You’ve taken oral antibiotics. You’ve taken an oral acne drug. You’ve tried everything you can think of, but you can’t seem to treat your acne rosacea treatment. At Dermatology Consultants of South Florida in Coral Springs, we’d like you to know that there are effective acne rosacea treatments: and many reasons not to wait.
What Is Acne Rosacea?
Acne rosacea is a condition characteristic of redness. It most often affects the facial skin, including on the nose, chin, forehead and cheeks. However, since it is a skin condition, it can affect you anywhere. This condition affects approximately 14 million Americans. Unfortunately, it is commonly misdiagnosed.
Causes of Acne Rosacea
While the causes of this condition are unknown, there are several theories currently being researched. One school of thought suggests it is the symptom of a more generalized blood vessel disorder. Other schools of thought suggest it is triggered by psychological factors, fungus, microscopic skin mites, or a disorder of the connective tissue beneath the skin’s surface.
Signs and Symptoms
The severity and types of symptoms that affect individuals with acne rosacea vary wildly. You may have two symptoms now and then develop three more symptoms next year. The only common denominator between all cases of acne rosacea is at least one primary sign exists.
Primary Signs
Flushing is the most common sign of acne rosacea. Frequent blushing or flushing of the face are a very strong indicator of rosacea. Similar to flushing or blushing, which involve temporary redness, persistent facial redness is another very strong indicator of rosacea. This often resembles blushing, but it may also resemble sunburn that does not go away.
Bumps and pimples are also a primary sign of acne rosacea. These small red solid bumps are often mistaken for acne. However, there are no blackheads present. Other times, pus-filled pimples develop and burn or sting. Finally, visible blood vessels are a primary indicator of rosacea.
Secondary Signs
Eye irritation is a very unfortunate symptom of rosacea. If you suffer from ocular rosacea, your eyes may appear bloodshot or watery. It may cause swelling and redness of the eyelids and can also cause styes to develop.
When acne rosacea affects your face, you need to invest in acne rosacea treatment because the skin around the middle of your face can become rough. This will make it appear to be very dry, even if you moisturize your skin. Plaques, or raised red patches, on your skin are another symptom of rosacea. Finally, don’t be surprised if signs and symptoms develop but don’t affect your face. Other common regions to be affected by acne rosacea are the chest, ears, neck and scalp.
Am I at Risk for Acne Rosacea?
There are several risk factors for acne rosacea. The most significant risk factor is skin tone. If you have fair skin and a tendency to blush, you are at a higher risk of contracting this disorder. Moreover, acne rosacea is far more common in women than it is in men. However, when men do have it, they tend to suffer from more severe symptoms than women.
Acne Rosacea Diagnosis
There’s no specific test to diagnose acne rosacea. Instead, dermatologists diagnose your condition based on your history of symptoms and a skin examination. Often, tests will be conducted to rule out other conditions, such as lupus, eczema or psoriasis. The symptoms of these conditions are similar to rosacea.
6 Reasons Not to Put Off Acne Rosacea Treatment
1. Your Appearance Can Worsen
Acne rosacea creates redness of the skin. However, if you do not treat it, it can lead to a ruddy countenance. Moreover, small blood vessels may become visible. If you put off acne rosacea treatment, you may need laser vein treatment to correct your appearance.
2. Your Health Can Worsen
Another strong case for not putting off acne rosacea treatment is the fact that your health can worsen. One of the primary signs of rosacea is a breakout of bumps and pimples. These pimples are often filled with pus. If they burst and are not sanitized, they can lead to an infection. Moreover, the affected area becomes quite painful.
3. You Could Go Blind
In the case of severe ocular rosacea, corneal damage and vision loss can occur. Corrective vision surgery to repair corneal damage is very expensive and difficult to treat.
4. You Could Look Heavier Than You Actually Are
In some cases, edema (facial swelling) can occur with acne rosacea. This swelling can make your face look much larger and rounder than it actually is.
5. Your Skin May Thicken
Often, rosacea leads to a condition known as rhinophyma. This condition is characteristic of the skin thickening and enlarging due to excess tissue. It often affects the nose, leading to an unsightly, bulbous appearance.
6. You’ll Itch Like Crazy
Regardless of if you suffer from burning or stinging skin, acne rosacea has a tendency to make your skin feel tight or itchy. Imagine trying to sit through your company’s third-quarter financial reports while resisting the urge to scratch your face. Who wouldn’t rather try acne rosacea treatment?
Another compelling reason to seek out this treatment is people often scratch their faces so regularly in their sleep that they bleed. The open wounds on your face or other parts of your body leave you susceptible to nasty infections.
