Menu:
Rosacea
Rosacea or in a layman's words "adult acne" is a chronic long term skin disease that affects the face. Adults especially women in the age group 30-60 years are more prone.
Symptoms / How do you detect Rosacea ?
- It begins as redness which looks like a blush or sunburn on the face especially nose, cheeks, chin, forehead. With time, red pimples and pus filled bumps appear and the skin thickens.
- Some people may also get small blood vessels across their nose and cheeks. The veins dilate and show through the skin as small red lines.
- Inflammation of eye in advanced stages. Eyelids become inflamed and swollen and, if left untreated, may lead to blurred vision or impairment.
- Enlarged and red nose with small bumps - common in men.
Why does it occur?
No exact cause has yet been found. Factors causing rosacea vary from person to person.
Some possible causes may be -
- People who have sensitive blood vessels that easily flare up are more at risk.
- Dermatologists believe that people who have more bacteria on their face than on any other body part usually get rosacea.
- Factors that trigger a flare up of blood vessels include - heat, strenuous exercise, hot and spicy food, extreme weather conditions, emotional stress, menopause.
- Long term use of topical steroids on face.
Treatment for Rosacea
Rosacea has no cure. Don't get disheartened. Treatment (though time consuming) is there to control the condition. It usually moves in cycles with the condition improving and at times flaring up.
So the first step in treatment is to identify the reasons that cause an aggravation. Give a deep thought to your lifestyle and try to identify when and what triggers your condition. This will make the job much easier.
- Rosacea comes gradually and is often mistaken for rosy cheeks or sunburn. So do not go in for self medication.
- Depending on individual skin type and the stage of disorder, doctors prescribe either topical medications or oral ones or a combination of the two. Don't worry if you don't get immediate results. The pustules heal fast to treatment, but the redness on the face will lessen over time.
- Medication needs to be continued even after symptoms clear up or else there might be a reversal of the disease within a week to 6 months.
- In more advanced stages, where red lines appear on the face or the nose swells up, surgery or laser therapy becomes essential.
Precautions to be taken -
- Be gentle on your face, keep it well hydrated and use mild soaps and moisturizers, usually those that are alcohol free.
- When outdoors always use sunscreen with a s SPF of 15 or more.
- Consult a doctor immediately, if symptoms similar to rosacea in early stages start showing. Don't let it go untreated or wait for it to flare up. Get checked and relax!!
- Avoid anything that causes flushing on your face.
People down with this disease should not feel embarrassed or lack confidence at any stage, because their facial appearance get affected. Look at the brighter side. Correct diagnoses of the disorder supplemented with the right medication will definitely lessen the symptoms over time. So move on, and let rosacea not be a hurdle in your life.