Natural Rosacea Treatments: What is Rosacea?

Rosacea is a chronic skin condition with many different manifestations. These different forms of the condition may make it difficult for a person to be certain if they have rosacea or not. As a result, many people do not realize they have the condition, and it may even be difficult for a trained physician to recognize rosacea in some cases. To the untrained eye, rosacea may look like acne, and many people as well as some doctors are confused about the difference between rosacea and acne. This confusion is perpetuated by continued use of the older term, acne rosacea, which does not accurately describe the condition. Although some forms of acne and rosacea may look similar, they are really quite distinct both clinically and pathologically. Some of the differences between acne and rosacea are as follows:

It is important for people with rosacea to recognize their disease because early treatment is believed to reduce the progression of the disease. The cause of the confusion about rosacea, and the reason that so many people are uncertain if they have rosacea is that it has several different forms as follows.

People with rosacea may have only one of these manifestations, or they may have combinations of any two, three or all four manifestations. To make it even more complicated, there may be progression from one form to another, or some may start with one form of the condition and acquire others over time. In addition, there are many so called minor manifestations of rosacea including burning or stinging of the skin after application of sunscreen, skin creams or medications; dry, itchy skin; edema (swelling or puffiness) of the skin; irreversible deformities, especially of the nose (called rhinophyma); or eye involvement that may be severe if untreated.

You can see that rosacea is a very complex condition, and even the experts are still working to define exactly what is and is not rosacea. No wonder it is difficult for people to know if they have rosacea; if in doubt, seek the opinion of a dermatologist or other physician with special expertise in rosacea. In most cases an expert can readily make the diagnosis of rosacea.

Rosacea most often involves the skin of the face, but the neck, scalp and other parts of the body may be involved in some cases. Rosacea typically begins after age 50. Although it may occur in some patients at a younger age, it would be unusual for a patient younger than 30 to have rosacea. In most cases people under 30 who may think they have rosacea actually have acne or some other skin disease. Rosacea occurs in both men and women. If you have rosacea, you are not alone. It is estimated that 15 million people in North America suffer from the condition. Rosacea is common among fair skinned people of northern European extraction, so there are probably another 15 million people in Europe who have rosacea, and it has also been described among dark skinned people and Asians.

Historically, rosacea has been described as the Celtic Curse, reflecting its frequent occurrence among Irish and Scottish people. Because of the red face of many older Scottish and Irish people, they have often been labeled as alcoholics, when, in fact, most red faced Irishmen probably have rosacea rather than alcoholism (some of my older Irish relatives would have been relieved to hear that!). Rosacea has probably been with us for a long time; there are ancient paintings depicting people with what appears to be rosacea, and many people can recall older relatives of a generation or more ago who had rosacea. One such person was WC Fields, a celebrity of a bygone era who had rhinophyma (enlarged, bumpy, purple colored nose) that is one of the hallmarks of advanced rosacea.

Until recently, rosacea was considered a nuisance condition not worthy of medical attention because it is not a life-threatening illness. However, many of us who have rosacea know that it is a significant problem. Because it involves primarily the face, the one part of our anatomy that we can’t hide, rosacea can have serious social and psychological consequences. According to a survey conducted by the National Rosacea Society, the condition caused nearly 70% of people to suffer low self-esteem and self-confidence, and almost half of people with rosacea indicated that it had a negative effect on their professional and social lives. As rosacea sufferers know, the condition has a significant impact on their lives even if it is not life-threatening.

This is not to say that rosacea cannot have serious medical consequences. Rhinophyma, the enlarged deformity of the nose mentioned above, can be a long-term consequence of rosacea, and, once it develops, it can only be corrected by surgery. Also, the ocular form of rosacea can result in blindness if not taken seriously. Fortunately, rosacea is now beginning to receive medical attention, and progress is being made. There is still no cure for rosacea, but the disease can be controlled in most people once they find what works best for them.