Rosacea treatment

Rosacea is one of the most common skin disorders. In fact it is the fifth most common dermatological skin disorder that affects people today. Rosacea however is not very well known. Most people have it and do not even know that they have a medical condition. Since it is not well known it goes to say that most people do not know that they can get treatment for their symptoms either.

The most classic symptoms of rosacea are patchy redness and inflammation of the cheeks, nose, forehead and around the mouth. Rosacea usually affects people between the ages of 30 and 50. It tends to affect women worse than men. Rosacea may come on gradually for a lot of people so it may not be noticed for some time.

Rosacea is a chronic skin disorder that is hereditary. What happens is that the blood vessels that are directly under the skin become dilated which cause small blotchy looking red areas or papules. There can also be pustules or pus filled inflamed bumps that accompany this. This problem may come and go in the early days of the disease but later will become permanent. The skin can become painful or sensitive to the touch. Since there are pustules along with this problem, it can be misdiagnosed as acne or adult acne. However rosacea does not respond well to acne treatment or medication. The pustules that go along with rosacea are not of a bacterial nature as are the ones that go along with acne.

If rosacea goes untreated, the skin on the face can become more swollen, small cysts form on the skin of the face. A certain condition causes bumps to appear on the nose which can make the nose appear to be red and swollen. This tends to happens in men. The longer this condition goes on, the skin tends to get thicker and more sensitive. Rosacea over time can lead to permanent changes in appearance for both sexes and can affect self esteem for everyone that is affected by it.

What are some ways to treat rosacea? Dermatologists recommend early treatment for the best results. They recommend for redness, flushing and any visible blood vessels to use a good sunscreen and an emollient twice a day. An antibiotic may be prescribed as well. Topical medications may be prescribed once the skin has calmed down such as Retinoid or Azealaic Acid. These types of treatments can take months to see significant results. Other treatments can include electrocautery which safely destroys the blood vessels with a device that applies electrical current to the vessels. There are also laser and other light type therapies that can be used effectively for these types of skin disorders. The up side of these types of treatments is that the patients see results pretty quickly. The only down side is that the treatments can be costly and some may not be covered by insurance.

Bumps and pus filled lesions may be treated with topical medications such as antibiotic creams, benzyl peroxide, or retinoid. The up side to these medications are there are very few side effects. The down side to this type of treatment is that it can take up to two months to see significant results. Other treatments are oral antibiotics such as Tetracycline, or Erythromycin. These medications are highly effective in this treatment. People usually see results in three to four weeks. The only downside to these medications is that some people do not tolerate them well.

Another type of treatment is to add a glycolic acid peel to either the oral antibiotics which can be used at two or four week intervals to speed up the process. This helps people get better control over their rosacea faster. There are no noted side effects to this treatment. The face may be red for a short time after treatment but this subsides.

Thickening skin can be treated with surgical procedures and laser therapy. Dermatologists are using laser therapy to smooth out the thickened layers of skin and remove the top layers to make the skin look more smooth and uniform. Other surgical procedures that may be used are electrocautery and dermabrasion. It may take 2-3 sessions in order to get the desired results from these types of procedures and the time intervals between procedures is usually 4-8 weeks.

Last updated on Sep 29th, 2009 and filed under Skin Care. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

1 Response for “Rosacea treatment”

  1. Jackie says:

    The women of my family all suffer from Rosacea. My mother and I have been using a skin care line called Skin Print. It is developed and customized for each individual. My redness is greatly reduced and my skin tone is much more even.

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