Rosacea and its treatment
"Rosacea is a common facial dermatitis
that currently affects an estimated 13 million Americans. It is
a chronic and progressive cutaneous vascular disorder, and often
begins as a redness that looks like a blush across the nose, cheeks
and chin. Put simply, it is an abnormality/dysfunction of the facial
blood vessels."
Adapted from an article by D. A. Chalmers in
Rosacea: recognition and management for the primary care provider
Integrated Cardiovascular Therapeutics
Characteristics:
Rosacea is characterised by flushing, erythema,
papules, pustules, telanglectasia, facial edema, ocular lesions,
and, in its most advanced and severe form, rhinophyma. Ocular
lesions are common, including mild conjunctivitis, burning and
grittiness. Blepharitis, the most common
ocular manifestation is a nonulcerative condition of the lid
margins.
Who gets it?
Anyone past the age of puberty can get it,
but rosacea most commonly occurs between the ages of 30 to 60,
and may be seen in women experiencing hormonal changes associated
with menopause. Women are more frequently affected than men;
the most severe cases, however, are seen in men. Fair complexioned
individuals of Northern European descent are most likely to be
at risk from rosacea; most appear to be pre-disposed to flushing
and blushing.
Women are more likely to get rosacea on the
cheeks and chin, but men are more likely to get rosacea on the
nose.
Alcohol, stress, spicy foods, and extremes
of temperature have all been implicated, but have not been found
to actually cause rosacea.
Does the Sher System cure Rosacea?
No, but we believe it is the next best thing
- and some of our rosacea clients have seen an incredible improvement
in their skin (see rosacea testimonials). The Sher System for
rosacea soothes the skin, restores its natural balance, has anti-inflammatory
properties and helps reduce redness.
Another definition of Rosacea
The
following information is taken from a book entitled;
Skin Deep, by Alix Kirsta
Published by Century Publishing Co. Rosacea:
The medical term acne rosacea is a confusing
one, since this is a chronic hyper-sensitivity of the face which
bears no relationship whatever to the greasiness and pore problems
of acne vulgaris, other than the appearance of tiny pinhead pimples
or purplish lumps beneath the skin's surface. Characterised by
sporadic outbreaks or a perpetual state of violent flushing or
acute redness of the face, often accompanied by swelling, bumps,
lumps and broken veins, rosacea usually develops in middle age
and its cause remains unknown. Rosacea is invariably aggravated
by extremes of temperature, sunlight (sufferers must take every
precaution to avoid undue exposure to strong UV light), alcohol,
very hot drinks and spicy foods, and emotional stress. In short,
anything that causes the already congested and weakened blood
vessels of the face to dilate even further, and the skins sensitive
surface to become irritated and inflamed. In severe cases, a
long-term course of tetracycline may be prescribed, although,
as with acne, when treatment is stopped the spots may reappear,
triggered by a vigorous rebound action.
Synthetic Vitamin A:
A
recent study conducted at Glasgow Royal Infirmary shows that
isotretinoin - a potent synthetic vitamin-A derivative used to
treat skin problems - may reduce the number of pustular lesions
sometimes accompanying rosacea, although the high number of possible
side effects associated with the drug hardly make it a viable
treatment. Iatrogenic Rosacea (i.e. therapy-induced rosacea)
is technically a rosacea-like dermatitis which can occur when
sufferers have undergone prolonged therapy with a fluorinated
corticosteroid ointment on the face and then stopped using the
ointment, with the result that the now sensitised, thinned and
fragile skin sometimes becomes red and flushed, burns, becomes
spotty, lumpy and swollen, and the capillary walls, weakened
by the action of the steroid, rupture and cause flushing of the
face.
Broken Veins (Telangiectases):
Broken
veins are by comparison a relatively minor cosmetic problem caused
by excessive dilation and thus more
noticeable capillaries whose walls have become weakened and sometimes
ruptured. It is a problem that can occur at any age and affect
every skin type, not just dry or delicate skin as is popularly
supposed. Usually these red spidery streaks are most prominent
on the cheeks, bridge and sides of the nose, under the eyes where
the facial skin is thinnest, and on the legs, where they tend
to be more bluish, profuse and bruise-like, and portent varicose
veins or circulatory problems. They have a multitude of possible
causes or combination of causes including excessive sun damage,
exposure to extreme hard weather conditions, drinking alcohol,
very hot tea and coffee, eating spicy food, high blood pressure
and the use of topical steroid ointments. Broken capillaries
appear as a result of the weakening of the vessel walls.
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