Rosacea affects approximately 16 million Americans, making it one of the most common skin conditions that physicians are asked to treat. Rosacea typically targets people with fair skin and/or who are from northern Europe and it is usually seen in middle-aged to older people. Patients typically report a slow progression of symptoms such as broken vessels in the cheeks and on the nose, papules and a dry, ruddy appearance of the skin. Patients may or may not recognize trigger factors, the most common of which is exposure to the sun. Other triggers include exercise, certain alcoholic beverages, certain foods and some products.
Rosacea is known to be a hyper-inflammatory reaction of the skin. The exact cause of this is still under investigation, but rosacea treatments therefore focus on decreasing inflammation. Rosacea treatments usually involve a multi-pronged approach. It is important for all rosacea patients to be educated about the condition and to understand that it is controllable, but not treatable, in the sense that it is not ever going to go completely away.
Rosacea Treatment Options
Rosacea treatments usually begin with helping a patient to understand what triggers their flare ups and to devise a strategy for avoiding those triggers. Making sure that only high-quality and very gentle products are being used on the skin is important and identifying anti-inflammatory products helps with the treatment of rosacea. For example, niacinamide is a very good anti-inflammatory that is in some moisturizers.1 A medical-grade topical Vitamin C is an important component of rosacea treatment. Vitamin C is an anti-oxidant that helps prevent future damage. Of course, a good quality sunscreen is also a must.
The second line of rosacea treatments involves light-based therapies, such as the Limelight. Lasers have long been known to be effective in the treatment of the redness and vascular components of rosacea.2 When used for rosacea treatments, 8 – 10 treatments may be necessary to achieve satisfactory results.
Rosacea Treatment Medications
A third line of rosacea treatments is prescriptive medications. Both topical and oral prescriptions can provide anti-inflammatory results.1 Since rosacea treatments tend to be long-term, topical medicines are generally tried first because they do not carry the risks that some long-term oral medications have.
While rosacea can never be made to go away, a multi-pronged approach that is customized for each patient’s skin will include rosacea treatments that are very effective at controlling the condition and decreasing the number and intensity of flare-ups. Call Genesis MedSpa today and request a free consultation to learn which rosacea treatments will most help your skin.
