Rosacea is common. You may even have it.
This month is Rosacea Awareness Month and it’s the best time ever to learn more about rosacea and plan your strategy to help you control it. The future of your facial skin may depend on it.
If you experience occasional facial flushing from exercise, spicy foods or a glass of wine then you may have the early signs of rosacea. This can be a temporary annoyance that remits, or it can be the beginning of more permanent skin problems.
At its worst, rosacea could cause your facial skin to develop a progressive collection of broken capillaries, yellow papules (that are really oil gland growths), large pores, and lumpy, bulbous skin on your nose. You may have pustules and tender skin redness too.
The skin changes of rosacea can be progressive. Unfortunately we don’t know why they happen. We also don’t know who with rosacea will have mild disease and who will have severe. We do know how to help control it though. If you think you might have rosacea now is the best time ever to explore that question.
I treat a lot of people with rosacea in my Northern California dermatology practice. My patients here value more natural rosacea control measures that don’t include life long, chronic antibiotic prescriptions. I use skin care and diet to do this. If you would like a more natural approach to your rosacea skin care, learn more about how I treat rosacea in my rosacea blog series.
Dermatologist Dr. Cynthia Bailey’s 5 Part Blog Series On Rosacea:
What Are The Skin Symptoms Of Acne Rosacea?
Rosacea Skin Care Tips From My Dermatology Practice
Acne Rosacea; Dermatologist’s Natural Treatment of Rosacea
Prescription Medication and Cosmetic Procedures To Treat Rosacea
More traditional rosacea treatments rely on antibiotics, both oral and topical. There’s prescription discount programs running now on drugs such as Oracea (low dose doxycycline), Metrogel 1% (topical metronidazole), Finacea (not actually an antibiotic).
If you think you have rosacea you also need to know about the National Rosacea Society which has been a great resource for rosacea patients over years. The National Rosacea Society’s web site has a broad range of helpful information on rosacea including photos. They’re also a strong patient advocacy organization and conduct valuable patient surveys so that we can all better understand rosacea. They are a great place to start exploring credible information on rosacea if you think you may have it.
Quick Rosacea Facts
(from the latest survey from the National Rosacea Society)
- It is estimated that rosacea affects 16 million or more Americans (including me)
- Almost 80% of Americans don’t actually know much about rosacea.
- Yet of those 16 million of us who know we have rosacea, 76% said that rosacea impacted their life be lowering their self-confidence and self-esteem. 41% of those 16 million said they had to cancel social engagements or avoid going out in public at some point because of their rosacea.
Learn more about rosacea and ‘nip that in the bud’. This year, spring isn’t just about flowers!
Photo: Thanks and gratitude to hbunny
Aloha, Dr Bailey
Team Etsis really looks forward to your blogs. They are informative, easy to understand and we really like the choices you offered on this recent blog about treating Rosacea. Offering both a natural approach and the option of traditional prescription medications.Those suffering from Rosacea are extra sun sensitive and need to take extra precaution; we would like to know your feelings on natural sunscreen products compared to the synthetic broad spectrum sunscreens on the market today. The other question we were wondering about-Do these new BS sunscreens really stop the formation of more brown spots? Do they really help protect the elastin and collagen in our skin?They just came out in 2007 so long term benefits is hard to measure, do they really help to protect us from skin cancer?
Much Aloha
Devra Wathen
Hello Devra,
These are great questions. I just this minute finished a post on broad spectrum sunscreens, scheduled it and went to check my comments only to find your well timed question! The post will go up Tuesday. I’m a fan of mineral protection which sits on the skin like clothing. Look through my sun protection blog series and you will see that I never, however, recommend sunscreen as the primary method of sun protection. I always recommend hats (like your wonderful hats) and clothing to cover/shade most of the skin. Sunscreen goes on what can’t be covered. Yes, mineral sunscreen will help decrease brown spots and protect elastin and collagen.
Warm Regards,
Cynthia Bailey MD