April is Rosacea Awareness Month
Let’s dive into the facts - there are four clinical subtypes to help diagnose and treat:
Erythematotelangiectatic Rosacea: redness, flushing, and dilated blood are associated with erythematotelangiectatic rosacea. This form of the skin condition may progress to visibly dilated capillaries or blood vessels.
Papulopustular Rosacea: acne-like breakouts
Phymatous Rosacea: skin typically thickens and has a granulomatous texture.
Ocular Rosacea: affects your eyes and eyelids, causing them to become red and irritated.
An estimated over 16 million Americans have this skin condition; Although rosacea has somewhat distinct symptomatology, mainly related to recurrent episodes of flushing, persistent erythema, inflammatory papules/pustules, telangiectasia, and sometimes stinging or burning pain usually at the center of the face; the skin composition of this area distinguishes itself because of a higher sebaceous glands’ concentration as well as dense nerval and vascular networks, some conditions vary from person to person according to -almost- infinite combinations of factors, therefore, it’s very important to get the right diagnosis and hopefully in an early stage so the best treatment can be tailored.
While it is a chronic inflammatory disorder, there are various ways to treat and reduce symptoms:
Mild-to-moderate rosacea can often be treated with prescription topical medications like metronidazole, ivermectin, niacinamide, azelaic acid, and sulfur.
Prescription oral medications include oral antibiotics, specifically the tetracycline class, like a Low-dose doxycycline is used because of its anti-inflammatory benefits, and it is a first-line therapy for ocular rosacea as well.
Avoid Triggers: These include sunlight, stress, heat, exercise, alcohol, spicy foods, cold temperatures, and topical steroids.
Vascular lasers and intense pulsed light devices have been the go-to in my practice, They work by targeting hemoglobin in the blood vessels that are responsible for flushing therefore reducing redness and telangiectasias.
Using non-irritating products in your skincare = Jan Marini has some of my products that target and work well with rosacea.
Give us a call to get your skin on the right track!
