Acne rosacea is a chronic but treatable condition that primarily affects the central face, and is often characterized by flare-ups and remissions. It typically begins any time after age 30 and the rosacea symptoms are a flushing or redness on the cheeks, nose, chin or forehead that may come and go. Over time, the redness tends to become ruddier and more persistent, and visible blood vessels may appear.

Left untreated, bumps and pimples often develop, and in severe cases – particularly in men – the nose may grow swollen and bumpy from excess tissue. In many people the eyes are also affected, feeling irritated and appearing watery or bloodshot.

Rosacea can affect all segments of the population, individuals with fair skin who tend to flush or blush easily are believed to be at greatest risk. The disorder is more frequently diagnosed in women, but tends to be more severe in men. There is also evidence that rosacea may tend to run in families, and may be especially prevalent in people of Northern or Eastern European descent.

No one knows what causes it, but there are some interesting theories:

Helicobacter Pylori, the bacteria that is responsible for stomach ulcers, is seen on the skin with those persons with rosacea rather than P. acnes bacteria, which is responsible for acne breakouts. Although, acne like pustules may be present with rosacea.

In some cases of rosacea, there is a proliferation of demodex mites. They implant themselves into the wall of the hair follicle and make the skin swollen and red.

There are definitely triggers for rosacea which make it worse. They include (in order of relevance):

1. The sun
2. Stress
3. Hot weather
4. Wind
5. Exercise
6. Alcohol
7. Hot baths
8. Cold weather
9. Spicy foods
10. Humidity
11. Indoor heat
12. Irritating skin care products
13. Heated beverages

So, it’s pretty obvious that you can’t avoid all of the triggers and still have a life.

While there is no cure for rosacea skin; we have a treatment and home care regimen for rosacea that works incredibly well for those with a papulopustular rosacea (subtype 2). We have been having a lot of success getting rosacea under control.

You’ll have to spend five minutes each morning and night, applying a few reasonably-priced skincare products to your face. This is a small price to pay when you consider the alternatives. If you have tried other remedies for rosacea without success, our rosacea treatment may be the answer for you.

Rosacea Fulminans aka Pyoderma Faciale

Pyoderma Faciale is definitely stress-hormone related. It tends to affect only the face in women in their 20′s to 30′s and is characterized by large, very red painful lesions that occur mostly down the middle of the forehead, cheeks and chin. You can see the pattern in the photograph below – notice how the inflamed lesions are only in the center of her face. Her cheeks are completely clear. This condition can affect women who have never had acne in their life and then they have this horrible breakout right after a very stressful time in their life. Talk about a double whammy!!

So, what looks like severely inflamed acne is really a severe form of rosacea – rosacea fulminans.

Severe emotional trauma usually precedes the onset and is usually preceded by a period of extreme oiliness. (like hair needing to be washed twice a day). It affects only certain women who have a specific enzyme deficiency. This deficiency suppresses the adrenals’ output of hydrocortisone and instead prompts the adrenals to dump out excessive amounts of testosterone.

The condition can be detected from blood samples, and a drug called dexamethasone can slow down testosterone production and reverse the condition. Because the drug dexamethasone is a corticosteroid, this client was reluctant to take it.

We treated our client with our mandelic serums which are antibacterial and anti-inflammatory, and benzoyl peroxide.