Acne Rosacea Therapy
Light-based therapy, such as laser therapy, can help to reduce the redness of enlarged blood vessels. It can also eliminate the appearance of visible veins on your face. Repeat treatment may be needed on occasion to maintain your enhanced complexion. However, this doesn’t need to be done frequently.
Medications for Acne Rosacea Treatment
More often than light therapy, people opt for medications to treat their acne rosacea. Incredible advances in pharmacology have made medications for acne rosacea treatment safer and more effective than ever. The best medication for your unique condition will depend on the symptoms you are currently suffering from. We’ll help you find the best medication for your condition when you come in for your initial consultation. Here are a few prescription drugs often prescribed for acne rosacea treatment:
Topical Drugs to Minimize Redness
If you suffer from mild-to-moderate acne rosacea, a prescription cream or gel can improve your condition drastically. Oxymetazoline and brimonidine are commonly prescribed to reduce redness by constricting the blood vessels in the affected area. Results can be seen in as few as 12 hours following treatment. However, the effect on the affected blood vessels is only temporary. Thus, you will need to apply your medication regularly to maintain your new and improved countenance.
Prescription drugs, including azelaic acid, ivermectin, and metronidazole, are less effective for treating redness. However, they are very effective for the treatment of pimples. In the case of metronidazole and azelaic acid, improvements aren’t very noticeable for two to six weeks after you start treatment. Ivermectin can take significantly longer to improve skin quality, but the remission period is far longer than metronidazole.
Oral Antibiotics
Oral antibiotics, such as doxycycline, are often prescribed to treat bumps and pimples that occur as a result of moderate-to-severe acne rosacea.
Oral Acne Medications
If you suffer from severe rosacea, sometimes other therapies aren’t effective enough. In this case, isotretinoin may be required. This powerful oral acne drug is used to clear up the acne-like lesions that often occur as a side effect of acne rosacea. Keep in mind, however, that this medication should not be taken during pregnancy.
Frequently Asked Questions About Acne Rosacea
1. Is Acne Rosacea Contagious?
Acne rosacea is not considered an infectious disease. There is no evidence to suggest that it can be spread through inhaling airborne bacteria or via contact with the skin. The only reason antibiotics are effective for acne rosacea treatment is because of their anti-inflammatory effect. It has nothing to do with their ability to kill bacteria.
2. Is Acne Rosacea Hereditary?
More research needs to be done to determine if acne rosacea is hereditary. However, according to the National Rosacea Society, over half of individuals diagnosed with acne rosacea have at least one family member with similar symptoms. To sum up a great deal of quantitative research, ethnicity is an incredibly strong contributing risk factor for acne rosacea. Environmental effects make up a mere half of the risk factors for developing this condition.
3. Can Rosacea Be Diagnosed Before a Major Flare-Up Occurs?
Sometimes, “pre-rosacea” can be diagnosed in adolescents and individuals in their early 20s. If your child sees a dermatologist for acne treatment and is exhibiting frequent flushing or blushing episodes that last for an extended period, the rosacea may be caught before a significant flare-up occurs.
The most telling areas of prolonged redness are usually over the forehead, nose, chin or cheeks. Another telling sign is topical acne medications or some types of skin-care products irritating.
Once you or a loved one has been diagnosed with rosacea, you can start to avoid lifestyle and environmental factors that can aggravate your condition and reduce the repeated flushing reactions that can cause full-blown rosacea. If you see these symptoms in a younger family member, advise him or her to consult a dermatologist.
4. Will My Rosacea Worsen With Age?
There’s no way to predict how your particular condition will progress. One thing, however, is known. Symptoms of rosacea worsen with prolonged avoidance of acne rosacea treatment. Moreover, the National Rosacea Society found in a survey that approximately half of people who suffer from rosacea and did not treat their condition had advanced from early-stage rosacea to middle-stage rosacea in just 12 months.
5. What Triggers Flare-Ups?
There are a number of potential triggers for acne rosacea flare-ups. For women, the most common triggers are wearing makeup, using certain skin and hair products, wind and cold and alcohol; particularly red wine. For men, the most common acne rosacea triggers are stress, prolonged, unprotected sun exposure, spicy foods, wind and cold, heat, exercise, and certain medications.
6. How Long Does Rosacea Last?
Rosacea is a chronic disorder that involves several periods of relapses and remissions. On average, acne rosacea lasts around 13 years. Keep in mind, however, that study participants who had not seen symptoms in several years made lifestyle modifications and received medical therapy to keep their symptoms at bay.
Schedule Your Initial Consultation Today
To learn more about acne rosacea treatment, and why you need it now, contact the dedicated beauty experts at Dermatology Consultants of South Florida in Coral Springs today to schedule your initial consultation. Fill out our contact request form with your name, e-mail address and the best number to reach you at. We can’t wait to reach out to you and help you improve the quality of your skin once and for all!