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What is Rosacea and how to cure it?

Updated: Jun 25

Contents:

What is Rosacea?

Rosacea is a chronic skin condition that causes redness of the skin, visible blood vessels, inflammation, and/or acne, and typically shows on the center of the face. This condition usually affects individuals with very fair skin, but can show up on people regardless of skin color. In addition, rosacea mostly shows up in adults in their 30s and 40s.

Woman with redness on her cheek caused by rosacea

What causes Rosacea?

Although the fundamental cause is unknown, some factors that trigger rosacea include stress, consumption of alcohol, smoking, exposure to harsh environments, and certain kinds of food.

Some patients have also been seen to suffer from rosacea as a result of a stomach bacterial infection caused by Helicobacter pylori.

In addition, researchers have seen a correlation between genetics and rosacea. If one of your family members has rosacea, there might be a possibility it was passed down to you.

Certain skincare and makeup products could also potentially cause rosacea. Researchers have boiled down potential troublesome ingredients in these products to be alcohol, witch hazel, fragrances, menthol, peppermint, and eucalyptus oil. Removing products containing these ingredients could decrease your symptoms of rosacea.

Rosacea and acne can be often mistaken for each other due to the similarities of redness and pimples. However, the causes and processes of these conditions are completely different. Therefore, it is important to distinguish between each other to ensure the appropriate treatment is pursued.

The formation of acne can be due to a combination of various reasons such as hormonal changes, hair follicles, the formation of sebum, inflammation, and bacteria. As compared to rosacea patients, patients suffering from acne often experience blackheads, bumps, and pimples, and often occur in adolescents as a temporary condition.

On the other hand, rosacea is a chronic condition that usually shows during one’s adulthood. The most recognizable symptom of rosacea is redness which may come and go. In addition, differing from acne patients, those with rosacea may start suffering from noticeable blood vessels on their face and eyes as well as skin thickening on the nose.

Although the root cause of rosacea is unknown, some of the home remedies to treat rosacea include eliminating harmful environments, foods, and makeup products.


1. Keep away from harsh environments

To prevent flare-ups of rosacea, especially redness in the skin, it is important to avoid high exposure to the sun, consistent hot climate, and cold wind.


2. Remove certain food from your diet

Some types of food have been proven to worsen symptoms of rosacea such as food and drinks of hot temperatures; spicy foods and cinnamon-related food. Eliminating these foods could assist in decreasing redness on the skin caused by rosacea. It could be helpful to take note of irritants that flare up your rosacea and avoid them to prevent severe flare-ups in the future.


3. Medication

Medication prescribed by a medical professional can help with pimples, bumps, eye irritation, and skin thickening and can be in the form of oral medication or eye drops.


Many different types of laser therapy can help with your unique symptoms of rosacea. Intense pulsed light therapy can help with redness caused by rosacea, whereas surgical lasers can also help remove skin thickening around the nose. In addition, laser or light therapy can be used to reduce the visibility of blood vessels and thickened skills. Do consult a dermatologist to understand which laser therapy is best for you!


Conclusion

In conclusion, due to rosacea being a chronic condition, most of the treatments control the severity of the flare-ups without completely curing rosacea. With the symptoms of rosacea showing up differently in every patient, the treatments would not be a ‘one size fits all’. As a result, it is best to talk to a dermatologist to choose an appropriate treatment option for you.



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