Skincare Treated

Types of Medical Treatment for Rosacea

Rosacea is a chronic skin condition whose main symptom is extreme flushing or redness of the face. Around 13 million people in the US are afflicted by the condition and considering its obvious nature, it is the cause of anxiety and acute embarrassment. However, medical treatments for rosacea are available.

Managing Rosacea

The treatments do not cure the skin condition but they help to manage and control the frequent flushing. But before to explore the medical treatment for rosacea in detail, let’s brush up on our basics.

Rosacea is not a contagious disease, and unlike acne, is does not result in ugly inflammation or infected pustules or cysts on the affected areas. Also, the condition is mainly restricted to the centre of the face though in some cases, it could spread to the eyelids, chin and nose as well.

Medical treatment for rosacea is varied and there are many factors that can aggravate the condition. For instance, prolonged exposure to the sun causes the facial blood vessels to dilate and results in flushing of the face.

Exposure to extreme weather conditions has the same effect and must be avoided. Exercising also dilates the blood vessels of the skin to release the heat suddenly generated by the exercise.

Spice Is Not Nice!

Certain foods and spicy ingredients like peppers and capsicum can also lead to sudden bouts of flushing. This is because they release physical heat and stimulate the receptors at the back of the throat, which sets of a chain reaction.

When choosing the kind of medical treatment for rosacea, careful of how you choose the product.

Personal hygiene is foremost and regular cleansing wit gentle soap and water is recommended. Don’t use anything that would be rough on the skin like hot water, loofas and rough towels.

Astringents and facial washes should also be avoided as these are harsh on the skin. Remember, people who suffer from rosacea have especially sensitive skin.

Medical treatment for rosacea also depends on the severity of the disease. For mild cases, topical or surface treatment is the best and safest option. The next line of treatment is topical creams and oral antibiotics. Finally, in severe cases, which involve broken blood vessels, patients can opt for laser treatment.

Topical applications typically include the use of creams and ointments that contain azelic acid, sodium sulfacetamide or topical metronidazole.

Azelic acid is a dicarbooxylic acid that reduces pigmentation by inhibiting bacterial protein synthesis. Sodium sulfacetamide is an antibiotic that reduces redness of the skin and also has an anti-inflammatory effect.

Finally, topical metronidazole has an antibiotic and antiprotozoal effect and is used in more severe cases of rosacea. This application has no impact on flushing but significantly reduces inflammation of papules and pustules on the face.

Antibiotic Relief

Oral antibiotics can also be adopted for the medical treatment of rosacea. These drugs usually contain the following active ingredients – erethromycin, minocycline, doxycycline and tetracycline – and like many creams, they too have an anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory effect.

Oral isotretinoin is a popular choice of treatment in cases of severe rosacea, where pustules are present. It is a retinoid or vitamin A analog, which means it, mimics Vitamin A and is available in capsule form.

Oil Glands

The drug works on the oil-producing sebaceous glands and decreases the amount and nature of the secretion of oil in them. Isotretinoin also decreases the amount of keratin that is naturally formed so that the number of dead skin cells absorbed by the hair follicle is fewer. This means that comedones are less likely to be formed.

Isotretinoin, which was approved by the US Food and Drugs Administration in 1982, is a strong drug and must be taken only under prescription and advice from a doctor.

It may also have side effects and should not be taken by women who are pregnant or breast-feeding.

This skin disease can also be treated with surgical and laser methods but medical treatment of rosacea is widely used and fairly effective in controlling its salient symptoms.