Rosacea

When you look in the mirror, do you see redness in the center of your face? Do you also see acne-like breakouts even though your teen ended decades ago? Where you have redness, do you see any tiny veins? You might have rosacea. Common signs and symptoms include:

• Redness across nose and cheeks, which can spread to chin, forehead, or ears
• Acne-like breakouts
• Oily skin
• Skin feels sore and easily irritated
• Thin, reddish-purple veins

For some people, rosacea becomes more noticeable with time. The redness can become permanent. The skin may always feel hot and tender. Your skin can become so sensitive that getting water on your face causes burning and stinging.

It is a common skin condition. In the United States alone, millions have it. People of all races and ages get Rosacea. You have a greater likelihood of developing it if you are:

• Between 30 and 50 years of age
• Fair-skinned and have blonde hair and blue eyes
• Of Celtic or Scandinavian ancestry
• A woman going through menopause

Recent research suggests that it tends to run in families. If you have blood relatives with rosacea or severe acne, you have a greater risk of getting rosacea. Having had a severe acne condition also increases your risk of getting rosacea.

If you have permanent redness on your face along with acne or small veins, you may want to see a dermatologist. A dermatologist can tell you whether you have this problem and can offer a treatment plan.

Treatment can help ease the discomfort caused by rosacea. It can help control the redness, acne-like breakouts, and diminish the veins. Even the thickening of the skin can be treated.

Many people who treat their rosacea say that treatment improves their quality of life. They say that they feel less self-conscious and another benefit of treatment is that it can prevent rosacea from getting worse.

Research shows that the most effective results come from combining treatments and tailoring treatment to a patient’s signs and symptoms. Your dermatologist may create a treatment plan that includes more than one treatment.

The acne-like breakouts often can be treated with topical treatment. It takes time to see improvement in three or four weeks. It usually takes about two months to see a noticeable improvement,

Sometimes you need an oral antibiotic to clear the acne-breakouts or your dermatologist may recommend a low dose form of an antibiotic that treats the inflammation but avoids side effects of longer-term antibiotics. Taking antibiotics can clear the acne-like breakouts. To keep your skin clear, you may need to use a medicine that you apply to the skin.

To clear acne-like breakouts, many people now can take a newer medicine. It looks like an antibiotic but does not contain enough medicine to work as an antibiotic. This medicine can clear the skin and avoids concerns about taking an antibiotic for too long.

To reduce the redness, you may need to use cortisone cream for a short time. Laser surgery also can help reduce redness.

To get the best result from your treatment, dermatologists recommend that you learn what triggers your rosacea.

Finding out what triggers your rosacea takes a bit of detective work, but it is not hard. At the end of each day, jot down your exposure to common rosacea triggers. If your rosacea flares up, be sure to note that, too.

Once you know what triggers the condition, it is for the best to avoid the causes if you can.