Rosacea (sometimes Called Acne Rosacea)

Rosacea (sometimes called Acne Rosacea)Symptoms, Treatments and Helpful Tips

Rosacea is a skin condition that causes a persistent redness on the face, in particular on the cheeks, nose and forehead. The condition is estimated to affect 45 million people worldwide and affects mostly fair-skinned people between the ages of 20 and 50. Rosacea becomes progressively worse over time if it is left untreated.

Small blood vessels in areas on the face that normally blush become dilated and inflamed and become visible through the skin as small red lines (telangiectasias). These dilated blood vessels tend to become larger in size over time. Rosacea is often also accompanied by papules (red bumps) and pustules (pus filled/oozing bumps), which resemble ordinary pimples. However, unlike teenage acne, there are no whiteheads or blackheads in acne rosacea.

The exact cause of rosacea is unknown, however much debate exists about many contributing factors. Since rosacea mainly affects the areas in the face that blush, emotional factors (stress, anxiety, embarrassment etc.), food items (alcohol, coffee, foods high in histamine, spicy foods etc.) and weather (summer heat and harsh winter weather) all aggravate rosacea. Sun exposure definitely worsens acne rosacea. A skin mite (Demodex folliculorum) that infests hair follicles has been thought to be a contributing factor for rosacea and studies have found some rosacea patients with a high number of demodex mites. A bacterium (Helicobacter pylori) found in the digestive system of some people that can cause acid reflux disease, has also been investigated as a possible cause of rosacea.

Rosacea manifests itself initially as a facial blushing that does not seem to disappear completely. The initial redness may come and go, but over time develops into a more persistent redness that resembles inflammation (like a sun burn). In addition, the face often will feel itchy and painful.

Ocular Rosacea
Ocular Rosacea usually accompanies rosacea and often manifests itself as red, burning and itching eyes. Or patients describe it as a foreign body sensation in their eyes. Ocular rosacea can develop slower than the other rosacea symptoms and you may not notice any symptoms in your eyes. It is very important if you have rosacea that you have your eyes checked regularly by an eye doctor. This is especially true if you wear contact lenses.

Rosacea is usually treated with topical treatments (e.g. antibiotic creams or gels) and an initial oral tetracycline regimen may be needed to get the condition under control. Although prescription antibiotic treatments may work for most people, these treatments could become less effective over time and rosacea flare-ups become more frequent.

Things you can do to help your rosacea symptoms (in addtion to topical treatments):

Drink plenty of water.Drinking at least 8 glasses of water will help the body to eliminate waste products and to remain cool.

Identify your trigger foods. Trigger foods will vary from person to person, so eliminating certain foods from your diet for a period of time will help to identify those trigger foods. For some people, those foods could be chocolate, tomatoes, red peppers, red wine, or any food that is high in histamine, alcoholic beverages and drinks containing caffeine. This does not mean that you will never be able to eat those foods, from personal experience we can say that when you do have your rosacea under control, you can add some trigger foods back to you diet, as long as you limit them.

Reduce stress. This is probably the hardest thing to control, but since rosacea is linked to stress, it is very important to identify stressful situations (at work, during your commute or at home) and find ways to better control those situations.

Avoid the use of the following on your face:

-) Steroids. Steroids make rosacea symptoms much worse and should be avoided at all costs. If you are using steroids on your face and you know you have rosacea, it is very important that you stop using steroids gradually.

-) Benzoyl Peroxide.Topical treatments for regular acne such as benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid should also be avoided. These treatments also aggravate rosacea.

-) Topical Treatments containing alpha- or beta- hydroxy acids.

Wear Sunscreen.
It is very important to protect your face from the damaging rays of the sun with an appropriate sunscreen. However, many rosacea patients are sensitive to the UV blocking chemicals in most sun screens. In addition, many sun screens are waterproof and are thick and oily, which can cause a heat-trap. The inability of your face to regulate heat when a sunscreen is applied, can cause additional redness. It is therefore important to minimize your exposure to the sun and if you're outdoors for prolonged period to use a sunscreen that does not cause sensitivity (look for non-waterproof sun screens with titanium dioxide or zinc oxide). Also, avoid sun screens containing alcohol.

Bamford, J.T., Tilden, R.L., Blankush, J.L., Gangeness, D.E. (1999) Effect of treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection on rosacea. Arch Dermatol 135: 659-663.

Erbagcaronci, Z. and Ozgoztascedili, O. (1998). The significance of Demodex folliculorum density in rosacea. Int J Dermatol 37 (6): 421-425.

Utas, S. Ozbakir, O., Turasan, A., Utas C. (1999) Helicobacter pylori eradication treatment reduces the severity of rosacea. J Am Acad Dermatol 40: 433-435.

Disclaimer: the information provided is for educational purposes only and is in no way intended to replace the advice from your health care professional. Always talk to your health care professional.

By: Bart Nieuwenhuijsen

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Bart Nieuwenhuijsen is a research scientist trained in molecular biology and neuroscience. For more information go to: www.reverta.com/Rosacea.html , www.reverta.com