Rosacea: Causes and Treatment
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In this segment, Dr. John Martin discusses rosacea with his sister Dr. Kathryn Martin, and his brother Dr. Edward Martin.
Rosacea is a chronic skin condition characterized by facial redness, flushing, increased pore size, and occasionally pustules. In very advanced cases, rhinophyma can develop, where the end of the nose gets large and bulbous. The exact cause of rosacea is still unknown although there seems to be a genetic component to it since it is most commonly seen in fair skinned, blue eyed individuals. There has been some research done recently that is examining the possibility of a Demodex mite living in the hair follicles on the face that may be responsible for the changes seen with rosacea.
Rosacea is usually starts to be seen in people in their 30’s and 40’s. Triggers can be extreme temperatures (hot or cold), alcohol, spicy foods, and many others. For people with known triggers, they should obviously avoid those foods! Sun exposure can also worsen the symptoms for many patients.
Treatment options for rosacea include topical antibiotic creams, such as metrogel and metrocream. Oral antibiotics in the tetracycline family such as doxycycline, minocycline and oracea can be very helpful. These medications are given at subtherapeutic antibacterial doses, and they seem to work by decreasing the inflammation in the glands of the face.
Another option which can be very helpful to many patients is an intense pulsed light treatment. The IPL helps to close many of the small vessels on the face, which helps decrease the redness and flushing. Usually multiple treatments are needed to get the condition under control.