Acne Rosacea
Posted on March 30th, 2009 | by lose_spots |
Both a skin and eye disorder, acne rosacea is a type of acne characterized by the appearance of pustules and vascular manifestations on the affected tissues. So far, the nature and exact causes of acne rosacea has not been given an explanation although it is known that sun exposure will increase the risk of disease development. The pustules and the flushing of the skin usually affect the face and the chest with a deterioration of the condition after the consumption of alcohol, spicy foods or hot drinks.
It seems that acne rosacea has been reported in more women than men, with the preponderance of the condition in the middle-aged group. Thus, most of the cases have been reported on people between 30 and 60, but here we ought to add that black skin is more difficult to diagnose. Yet, there is not enough clinical evidence to support the idea that acne rosacea affects fair-skinned people most of the times.
The acne blemishes characteristic to the disease are most often distributed in the nose area, on the cheeks and chin, but the central part of the forehead is also commonly affected. The skin is usually very oily too, yet there are some major differences between acne rosacea and acne vulgaris. In traditional acne forms, comedones have no limitation of extent, whereas with rosacea they don’t even appear in the flush areas. Moreover, acne rosacea has a hypertrophy dimension that is not found with acne vulgaris.
Since acne rosacea is a chronic disease its evolution usually expands over several years marked by critical episodes characterized by inflammation. Corticosteroids are commonly prescribed for the alleviation of the symptoms, but they are not suitable for long-term therapy due to the tissue atrophy risk or the danger to cause permanent vaso-dilation. Most dermatologists will therefore go for the systemic treatment instead of the topical one.
Sometimes the damage caused by acne rosacea needs surgical treatment, but only an expert can decide on such a course of action. The tunable dye laser procedure and electrocautery represent the two main alternatives under the circumstances, but one could also choose excision, skin grafting, dermabrasion ands so on. Do not postpone the treatment of acne rosacea because the more time passes, the more difficult will be to cure it.
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