Rosacea

What is rosacea?

Rosacea is a chronic skin condition causing inflammation, redness, and flushing. Many people with rosacea also see a lot of spider veins or broken blood vessels across their skin. While you can conceal some of the redness with makeup, a dermatologist can provide treatment to minimize your symptoms and their flare-ups. 

Women are more likely than men to get rosacea, but the condition isn’t exclusive to them. In fact, a symptom called rhinophyma affects men more often. Rhinophyma causes the skin on your nose to thicken, which makes your nose appear large and bulbous. 

In addition to skin symptoms, rosacea often affects the eyes. During your treatment consultation at Luminary Dermatology, your dermatologist looks for eye irritation with the more typical skin redness. After reviewing your symptoms, they recommend treatment to control the signs and symptoms. 

What causes rosacea?

Rosacea likely has many causes contributing to each case on an individual basis. While it can’t be traced back to a singular cause, genetic and environmental factors may be at play. It’s also likely that rosacea comes from an overactive immune system. 

You might notice that your rosacea symptoms flare up at certain times in response to triggers. Common triggers include:

• Wind
• Extreme temperatures
• Spicy foods
• Alcoholic beverages
• Exercise
• Strong emotions
• Certain medications
• Certain cosmetics and hair products

Your dermatologist works with you to identify triggers so you can keep them in mind and avoid or limit your exposure to them. 

How is rosacea treated?

Rosacea treatment won’t cure your condition but can make strides in minimizing your symptoms. Limiting or avoiding triggers can make a difference, but there are also medications and therapies available for controlling rosacea.

Several medications work to reduce skin flushing, including certain medications for acne as well as topical creams and gels. Your dermatologist teaches you to use any prescriptions properly to get the best results. 

Laser therapy can also control rosacea symptoms. Light-based devices target broken blood vessels and cause them to constrict, which keeps spider veins and redness to a minimum.

Call Luminary Dermatology or schedule an appointment online to explore treatments for rosacea today.