Rosacea Is a Skin Disease That Affects

Rosacea is a skin disease that affects millions of people. The chief cause of rosacea is still unclear and hence all treatment is based on a preventive basis rather than a curative one. The management of this chronic condition is made easier by a combination of different therapies, which includes oral antibiotics, topical gel and latest laser treatments. Rosacea is one of the chronic skin diseases which affects an astounding 13 million people in the United States alone.

Initially characterized by reddening of the face, the disease may gradually develop eruptions on the face giving a totally distorted look. While we are aware that some external factors like food and temperature trigger a flushing we still don't have a clue as to what is the root cause of Rosacea. Apart from the damaging effects on the skin, in a majority of the cases the disease also affects the eyes in what is called in the medical parlance as ocular rosacea.

So it is pretty clear that the disease has more than cosmetic consequences and if untreated may lead to loss of vision. The typical symptoms of Ocular rosacea include dryness and irritation of the eyes and a general gritty sensation. [Simon Darken] The capillaries get dilated and this is the main cause for the reddening. In the advanced stage of the disease the dilated capillaries do not return back to their normal size thus creating a permanent reddening. In some cases severe bumps and pustules may develop on the nose.

This condition is called as rhinophyma. [Ann Marie Lindstrom, 8] Rosacea has been recorded with black population but it is markedly more visible with the white community as they tend to blush more easily. Though there is not much of a gender bias, Rosacea is found to be more frequent among women while on the other hand the symptoms are more severe with men. Rosacea is predominantly associated with adults and that too in the age group of 30 to 60.

It has a disruptive influence on the lifestyle of the patients and many of them develop a negative self-image leading to severe personality disorders. We still do not have a total cure for Rosacea but with the available treatment methods we can control its effects. There are basically four types of Rosacea. Erythematotelangiectatic rosacea is a case where there is extensive flushing which may be sometimes accompanied by stinging sensations.

Papulopustular rosacea This is a condition wherein pustules are observed on any part of the face along with the burning sensations. Phymatous rosacea is a case where there is a noticeable thickening of the skin and abnormal projections. The most common and obvious case is that of rhynophyma wherein there is a distinct thickening and projections on the nose. Ocular Rosacea This is an important subtype of rosacea and a potentially dangerous one in that any negligence may lead to impaired vision.

Complications may develop within the cornea, which can drastically affect the visual acuity. [Jonathan Wilkin] Materials and Methods In tracing the root cause of the disease numerous theories have been put forward by researchers. This includes psychological, pharmacological, immunological and gastrointestinal causes. Of these previous research has identified rosacea as being induced by Demodex folliculorum. This has been ratified by the improvement shown by patients when treated for Demodex folliculorum.

Nevertheless this result has failed to totally explain the disease origin, as it was found that out of the 79 biopsies that were conducted only 19% of the samples were infested with Demodex folliculorum. Rosacea is also ascribed to some genetic disorder, which finds expression during the early middle age. In the cases of acute Rhinophyma there is a clear relation with the sebaceous glands leading us to infer that rosacea may be induced by the abnormal activity of the sebaceous glands.

Still this doesn't fully account for the cause, as there was no trace of sebaceous gland malfunction in some cases of early stage rosacea lesions. In ocular rosacea there is a clear deformation of the epithelial tissue leading to gritty sensation and sometimes-corneal damage with the accompanying loss of visual acuity is also experienced. [Marian.S. Macsai] Results Since we have not yet clearly identified the cause for rosacea there is no complete cure and treatment methodologies revolve around prevention rather than cure.

While mild symptoms can be treated with antibiotic tablets (tetracycline) and topical gels (metronidazole) very acute and chronic cases need surgical procedures. Although Corticosteroids can be very useful in suppressing symptoms of rosacea they are not advisable for long-term treatment due to adverse side effects. However observations have made it clear that discontinuation of either topical gels or oral antibiotics would incur the relapse of the symptoms.

Discussion Though there is no full cure for rosacea there are lots of remedial solutions, which can greatly limit the intensity of the symptoms. One of the most basic treatment is the use of tetracycline tablets. Another very useful method is the use of metronidazole gels. Studies have indicated significant results in patients with more than 95% of them showing positive response to treatment. The anti-inflammatory effect of these medicines is the key in treating rosacea.

Accutane tablets are also found to be very effective in preventing eruptions but they are not to be prescribed for pregnant women as it is found to cause serious birth related abnormalities. However in the case of.