Rosacea: Treatments, types, causes, and symptoms

Rosacea is a skin disease that generally affects the face but also spreads to other areas of the body. Redness, skin ulcers and swelling that, in addition to damaging the patient’s health, can also influence their self-esteem and social life.

Rosacea is a chronic skin condition that manifests itself in the form of redness and sometimes small pustules. This redness is caused by the swelling of the blood vessels just under the skin and can be accompanied by other skin disorders (acne vulgaris, seborrhea) or eye disorders (blepharitis, keratitis).

Although it is a very common problem, it usually affects a specific sector of the population. Women (up to three times more than men), between 30 and 60 years old, of white complexion and of European origin. It is also very common for it to appear when reaching menopause.

Rosacea occurs mainly on the cheeks, but also on the nose, forehead, and eyes, as well as being able to spread to other parts of the body such as the neck and chest.

The symptoms

Rosacea can have different symptoms, both physical and psychological, in addition to redness of the skin:

• Eye redness
• Pimples and pustules
• The appearance of erythema (another type of redness caused by excess blood flow).
• Telangiectasia (dilation of superficial blood vessels).
• Itching and burning in the area
• Burning sensation
• Rhinophyma in more advanced cases is a pathology that reddens and can deform the nose.

In some cases, some patients also see their psychological health affected by suffering:

• Depression and low self-esteem.
• Isolation and fear of relating.

Typologies

There are different types of Rosaceae depending on their severity and the area they affect. The most important ones are:

• Erythematous-telangiectatic rosacea. It usually occurs abruptly in different areas of the face and usually hurts and causes a burning sensation.
• Papule-pustular rosacea . It is similar to the previous class, but less intense so that it resembles acne and the discomfort is milder.
• Primates rosacea. It happens in people who already suffer from any of the rosacea previously described, which are almost always men. On the skin, the pores are enlarged and with a very oily appearance. Normally, it appears in the nose (rhinophyma), although it can affect other areas such as the forehead (methophyma) or chin (gnatophyma), among others.
• Ocular rosacea. Quite a common typology (one in five cases is of this type).

Treatment

Rosacea is a disease that still has no cure. However, there are long-term treatments that allow you to control the disease. First, a less aggressive treatment such as metronidazole or azelaic acid-based creams should be tried. If rosacea worsens, medications can be taken to control it. If the condition reaches the eyes, the ophthalmologist should be consulted , who will normally advise the application of some type of eye drops.

Finally, the laser is another technique to consider because it is a fairly fast and effective treatment that destroys the altered structures in the skin, restoring its normal