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Rosacea And Treatments For Rosacea

Rosacea is a common, but often overlooked, skin condition that can lead to significant facial disfigurement, emotional suffering, and serious ocular complications if left untreated. Little is known about the epidemiology of rosacea, but the condition most frequently occurs in persons between 30 and 50 years of age and in fair-skinned persons of northern European descent.

Studies have shown that women are affected about two to three times more frequently than men. Rosacea may be underdiagnosed because patients may not discuss the symptoms with their physician and because some physicians may not recognize the disorder. This condition may be overlooked in nonwhites because of a low index of suspicion or because skin pigmentation results in an atypical presentation.

Ocular complications and late manifestations of rosacea may occur in a disproportionate number of dark-skinned persons. Although rosacea can occur in the teenaged years, the incidence of it in this age group is probably low. The incidence of rhinophyma, the most obvious stigma of rosacea, is unknown and occurs more often in men.

The prevalence of rosacea appears to be increasing in the United States; this may be a result of the aging of the "baby-boom" generation, rather than an increase in incidence.

Factors Causing Rosacea

Rosacea results from an inflammatory process about which little is known. The stimulus includes a wide variety of foods as well as environmental, chemical, psychologic, and emotional factors. It is unclear what role, if any, these factors have in the causation or exacerbation of this condition.

In particular, the link between emotional stress and rosacea is not well understood. Studies have found possible associations between rosacea and the face mite Demodex folliculorum, Helicobacter pylori infection, and migraine headaches.

Rosacea is an indiscrete disease with a variety of facial skin and ocular manifestations that differ from patient to patient. The predominant, presenting complaints of rosacea are intermittent, central facial flushing and erythema. Itching is always absent; however, many patients complain of a stinging pain (which can be severe) associated with flushing episodes. These flushing episodes are often socially embarrassing and can occur unpredictably or can be linked to environmental, chemical, food, or emotional triggers.

Common rosacea triggers include exposure to the sun, cold weather, sudden emotion (laughter or embarrassment), hot beverages, and alcohol consumption. Unfortunately, some people associate rosacea and rhinophyma with alcohol abuse; however, many patients who have rosacea neither drink alcohol nor report alcohol as a trigger for their rosacea.

Central facial erythema and telangiectasis are predominant in the early stages of rosacea. This progresses to a chronic inflammatory infiltrate with central facial papules and, less commonly, sterile pustules. Intermittent or chronic facial edema may also occur. Some patients develop rhinophyma, a coarse hypertrophy of the connective tissue and sebaceous glands of the nose.

Read about some of the commonly used Rosacea Cures here