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Rosacea
2007-07-19
A Red Face That Won't Go Away
Question: Dr. Prabhu, my husband's face appears to have sunburn on his cheeks and nose that comes and goes. The redness appears even worse when he comes home from work all stressed out. What could cause this?
Answer: Your husband may be suffering from a chronic and sometimes progressive facial skin disorder called Rosacea. Though not well known, this disease affects up to 7% of the Canadian population.
Rosacea first appears a redness that comes and goes on the cheeks, nose, chin and forehead. It causes the eyes to feel gritty and appear bloodshot and tiny blood vessels may be visible on the surface of the skin. Rosacea almost always occurs on the face and although it may look like teenage acne without any blackheads or whiteheads it is not caused by poor hygiene or drinking.
Rosacea can be divided into four main subtypes. The first as you describe your husband's condition is redness that appears on the cheeks, nose forehead or chin that comes and goes. The second adds small, red solid bumps called papules or small, red bumps that look like whiteheads called pustules. A third version exhibits a thickening of the skin, and in men, the development of fleshy bumps on the nose. The fourth, Ocular Roacea has symptoms including a gritty feeling in the eyes and an appearance that the eyes look bloodshot.
Question: If hygiene isn't the problem, what causes these symptoms and are they serious?
Answer: The cause of this disorder are still unknown although various theories have been suggested such as bacteria, mites, fungus, autoimmune disorders and others.
Question: Since my husband's symptoms come and go, is there something that triggers his flare-ups?
Answer: Yes. There are certain things which have been identified as triggers in aggravating Rosacea. Most of them relate to factors that cause a rise in the body's temperature such as exposure the sun, heat, cold or wind; consumption of hot liquids, spicy foods or alcohol (especially red wine); stress or anything that tends to elevate blood pressure.
Question: Is there a cure for Rosacea and what kind of treatments are available?
Unfortunately there is no current cure for Rosacea. There are, however, two categories of treatments presently being used to stop the progression of the disease and, in some cases, reverse its progress which if left untreated could lead to facial disfigurement.
The first course of treatments involve topical applications of antibacterial agents, oral antibiotics and/or topical steroids. Approximately 80% of rosacea patients can expect improvements from the use of one or more of these treatments which needs to be diligently applied over a period of weeks or months.
An alternate course of treatment involves the use of state of the art technologies such as Intense Pulsed Light Photorejuvenation, Pulse Dye Laser and the KTP Laser systems. These technologies offer non-invasive treatments that erase skin damage without disruption of the skins's surface and have long term effectiveness in reducing the symptoms of Rosacea.
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