Rosacea is a chronic skin related condition where certain areas of the face turn red. The areas include cheeks, nose, forehead, ears, and sometimes scalp and eyes. This redness might be accompanied by acne or bumps or thickened skin or a combination of all these.
Rosacea occurs mostly in Caucasians, and women are twice as likely to develop rosacea than men. This condition is most prevalent in individuals between 30 and 50.
The top five symptoms of Rosacea are –
- Redness of the face
- Thickened skin and red nose
- Red lines under the facial skin
- Acne
- Dry, itchy eyes
Rosacea symptoms are on and off as they can go into remission for years and reoccur. Most rosacea patients have mild symptoms which occur in phases.
It starts as pre-rosacea characterized by redness or blushing and then progresses into persistent redness on the face. It can cause inflammation, the face to become itchy and warm to the touch. This is called vascular rosacea. This can be followed with inflammation of the skin and acne or bumps.
Acne rosacea symptoms are similar to acne on the face with red bumps filled with pus, whiteheads, blackheads, inflamed skin, papules, and thickened painful skin. At this point some small blood vessels under the skin can be seen as red lines. Many a time eyes may display symptoms of rosacea. Burning or itchy eyes or blood shot eyes are indicators of rosacea. This may lead to blurred vision or loss of eye sight.
This is called Ocular Rosacea. Ocular rosacea symptoms include inflammation or scaling of the eye lids.
In some cases, rosacea symptoms are seen only on the nose. This is called Pymatous Rosacea. Symptoms include red nose with thickened skin which is sometimes accompanied by acne. The nose becomes heavy and prominent on the face.
Symptoms of rosacea spread and intensify if rosacea is not treated timely. Almost 20% of rosacea patients have mild rosacea which remains mild all throughout their life. Some rosacea patients do not know that they have symptoms of rosacea and do not seek treatment at all. The cause for rosacea symptoms is not clear. It is found that extreme temperature, stress, spicy food, caffeine, certain drugs that cause allergies, or infection could be the cause of rosacea.
There is no treatment to eliminate rosacea completely. However, there are several treatment methods to ease pain and relieve symptoms. Certain topical applications can reduce pain and redness. Oral antibiotics have proven beneficial in certain cases especially in the case of ocular rosacea. Vision problems can be reduced through laser surgery. Making a few lifestyle changes and protecting the skin from weather irritants can help reduce flare-ups.
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