Rosacea, a threat to mature skin
All of our cleaning and skin care habits have the purpose of keeping our skin healthy. Even if you follow the cleaning and skin care rituals correctly, often the skin is affected by external changes which you can do nothing about as they no longer depend on us. One of these changes which can appear in our skin is rosacea.
What is rosacea?
Rosacea, also known as rosacea acne or couperose, is a chronic skin condition which mainly affects adult women although it can also occur in the skin of adult men. There isn't a definitive treatment yet that can cure this condition so the only thing that we can do is to control it.
There are three stages of rosacea:
- Stage I, erythematous rosacea: We can recognise this first phase because the facial skin becomes very inflamed and blotchy (erythema).
- Stage II, papulopustular rosacea: With time, the erythema becomes chronic. Rosacea becomes papulopustular rosacea when inflamed and red papules and isolated or grouped pustules appear; they increase the facial flushing and can last for days or weeks.
- Stage III, rosacea conglobata: In this third phase, the skin is swollen and large pores are visible, with inflamed nodular abscesses and in some cases they are haemorrhagic.
How can I know if it's rosacea?
In many cases, rosacea can be confused with other skin conditions, such as atopic dermatitis or acne because the symptoms appear very similar at a glance.
Rosacea usually appears in the form of outbreaks that spread from the nose across to the cheeks. These outbreaks can vary from person to person. Normally they appear in the form of small pink spots known as erythema, visible vascular dilation or several pustules which are similar to acne.
What causes its onset?
There are a number of triggers that could cause rosacea. Among the most common, we could highlight the intense and prolonged exposure to the sun, taking certain drugs, heat, cold, very hot and spicy food and drinking coffee, tea and alcohol. Furthermore, psychological factors can also trigger acute outbreaks as stressful situations can cause the appearance of rosacea as well as aggravating it.
Rosacea is a skin condition that is difficult to prevent and get rid of. But, because the causes are known, we can at least try to avoid the ones which intensify it. Visit your dermatologist and look for the best solution to treat it.
