Symptoms and Treatment of Acne Rosacea

Posted on June 29, 2009
Filed Under |

Rosacea acne skin malady is a disease with dermal and ophthalmic manifestations that combines the symptoms specific to rosacea with the pustules of acne. So far, the cause that triggers acne rosacea has not been given an explanation although it is known that sun exposure will increase the risk of disease development. The pustules and the flushing of the skin usually affect the face and the chest with a deterioration of the condition after the consumption of alcohol, spicy foods or hot drinks.

It appears that acne rosacea affects more women than men, with the preponderance of the condition in the middle-aged group. Thus, most of the cases have been reported on people between 30 and 60, but here we ought to add that black skin is more difficult to diagnose. Although many assumptions have been made on the preponderance of acne rosacea with fair-skinned people, the theory is not supported by clinical evidence.

The acne lesions specific to the disease usually appear on the chin and cheeks, or in the nose area, but the central forehead doesn’t get spared either. Although the oily appearance of the skin makes acne rosacea resemble acne vugaris ailment, differences do exist. In traditional acne forms, comedones have no limitation of extent, whereas with rosacea they don’t even appear in the flush areas. Moreover, acne rosacea has a hypertrophy dimension that is not found with acne vulgaris.

Unlike regular acne forms, acne rosacea is a chronic disease that evolves in time, sometimes extending over years. Most often, topical corticosteroids are applied to reduce the intensity of the symptoms and to improve the overall condition, but they are not suitable for long-term therapy due to the tissue atrophy risk or the danger to cause permanent vaso-dilation. Most dermatologists will therefore choose to recommend the systemic treatment instead of the topical one.

Depending on the skin changes caused by acne rosacea, surgical intervention could become necessary but only after running medical tests and at the special recommendation of a dermatologist. Electrocautery and the tunable dye laser procedure represent the two main options under the circumstances, but one could also choose excision, skin grafting, dermabrasion ands so on. Do not postpone acne rosacea treatments because the more time passes, the more difficult will be to cure it.

Comments

Leave a Reply