Rosacea
Rosacea - Also called: Acne rosacea
Rosacea is a long-term disease that affects your skin and sometimes your eyes. It causes redness and pimples. Rosacea is most common in women and people with fair skin. It most often affects middle-aged and older adults. Rosacea is a chronic skin condition that makes your face turn red and may cause swelling and skin sores that look like acne.
Rosacea is a harmless condition, but it may cause you to be self-conscious or embarrassed. The cause is not known.
In most cases, rosacea only affects the face. Symptoms can include:
- Frequent redness of the face, or flushing
- Small, red lines under the skin
- Acne
- A swollen nose
- Thick skin, usually on the forehead, chin, and cheeks
- Red, dry, itchy eyes and sometimes vision problems
No one knows what causes rosacea. You may be more likely to have it if you blush a lot or if rosacea runs in your family. Rosacea is not dangerous. There is no cure, but treatments can help. They include medicines and sometimes surgery.
Your health care provider can usually diagnose rosacea by performing a physical exam and asking questions about your medical history.
Treatment
There is no known cure for rosacea.
Your doctor will help you identify the things that make your symptoms worse. These are called triggers. Avoiding your triggers may help you prevent or reduce flare-ups.
Here are some steps that may help ease or prevent symptoms:
- Avoid sun exposure. Use sunscreen every day.
- Avoid a lot of activity in hot weather.
- Try to reduce stress. Try deep breathing, yoga, or other relaxation techniques.
- Limit spicy foods, alcohol, and hot beverages.
Triggers vary from person to person. Other triggers may include wind, hot baths, cold weather, specific skin products, exercise, or other factors.
- Antibiotics taken by mouth (such as tetracycline, minocycline, or doxycycline) or applied to the skin (such as metronidazole) may control acne-like skin problems.
- Other medications (isoretinol or Accutane), which are similar to vitamin A, are stronger alternatives that your doctor or dermatologist might consider.
- Rosacea is not acne and will not improve with over-the-counter acne treatment.
In severe cases, laser surgery may help reduce the redness. Surgery to remove some swollen nose tissue may also improve your appearance.
