You’ve always had a tendency to blush, and you become flushed at the slightest provocation. These days, this facial redness is becoming more concerning because it’s more constant and is often accompanied by red bumps, rashes, and facial veins.
If this sounds familiar, there’s a good chance that you’re dealing with rosacea, a common skin condition that affects 16 million Americans, though this number may be higher, because many people with rosacea go undiagnosed.
Since April is Rosacea Awareness Month, our staff here at LaSante Health Center, which includes a dermatology team, thought we’d take this opportunity to share some key pieces of information about rosacea.
While facial redness is the hallmark of rosacea, the inflammatory skin condition is a bit more complex than that. First, there are three types of rosacea, and each leads to different symptoms:
With this type of rosacea, you can experience frequent blushing, as well as flushing (warmth in your skin). Tiny facial veins are also a common side effect of erythematotelangiectatic rosacea.
In addition to facial redness, you develop rashes with pustules, which are bumps filled with pus, as well as facial swelling.
This form of rosacea includes all of the above, as well as thickening in the skin, which often affects the nose, making it more bulbous.
In addition to the symptoms we describe above, some people with rosacea also develop eye issues (ocular rosacea), such as itchy, watery eyes.
It’s also important to note that rosacea is considered a chronic condition, but the symptoms often come and go (flare up).
While anyone can develop rosacea, the skin condition is more common and/or evident in certain groups, such as:
The reason we include the word “evident” is that people with darker skin may have rosacea, but the issue is far less obvious, since the redness doesn't stand out.
We also want to touch on the gender disparity. Rosacea may be more common in women, but when men get it, the skin condition can often be more severe.
Since we don’t know what causes rosacea, there’s no magic pill that resolves the condition. That said, we aren’t without options.
First, we do know that the environment plays a role and that rosacea often responds to stressors or triggers. Given this, we can help devise effective and personalized rosacea management plans to help you keep the symptoms to a minimum.
We can also fight back against flare-ups with targeted treatments, such as:
Through treatments and management practices, there’s every reason to believe that we can help you control your rosacea and keep you comfortable in your skin.
For expert diagnosis and management of rosacea, please book an appointment online or call us at our Brooklyn, New York, office at 718-246-5700.
We serve the Flatbush and East Flatbush, Crown Heights, Park Slope, Little Haiti, Little Caribbean, and Prospect Lefferts Gardens communities.
