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Rosacea Dry Skin
Rosacea Overview
Rosacea is a chronic inflammatory disease of the skin, which mainly affects the center of the face, involving cheeks, nose, chin and forehead. In some cases, rosacea may also occur on the scalp, ears, neck, chest or back. It causes redness (flushing) and swelling of the skin often accompanied with pimples. Over time the redness tends to become more persistent and can progress further to visible dilated capillaries and thickening of the skin. The blood vessels in the skin affected by rosacea are very sensitive and dilate easily in response to touch or exposure to harsh weather conditions (sunlight, wind, heat or cold).
Approximately 1 in every 20 Americans is suffering from rosacea; as of 2008, it is estimated at least 14 million people in the United States are affected. The disease is more common among adults of northern European ancestry between 30 and 60 years of age, having fair skin and blonde hair. The majority of rosacea suferers are women (especially during menopause), however men often suffer from more severe forms of rosacea, probably because they tend to delay visiting a doctor until the disorder reaches the advanced stage.
Rosacea is known as the "great pretender", is easily confused with other skin disorders and can be mistakenly referred to as "adult acne". Avoid trying to treat rosacea on your own. Seek a dermatologist for diagnoses and treatment, as improper treatment can aggravate the condition.
Diagnoses
A doctor or dermatologist is needed to properly diagnose rosacea. Proper diagnosis at the early stages followed by prompt treatment significantly reduces the risk of rosacea's progression. There is no laboratory test for rosacea. A dermatologist will be able to diagnose the condition through a visual inspection of a patient's skin.
Rosacea Types and Symptoms 2
There are four main types of rosacea and patients may have symptoms of several types of the disorder at the same time or they can occur in succession. Each symptom may progress over time from mild to moderate to severe.| Rosacea | Symptoms |
| Erythematotelangiectatic |
Flushing and persistent redness, may include visible blood vessels. |
| Papulopustular | Persistent redness with transient bumps and pimples. |
| Phymatous | Skin thickening, often resulting in an enlargement of the nose from excess tissue. |
| Ocular | Ocular manifestations such as swollen eyelids, dry eyes, tearing and burning. |
Causes and Triggers3
| Heredity | Rosacea is often passed on within families; 30-40% of rosacea sufferers have a close relative with the condition. |
| Triggers | In people afflicted by rosacea, the tiny blood vessels of the facial skin are over-sensitive. There are several factors causing increased blood flow to the surface of the skin and the dilating or swelling of the capillaries. Common rosacea triggers include: extremely hot and spicy foods, caffeine and alcohol, harsh weather (extreme temperature, sunlight, wind, humidity), hot baths or sauna, heavy exercise, stress, use of oral or topical steroids, certain acute (cold, fever, cough) and chronic (high blood pressure) medical conditions. |
Treatment can help control the condition
While there is no known cure for rosacea, proper treatment can help relieve the signs and symptoms. It is very important to diagnose and start treating rosacea at its early stage, when timely treatment can prevent the disorder from progressing. Each type of rosacea requires different therapy:
- Erythematotelangiectatic type of rosacea
Therapy is often started with a sunscreen paired with a barrier-repair emmolient applied twice a day to calm the skin (oral antibiotic can also be prescribed for this purpose). Then a patient can be prescribed one or more topical medications to reduce inflammation, such as azelaic acid, a topical retinoid, metronidazole, etc. Daily use of a sunscreen should not be stopped.
Visible blood vessels can be safely removed by several procedures of electrocautery, which involves numbing of the skin, treating the affected area and scraping the treated skin away.
Laser and other Light therapies may be used to effectively treat the redness, flushing and visible blood vessels when performed by or under direct supervision of a professional dermatologist. Patients may need several (4 to 8) sessions of therapy per year for several years in a row and then, after the desired result is achieved, the therapy can be interrupted for some time.
- Papulopustular type of rosacea
This type of rosacea tends to respond well to treatment. Especially good results can be seen when the treatment starts with combination therapy (simultaneous use of two or more treatments).
Topical medications (such as topical antibiotics, Azelaic acid, Retinoid, Sulfacetamide, Sulfur lotions) and Oral medications (such as Non-antibiotic Dosage Doxycycline or Oral Antibiotics, which are used in combination with Glycolic Acid peels) may be prescribed to stop inflammation, treat bumps, pus-filled lesions and redness of papulopustular rosacea.
- Phymatous type of rosacea
This type of rosacea usually requires surgical treatments, such as Laser or other Light therapies to smooth the surface of the skin without removing its top layer. Dermabrasion is used to treat the deep defects of the skin including wrinkles, acne scars and thickening of the skin (during the procedure the outer layer of the skin is removed and as the skin heals, the new layers are smoother in appearance). Electrocautery is used to remove thickened rosacea skin with the hot tip of an electrode.
- Ocular
When mild to moderate rosacea involves the eyes, eyelid hygiene regimen should be followed and prescription medications as eye drops or oral antibiotics can be used.