What Is Rosacea?

People who are concerned about the condition may wonder, "What is rosacea?" This is a common skin problem that usually affects people with fair skin and menopausal women, although anyone can develop it. Common symptoms include redness of the face, pimples, and thickened skin. Because there is no cure for rosacea, treatment is focused on relieving symptoms. Antibiotics are a common treatment method, as is proper skin care.

 

What Is Rosacea? -- An Overview

Rosacea is a common skin problem that is often called "adult acne." It usually affects faired-skinned and menopausal women (although it can affect anyone), and it may be inherited.
 

Common Symptoms of Rosacea

Rosacea causes pimples and redness on the face. It also causes small red lines (enlarged blood vessels) to appear on the face. It can also cause the skin to be swollen and feel warm.
 
People who have rosacea do not have the same lesions as those seen with common acne. However, people with rosacea may experience flushing of the face when:
 
  • They are hot
  • They drink alcohol or hot drinks
  • They eat spicy foods.
 
In the most severe form of rosacea, the redness does not go away, the eyes become swollen, and the nodules in the skin become painful.
 
Up to 50 percent of people who have rosacea develop associated eye problems (a condition called ocular rosacea), which include:
 
  • Redness
  • Dryness
  • Itching
  • Burning
  • Excess tears
  • The feeling of having sand in the eye
  • Sensitivity to light
  • Blurred vision or some other kind of vision problem
  • Eyelids that become inflamed and swollen.
 
(Click Rosacea Symptoms for more information.)
 

Current Treatments for Rosacea

Although there is no cure for rosacea, there are several ways to manage this disease. For example:
 
  • Keep a record of things that cause it to flare up, and avoid or limit these triggers as much as you can.
  • You doctor can prescribe antibiotic lotions, antibiotic gels, and antibiotic pills.
  • Laser treatment may help with scarring.
  • Use a sunscreen every day that protects against UVA and UVB rays. Make sure it has a sun-protecting factor (SPF) of 15 or higher.
 
(Click Rosacea Treatment for more information.)
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Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD