Causes and Cures of Rosacea

Rosacea is a skin disease that affects the middle third of the face, causing persistent redness over the areas of the face and nose that normally blush -- mainly the forehead, the chin and the lower half of the nose.

Causes
The cause of rosacea is unknown. Rosacea is more common in people who blush easily. Furthermore, rosacea tends to affect the "blush" areas of the face. Emotional factors (stress, fear, anxiety, embarrassment, etc.) may trigger blushing and aggravate rosacea. Sun exposure generally aggravates rosacea. A mite sometimes found in hair follicles may play a role in the development of rosacea. The bacteria Heliobacter pylori (that is associated with stomach ulcers) and medications like vasodilators (that cause blood vessels to widen) have also been thought possibly to bring out rosacea.

Cure
Rosacea cannot be cured but it can usually be controlled with the proper, regular treatment. Treatment involves both oral and topical medicines. Oral antibiotics (such as tetracycline) are commonly prescribed; the dose may be initially high and then be tapered to maintenance levels. A topical (skin) antibiotic cream such as metronidazole (Metrocream) is useful to reduce the inflammation and the redness. Other topical antibiotic creams include erythromycin and clindamycin (Cleocin). Short-term topical cortisone (steroid) preparations of the right strength may also be used to reduce local inflammation. Some doctors are trying tretinoin (Retin-A) or isotretoin (Accutane), prescription medications also used for acne, or permethrin (Elimite) cream, which is used for the mites that cause scabies.