Rosacea

Acne rosacea is a common chronic skin condition that affects both men and women. It usually presents in fair skinned adults after the age of 30. Typically, a person may have had parents or grandparents with the same symptoms. Rosacea often begins with intermittent flushing of the medial cheeks, nose, and/or chin. Over time the initial intermittent flushing becomes a permanent redness with many small permanently dilated blood vessels, called telangectasia. It can also progress to include full-blown acne with papules (small, red, solid bumps), pustules (white heads), and cysts. More severe or advanced cases of acne rosacea can also cause thickening of the skin on the chin (gnatophyma) and nose (rhinophyma). The eyes may also be involved.

Since acne rosacea is a chronic skin condition, the symptoms may come and go and can vary in severity. The best treatment includes early diagnosis and maintenance of treatment in order to halt progression of the disease.

There are many options to treat and control acne rosacea. Rosacea can be treated with several topical medications. Some oral antibiotics decrease inflammation, reduce severity of the acne, minimize redness and may halt disease progression. Lasers such as the VariLite™, the V-beam™, and the Intense Pulse Light™, will reduce redness and dilated blood vessels. If the acne rosacea has progressed to thickened skin on the nose and chin, laser resurfacing can restore the skin’s appearance to normal.