Vitality News Health Articles

It is difficult to answer the question ‘what is rosacea?’ because symptoms are extremely variable. Even specialists often have difficulties diagnosing this complex skin disease.

If this is the case, how will you ever know how to tell if you have rosacea? The following information will provide insight regarding how to recognize rosacea’s signs and symptoms.

Rosacea was commonly confused with acne vulgaris or seborrhoeic dermatitis until recently and was consequently mistreated. Confusion about the real symptoms of rosacea were provoked by the difficulty that many patients didn’t show all the signs of the disease and responded differently to the recommended rosacea skin products. In 2002, medical researchers were finally able to classify symptoms and divide rosacea into 4 different sub-groups: the Erythematotelangiectatic type, Papulopustular rosacea, Phymatous rosacea and Ocular rosacea.

Telling the difference between the Rosacea Sub-types

The differences between the categories mentions above are subtle. The Erythematotelangiectatic type of rosacea can be told apart from other sub-groups by the fine skin texture that effected patients usually have, whereas other type of rosacea provoke a sebaceous look and feel of the skin. Papulopustular rosacea is usually identified by the appearance of small papules and/or pustules, versus Phymatous rosacea, which causes irregular surface nodules that typically develop on the nose, chin, forehead, ears and/or the eyelids.

Be conscious that rosacea occurs much more commonly in light-skinned people of Celtic or other European backgrounds. This is mostly likely due to the fact that Caucasians have a much higher genetic predisposition to developing rosacea. Research also has confirmed that women are more typically affected than their male counterparts.

You may be able to recognize rosacea as the development of an erythema on the central part of your face and cheek bones, nose or forehead. Eythema is the abnormal redness of the skin resulting from dilation of blood vessels, sometimes caused by sunburns or inflammation, but in the case of facial rosacea it can be provoked by other environmental factors or simply occur by itself. In some case, this rosacea redness extends to the neck, chest, ears and scalp.

The first signs of rosacea are said to be a persisting redness due to exercise, changes in temperature, and cleansing. In the case that redness continues for longer than what’s normal for you, you may want to think about possible treatments for rosacea. Despite the fact that scientists cannot trace the roots of rosacea, they do know how to treat it well now.

When seeking out answers to the questions what is rosacea and how to treat it, be sure to investigate scientifically proven and innovative rosacea remedies like BIOBALM, a specially designed rosacea cream that prevents future rosacea breakouts and improves the appearance of facial redness on site.

- Cyntia Alleyne