Rosacea Treatment

Rosacea, formerly known as acne rosacea, afflicts 13 million Americans by some recent estimates. Rosacea is a chronic inflammatory disease that occurs most commonly in middle-aged, fair-skinned adults. It has been dubbed the “curse of the Celts.” Rosacea is usually visible initially as subtle reddening of the face when patients reach their early 20s. Over time, inflammation, along with skin eruptions, may follow the reddening. About half of rosacea patients also suffer symptoms associated with their eyes (known as ocular rosacea). If left untreated, rosacea can result in the appearance of red lines, which result from swollen or damaged veins.

What Causes Rosacea?

The exact cause of Rosecea is still largely unknown, however the symptoms are reasonably well understood as are a variety of lifestyle factors (such as particular foods and activities) that are known to trigger outbreaks in people that have the disease. It has long been known that a variety of cues or triggers will cause a rosacea sufferer to flush (become red). Although there is not yet a cure for Rosacea, a combination of treatment of the symptoms and lifestyle changes to avoid these triggers can greatly reduce the negative impacts of Rosacea.

Below is a list of commonly recommended lifestyle changes. People will find that some of these items are more or less useful to them. The most important thing is to recognize your individual triggers and adjust your lifestyle accordingly.How can i treat Rosacea?

There are a couple ways we can treat Rosecea. One, is the use of our Sciton Laser (or Versapulse-C) to seal the broken vessels and prevent blood flow to the surface. With laser treatment of these lines they will typically disappear after one or two laser treatments. The cost to treat one view this would be $250-$500 for each of two treatments.

Another method is by use of Mixed Intense pulse light IPL (Photoderm) which, despite it’s name is a laser-like treatment, is emerging as an effective treatment for these Rosacea symptoms. Light pulse therapy works by sending light energy through the outer skin, concentrating on the dermal layer just below. This attacks the problem from the inside; it stimulates growth of collagen. So there is no visible damage.

How can i treat Rosacea?

Can Rosacea be cured?

At this time there is no complete cure for Rosecea. Several treatments have been shown to be successful in reducing or eliminating the symptoms. These treatments, in combination with modifying the lifestyle factors (mentioned above) have can greatly reduce the day-to-day impact of the disease for most people.

If you have been diagnosed with Rosacea you need to know that there is currently no cure. In fact, the cause of Rosacea is still somewhat of a mystery. Having said this however, the good news is that there are many things that can be done to bring the disease under control and minimize the symptoms and also to prevent the disease from progressing further. In general, the treatment is aimed at the control of redness, inflammation, and skin eruptions. Treatment is necessary to prevent permanent damage.

In most cases, once a diagnosis of Rosacea has been made a dermatologist will prescribe a combination of oral antibiotics and the use of antibiotic gel as initial treatment. The oral antibiotics will bring the condition under control (reducing redness and the formation of papules and pustules), then the topical treatments will be used to keep the symptoms under control. In all cases the dermatologist should help to determine the relevant lifestyle factorswhich may need modification to keep flushing/blushing from occurring.

It may take several weeks or more to see any improvement in the condition

Since Rosacea cannot be cured it will often be necessary to continue with topical treatment (and modification of lifestyle factors ) even after symptoms have been reduced or have disappeared. Your dermatologist will make a recommendation based on your particular situation.

It is important to control the flushing & blushing aspects of Rosacea to help prevent the Rosacea from becoming worse. This can be accomplished through various forms of treatment described below as well through lifestyle adjustments.

Treatments Taken Orally

Oral antibiotics used in rosacea treatment are tetracycline; Minocin®/minocycline; erythromycin

Topical Treatments

If rosacea is left untreated, red spider veins on the face (known as telangiectasis) may appear. These are as a result of blood vessels in the face becoming enlarged or damaged. Currently the only choices are:

LASER (Sciton Laser or Versapulse-C) to seal the broken vessels and prevent blood flow to the surface. With laser treatment of these lines they will typically disappear after one or two laser treatments. The cost to treat one view this would be $250-$500 for each of two treatments.
Mixed Intense pulse light IPL (Photoderm) which, despite it’s name is a laser-like treatment, is emerging as an effective treatment for these Rosacea symptoms. Light pulse therapy works by sending light energy through the outer skin, concentrating on the dermal layer just below. This attacks the problem from the inside; it stimulates growth of collagen. So there is no visible damage.

Diagnosis

There is no single test to determine whether someone has rosacea. The diagnosis is usually made based on a visual examination, during which one of our doctors will identify several of the following symptoms:

Flushing or blushing that occurs easily and often and lasts longer than normal
Rashes and redness on part or all of the face (known as erythema), which has the appearance of sunburn and may become worse with time
Burning or stinging sensations
Skin pimple-like eruptions, which may be solid (called papules or nodules) or pus-filled (known as pustules) (*NOTE* This may look similar to acne, but whiteheads or blackheads — common symptoms of acne — are not normally present.)
Dry skin
Visible red spider veins on the face called telangiectasias, which are caused by enlarged, exuberant or damaged blood vessels.
Red, sore or gritty eyes or eyelids, which are symptoms known as ocular rosacea
Symptoms are often aggravated by sun exposure, changes or extremes in temperature, wind and consumption of certain foods (including spicy foods, caffeine and alcohol).
Redness, which extends to other parts of the body including the chest
Bumps on the nose, which sometimes make the nose look as if it is swollen and usually appear when the patient has not been treated for an extended period of time (called rhinophyma)

Stage 1

Flushing or redness (known as erythema) lasts for hours or days -Sensitive skin -Red lines (a condition known as telangiectasia) may appear -Eyes may be sore

Stage 2

Skin eruptions (nodules called papules or pimple-like sores called pustules) appear and may last for weeks -Symptoms may spread from the face to other parts of the body such as the scalp, neck and chest.

Stage 3

Extreme cases of untreated rosacea may result in large nodules that appear most commonly on the cheeks and give the apperance of a swollen nose (known as rhinophyma).