Rosacea – The red fiery minus the lumps type

Posted by Dr. Skin in Aesthetics & Dermatology, Rosacea, What's New | 3 comments

Rosacea is a relatively common skin disorder in the west, and with a lower prevalence in Asia. However, it is still not an uncommon disorder that I see in my normal clinic practice.

Rosacea is a long standing facial condition that presents with redness, flushing and pimple-like lesions. There are 4 major types of rosacea; erythematotelangiectatic type, papulopustular type, phymatous type and eye rosacea. Today, we are going to focus only on the first type of rosacea; erythematotelangiectatic rosacea

What is erythematotelangiectatic rosacea?

Erythematotelangiectatic rosacea comes from 2 words; erythematous and telangiectasia. Erythematous simply means redness. Patient also often experience flushing. Telangiectasia means dilated visible blood vessels. These patients does not have pimple-like lesions on their face and can occur on the face, neck, ear and other areas of the body. Pain and burning may accompany flushing and they often also complains of dry, flacky and sensitive skin.

What can trigger rosacea flushing?

Various trigger had been reported to precipitate flushes in rosacea. Among the common triggers are emotion, hot drinks, alcohol, sudden change of ambience temperature, sun exposure and certain medications.

How can erythematotelangiectatic rosacea be treated?

First of all, identification and avoidance of trigger is of utmost importance.In mild cases, this is probably sufficient to relieve the discomfort caused by the condition.

Secondly, the use of sunblock is recommended for all patients with rosacea. Sun protection should be directed to both UVA and UVB. They should also avoid irritative skin care such as astringents, alcohol based products or products containing sodium lauryl sulphate.

In terms of medication, oral tablets and creams offer minimal improvement, if at all. The main modality of treatment will be vascular lasers such as pulse dye laser and intensed pulse light therapy. These laser treatment targets blood vessels with minimal damage to surrounding tissues.