About Acne Rosacea
Acne rosacea is a disease with dermal and ophthalmic manifestations that combines the symptoms specific to rosacea with the pustules of acne. So far, the cause that triggers acne rosacea has not been given an explanation although it is generally admitted that the disease is favored by sun exposure. 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 seems that acne rosacea has been reported in more women than men, with a higher occurrence of the disease in the middle-aged group. Thus, most of the cases have been reported on 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 are most often distributed in the nose area, on the cheeks and chin, but the central forehead doesn’t get spared either. 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 don’t even 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 options under the circumstances, but skin grafting, dermabrasion and other forms of excision are also possible. The treatment of acne rosacea should not be ignored or postponed even if the condition shows an improvement over some periods of time.