Acne Rosacea

What Is Acne Rosacea?
Acne Rosacea (pronounced roh-ZAY-sha) is a common but poorly understood disorder of the facial skin that is estimated to affect well over 14 million Americans — and most of them don’t know it. In fact, a Gallup survey found that 78 percent of Americans have no knowledge of this condition, including how to recognize it and what to do about it. Acne Rosacea is a skin condition characterized by redness or blotchiness around the nose and cheeks. Patients often have broken capillaries around these areas. Unlike acne, rosacea is not primarily a plague of teenagers. It occurs most often in adults (ages 30 to 50), especially those with fair skin, and affects both sexes but tends to be more common in women but worse in men. Unlike acne, there are no blackheads or whiteheads in rosacea. When rosacea first develops, it may appear, then disappear, and then reappear. Lasers such as Intense Pulsed Light are considered the preferred laser treatment for treating this condition.

Here are the common characteristics of Acne Rosacea:

• Redness on the cheeks, nose, chin forehead, or chest which is often aggravated by stress, sun, heat, alcohol, exercise, gut issues, and food allergies especially gluten and dairy.
• Small visible blood vessels on the face.
• Bumps or pimples on the face and nose.
• Watery, irritated, or even bloodshot eyes.

The red-faced, acne-like effects of rosacea on personal appearance mean it can cause significant psychological, social, and occupational problems if left untreated. In recent surveys by the National Rosacea Society, more than 76 percent of rosacea patients said their condition had lowered their self-confidence and self-esteem, and 52 percent reported it had caused them to avoid public contact or cancel social engagements. Among rosacea patients with severe symptoms, nearly 70 percent said the disorder had adversely affected their professional interactions, and nearly 30 percent said they had even missed work because of their condition.

How is Acne Rosacea Treated?
Traditionally, when someone came to see their primary physician about rosacea they were given Metrogel and/or antibiotics. This would help control the inflammation but it never addressed the redness or the broken capillaries. Patients would continue to suffer from the daily embarrassment of reddened skin. With the advent of the IPL, or Intense Pulsed Light, there’s a better option.