Rosacea

What is rosacea?

Rosacea is a skin condition causing redness and tiny red bumps to appear on your facial area. The majority of patients who suffer from rosacea only display symptoms on their faces. However, a severe form of this skin disorder can affect your eyes. Rosacea affects people of all ages, but it’s more prevalent in people who are 30-50 years old. Women and those of Northwestern European descent are also more prone to develop rosacea.

What are the types of rosacea?

The forms of rosacea include:

• Erythematotelangiectatic
• Papulopustular
• Phymatous
• Ocular

Patients with erythematotelangiectatic rosacea may have flushing and redness in the center of their faces and noticeable, broken blood vessels. They also might experience swollen, sensitive, burning, stinging, and dry skin. Some people with this kind of rosacea are more prone to flushing or blushing than other people. Papulopustular rosacea causes acne-like breakouts. These breakouts can make your skin appear very red. Like erythematotelangiectatic rosacea, the papulopustular type can make your skin:

• Sensitive
• Burn
• Sting

It can also cause oily skin and raised patches of skin known as plaques. Phymatous rosacea is rare. Sufferers of this type of rosacea often experience another form of this skin condition first. Besides oily skin and visible blood vessels, people who have phymatous rosacea may experience a thickening of their skin. While this thickening is especially common on your nose, it may also occur on your:

• Chin
• Forehead
• Cheeks
• Ears

Ocular rosacea affects your eyes. It might make your eyes watery, bloodshot, gritty, burn, sting, dry, itchy, and sensitive to light. Ocular rosacea can also cause:

• Blurry vision
• Cysts on the eyes
• Visible broken blood vessels on your eyelids

It can even harm your vision.

What triggers rosacea outbreaks?

Several triggers can cause rosacea outbreaks. Blushing, hot climates, cold wind, intense exercise, stress, anxiety, spicy foods, alcohol, caffeine, and sunburns can all lead to rosacea occurrences.

How is rosacea treated?

The most common treatment options for rosacea are topical or oral, antibiotic agents. For severe cases of this skin disorder, laser therapy is a viable alternative. For some patients, laser therapy might completely make the redness associated with rosacea disappear. Dr. Shaw can help you determine what treatment option will work best for your type and severity of rosacea.