Have you ever gone red or had your skin flush when you’re not embarrassed? If so, it may be a sign of rosacea, a chronic skin condition that affects mainly women, and millions of them worldwide. Its onset generally doesn’t occur until you reach your thirties, sometimes even later, because rosacea is thought to be a result of excess acid building up in the body. This acid agitates your blood vessels and affects the face most as you have a very high concentration of vessels and capillaries in this area.
What are the Symptoms of Rosacea
The symptoms of rosacea are too obvious to go unnoticed, as it mainly affects the face, in particular the cheeks and nose, and sometimes also the forehead and the area surrounding the mouth. This is because there are a lot of vessels and arteries here, and so it leads people to think it is caused by acid.
The main symptom of rosacea is blotchy red skin, which may even sting or be itchy, and in some cases can become puffy. The skin is often described as dry and flaky or normal or oily, and the patches can pop up on just one side of the face or sometimes on both sides at the same time; there is really no consistency among different people so it is impossible to predict.
Other symptoms include bumps and pimples, very similar to acne, but blocked glands do not cause the symptoms of rosacea.
Rosacea is actually often diagnosed as acne. Even worse, rosacea is sometimes even misdiagnosed as sunburn, which postpones any treatment.
What Causes Rosacea Flare Ups
No one is really sure exactly sure what causes this annoying condition, although many patients who are treated for rosacea have relatives that have also suffered, so it leads some people to believe that the condition is hereditary.
Analysis of people’s skin also shows that those with light skin and also those of British and Scandinavian origin seem more prone to experience rosacea, while those with darker skin or from other places are much less likely to have it.
Other unproven causes of rosacea are bacteria and fungi, problem with the tissue in the skin and physiological problems.
How Treatable is Rosacea
Firstly, you should be aware that rosacea is not infectious or contagious; this is confusing to some people, because antibiotics are often given to deal with the condition. However, this is done to help reduce the swelling rather than use the antibiotics’ bacteria combat capabilities.
Sunscreen is also recommended as it avoids more rosacea outbreaks. Laser therapy (removing blood vessels around the area) can be used for very extreme cases of rosacea.
Certain things should be avoided by those with rosacea. These include spicy food, alcoholic drinks, hot drinks, hot baths, stress, strenuous exercises and exposure to extreme weather and temperature.
Avoiding these things help to keep rosacea tamed to prevent flare-ups.