Acne Rosacea
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 is not fully explained although it is known that sun exposure will increase the risk of disease development. The face and the chest are the most affected body parts both by the flushing and the pustules outbreak, and the disease tends to get worse after spicy food, hot drinks and alcohol.
It appears that acne rosacea has been reported in more women than men, with a higher occurrence of the disease in the middle-aged group. Thus, the majority of patients are people between 30 and 60, with the mention that in the case of black complexions the identification is more difficult and often delayed. Although many assumptions have been made on the preponderance of acne rosacea with fair-skinned people, the theory is not supported by clinical evidence.
The acne lesions specific to the disease usually appear on the chin and cheeks, or in the nose area, 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 are widely spread, whereas with rosacea they only 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. Most often, topical corticosteroids are applied to reduce the intensity of the symptoms and to improve the overall condition, but they cannot be prescribed for long-term therapy because of the risk to cause an atrophy or permanent vaso-dilation of the tissues. Most dermatologists will therefore go for the systemic treatment instead of the topical one.
Depending on the skin changes caused by acne rosacea, surgical intervention could become necessary but only after running medical tests and at the special recommendation of a dermatologist. Electrocautery and the tunable dye laser procedure represent the two main solutions under the circumstances, but one could also choose excision, skin grafting, dermabrasion ands so on. The treatment of acne rosacea should not be ignored or postponed even if the condition shows an improvement over some periods of time.