The Skin Care Fact Center

Both a skin disorder and eye disorder, acne rosacea is a type of acne characterized by the appearance of pustules and vascular manifestations on the affected tissues.  The medical term “rosacea” is frequently mis-spelled and is often spelled as rosecea or roscea.  No matter how the skin disease is spelled, the symptoms and mystery surrounding this socially disruptive disease remains the same.

So far, the cause that triggers acne rosacea has not been given an explanation although it is known that sun exposure will increase the risk of disease development. The pustules and the flushing of the skin usually affect the face and the chest with a deterioration of the condition after the consumption of alcohol, spicy foods or hot drinks. To understand better the symptoms of this skin condition, Google “pictures of rosacea” on the Internet to get a visual representation of the flushing, pustules and excess tissue growth symptoms.  

Who Gets Acne Rosacea?

It appears that acne rosacea affects more females than males, with a higher occurrence of the disease in the middle-aged group. Thus, the majority of patients are men and women between 30 and 60, but here we ought to add that black skin is more difficult to diagnose. Although, there is not enough clinical evidence to support the idea that acne rosacea affects lighter-skinned people most of the times.

The acne rosacea lesions specific to the condition usually appear in the nose area, on the cheeks and chin, but the central part of the forehead is also commonly affected. Although the oily appearance of the skin makes acne rosacea resemble acne vulgaris, differences do exist. In standard acne forms, comedones have no limitation of extent, whereas with rosacea they only appear in the flush areas. Moreover, acne rosacea is characterized by hypertrophy which is not common with acne vulgaris.

Acne Rosacea Treatments

Since acne rosacea is a chronic disorder, its evolution usually expands over several years marked by critical episodes characterized by inflammation. Corticosteroids are commonly prescribed for the reduction of the symptoms, but they are not suitable for long-term therapy because of the risk to cause an atrophy or permanent vaso-dilation of the tissues. Most medical professionals will therefore go for the systemic treatment instead of the topical one.  However, many OTC rosacea treatments, especially the all-natural ones, are available and seem to provide relief to many rosacea patients.  One should look for rosacea treatment reviews at reputable websites prior to acquiring any of these products.

Sometimes the damage caused by acne rosacea needs surgical intervention, but only an expert can decide on such a course of action. The tunable dye laser procedure and electrocautery represent the two main alternatives under the circumstances, but one could also choose excision, skin grafting, dermabrasion ands so on. Don’t postpone the treatment of acne rosacea because the more time passes, the more difficult will be to cure it.