular rosacea, a condition that incites  Telangiectasia  to surface around the eyelid, causing constant inflammation.

Occasionally chalazions  (small lumps) will appear. Although ocular rosacea can affect the eye’s cornea (protective lens) It is rare that vision becomes diminished.

Redness and flushing  willl eventually leave the rosacea patient with a chronically inflamed face. This condition can be treated with antibiotics (typically tetracycline) causing some medical researchers  to consider whether bacterial infection is a possible culprit. Since there is no specific test available to diagnose rosacea, the presence of its clinical symptoms provides the means for physicians to identify rosacea. Those clinical symptoms include:

• Persistent flushing
• Facial redness (erythema) including chin, cheeks, forehead and nose along with pustules and papules
• Telangiectasia
• Visible pustules and papules
•  Bulbous nose

 
There are topical antibiotic ointments available to rosacea sufferers who are reluctant to take oral antibiotics. Topical agents, which work by reducing inflammation, can be used in conjunction with oral antibiotics or instead of them. Although they’re good for managing pustules and papules, topical agents do nothing for the flushing, facial redness, and telangiectasias.

Retinoids (extracted from vitamin A)  are also used to treat rosacea. Oral retinoids like isotretinoin, can reduce the papules and pustules in extreme bouts of rosacea when other antibiotics render no response. Isotretinoin is not for everyone, particularly women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, since this drug has been found to cause birth defects.

For some, the disease reaches a point of no return that can only be dealt with surgically. Electrocautery is used sometimes to remove telangiectasias  by applying electric current directly to a blood vessel in order to erase it.

Surgery can also improve the appearance of a bulbous nose, which often occurs in the late stages of rosacea. By using a laser or more traditional surgical methods, the physician will remove excess tissue and reshape it into a more natural looking nose.

Although researchers are still trying to develop alternative treatments for rosacea sufferers, awareness of your triggers to flushing and a few other precautions can improve your chances of managing your disease.

Alcohol, hot drinks, sun exposure, and even stress can trigger flushing. Your best tool for managing  rosacea is to educate yourself as thoroughly as possible on rosacea and its treatments.