A FEW OF OUR TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR ROSACEA:
- Photo Dynamic Therapy
- Lumenis One
- V Beam Laser
WHAT IS ROSACEA?
Rosacea (roh-ZAY-shuh) is a skin disease that affects people over the age of 40 and is common in fair-skinned people. It causes redness on cheeks, forehead, chin, and nose. Rosacea can cause burning and soreness in your eyes. Some people get little bumps and pimples on the red parts of their faces. It can worsen in time if left untreated and is also often mistaken for eczema, acne, or some other skin allergy.
It is important to have an evaluation of redness of the face since there are several possible conditions that can cause this, some of which may be serious, and early evaluation and treatment can make a very big difference in outcome.
TYPES OF ROSACEA
There are 4 different types of Rosacea. The following signs and symptoms tend to be present in most cases:
1. Vascular Rosacea
This is the first type of condition. Small blood vessels on the nose and cheeks swell and become visible (telangiectasia) – they sometimes look like tiny spiderwebs. The skin on the face can become blotchy. it is caused by inflammation of tiny blood vessels in the surface of the skin.
2. Inflammatory Rosacea
The next condition, Inflammatory, is when your symptoms contain chronic redness to the face- along with small spots, red bumps, and pimples. These bumps as known as papules and pustules are different from actual acne.
3. Phymatous Rosacea
When left untreated, rosacea can worsen and can lead to the third type of rosacea, phymatous. When this happens a lumpy, bulbous, and very red nose is the classic symptom of Phymatous. This overgrowth of thickened skin on the nose is known as rhinophyma. Excess skin may also grow on the cheeks or forehead, giving it a thickened appearance. Phymatous rosacea occurs more frequently in men. The thickened skin is most often addressed with laser and surgical treatments These procedures remove the excess skin to reduce the thickened appearance.
4. Ocular Rosacea
Rosacea can also reach to the eyes, which is stage 4- Ocular. There is a burning, gritty sensation in the eyes, making them bloodshot, frequent styes, and swelling of the eyelids. Ocular rosacea can be serious, resulting in damage to the cornea. It can blur vision, worsen vision problems, and lead to blindness if unchecked.
FACTORS THAT AGGRAVATE ROSACEA
The root cause of rosacea is still unknown. However, anything that promotes blood flow to the skin can aggravate rosacea. Some of the most common factors contributing to rosacea include:
- Increased Body Temperature
- Hot drinks
- Caffeine
- Alcohol
- Spicy foods
- Sun exposure
- Emotional Extremes
- Winds
- Cold Weather
Individuals who suffer from rosacea tend to have an increased chance of having mites in the hair follicles of the face. The offending mites are medically refereed to as demodex folliculorum. They aggravate the skin and cause skin redness and inflammation.
TREATMENT OF ROSACEA
Rosacea is generally treated by avoiding factors that aggravate it; such as emotional stress, sunlight, hot beverages, spicy foods, alcohol, and extremes of hot or cold. Another way to treat rosacea is to use a prescription topical medications. Those who suffer from rosacea should also use sunscreen at all times. Your doctor may recommend a combination of oral antibiotics and topical medications. Oral antibiotics should be tapering off slowly over time with the continued use of prescribed topical creams for maintenance.
We have several new treatments available for caring for this condition. Surgical treatment may be required for treatment of rhinophyma (also known as phymatous rosacea). Also, laser treatment is very effective for treating any broken blood vessels. This may improve any acne-like lesions.
HOW ROSACEA STARTS
The first sign of rosacea is deep ink rosy cheeks. This will eventually progress into red patches that will appear on the skin. These red patches can appear on the skin for a few hours or even days at a time. As it progresses the rd patches may not go away at all.
When rosacea first appears, many people easily mistake the condition for a sunburn, windburn and even acne. They tend to wait for the condition to clear upon it’s own resulting in a delay to seek treatment. It is important to seek treatment as soon as sign’s begin to appear. The sooner treatment is started, the quicker rosacea can be brought under control.
EFFECTS OF ROSACEA
First to appear on skin may be redness of the cheeks, chin and nose. Pimples, broken or enlarged blood vessels and an enlarged bumpy nose may appear as the condition progresses. It is important to understand that you cannot treat Rosacea on your own. Over the counter products typically aren’t effective, in fact they can aggravate your condition.