Rosacea

Around 8-10% of the US adult population has rosacea. Don’t feel flushed, your dermatologist can help.

What is rosacea?

Rosacea causes redness and flushing of the face. It also typically causes sensitivity of the skin of the face. There are 4 main types:

1 – Redness, flushing, and vessels – called Erythematoteleangectatic Rosacea

2 – Bumps and Zits – called Papulopustular Rosacea

3 – Thickening of the skin – called Rhinophymatous Rosacea

4 – Irritation of the eyes – called Ocular Rosacea

What causes it?

Genetics play a large role in rosacea – most patients have Northern European ancestry, but anyone can develop rosacea. Based on our current understanding, people have a genetic risk for rosacea and then possibly have an exposure. Many times, the “exposure” is not discernable. Other factors include the microbiome of our skin, the microbiome of our GI tract, and our immune system. Certainly, a patients “exposure” that begins rosacea can simply be what causes the patients flares. Flares are commonly caused by:

Sun exposure (81%), emotional stress (79%), hot weather (75%), wind (57%), heavy exercise (56%), alcohol consumption (52%), hot baths (51%), cold weather (46%), spicy foods (45%), humidity (44%), indoor heat (41%), certain skin care products (41%), heated beverages (36%), and certain cosmetics (27%). (from the National Rosacea Society).
Unfortunately, there is not a known cure for rosacea, but it can be treated.

How do you treat it?

There are many great treatment options for rosacea. The ones that are right for you will depend on your health history, the type of your rosacea, your doctor’s experience with certain medications, and unfortunately – your insurance companies’ willingness to support coverage for a particular medication.

Common treatments are:

Topical creams/foams – Topical antibiotic/anti-inflammatories, topical vasoconstrictors

Oral (tablet) medications – Anti-biotics/anti-inflammatories, vitamin A analogs

Sun protection including lotions with green hues for

coverage of red tones

Laser treatments – mostly for vessels and background redness

It is important to understand that flares will still happen so it is important to understand your prevention strategy as well as adjuncts to use during flares.

Source: American Academy of Dermatology (link – https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/rosacea)

National Rosacea Society (link – https://www.rosacea.org)

For Physicians only (or patients of Dr. Contestable) – “Rosacea – Patient Handout”