Rosacea
What is Rosacea?
Rosacea is a red spotty rash of the face, mostly the cheeks, forehead and chin.
Rosacea usually affects young and middle-aged women and can cause significant distress. It may be a short-lived thing but sometimes can persist and become chronic.
WHAT CAUSES ROSACEA?
The precise cause remains an area of active research. The skin is inflamed, possibly as an unwanted immune response to the presence of normal surface bacteria although the condition itself is not an infection. There is excessive blood flow into the affected areas, resulting in a tendency to blushing. It’s more common in those with fair skin and blue eyes. Normal hair follicle mites (Demodex) are sometimes increased and may play a role in causing it.
Many things aggravate rosacea and should be avoided or minimised. Examples include topical steroid (cortisone) creams, oil-based creams and cosmetics, harsh cleansers or soaps, sunshine, sweat, sunscreens and anything which might increase blood flow to the skin such as alcohol, caffeine, spicy foods or vigorous exercise.
How is it treated?
Rosacea is a sensitive condition of the skin, so you must be gentle with it. There are a variety of medicines which can help. Mild cases can sometimes respond well to topical treatment with prescription creams. More severe cases may need tablet treatment such as anti-inflammatory antibiotics which usually work very well. If not, there are still other options. Overall the condition can usually be managed very effectively and sometimes, but not always, even cured permanently.