Symptoms and Treatment of Acne Rosacea
Both a skin and eye disorder, acne roscea skin condition is a type of acne characterized by the appearance of pustules and vascular manifestations on the affected tissues. So far, the nature and exact causes of acne rosacea is not fully explained although it is generally admitted that the disease is favored by sun exposure. The pustules and the flushing of the skin usually affect the face and the chest with a deterioration of the condition after the consumption of alcohol, spicy foods or hot drinks.
It appears that acne rosacea affects more women than men, with the preponderance of the condition in the middle-aged group. Thus, most of the cases have been reported on people between 30 and 60, but here we ought to add that black skin is more difficult to diagnose. 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 blemishes specific to the disease usually appear in the nose area, on the cheeks and chin, but the central part of the forehead is also commonly affected. The skin is usually very oily too, yet there are some major differences between acne rosacea and vulgaris acne. 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.
Unlike regular acne forms, acne rosacea is a chronic disease that evolves in time, sometimes extending over years. Corticosteroids are commonly prescribed for the alleviation of the symptoms, but they are not suitable for long-term therapy because of the risk to cause an atrophy or permanent vaso-dilation of the tissues. Most doctors 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. The tunable dye laser procedure and electrocautery represent the two main solutions under the circumstances, but one could also choose excision, skin grafting, dermabrasion ands so on. The treatment of acne rosacea should not be ignored or postponed even if the condition shows an improvement over some periods of time.
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