Rosacea

Often mistakenly referred to as “senile acne”, rosacea mainly affects women with a fair complexion and usually becomes more visible with age. Rosacea is different from acne mainly by the absence of comedones and is often limited to the central facial area, but can also affect the whole face. Mostly areas around the cheeks and nose are affected of a widespread erythema, however, rosacea can also spread to the forehead and chin. The persistent redness of the face is caused by enlarged small blood vessels, called telangiectasias. There are various factors that promote rosacea and cause so-called flush symptoms. These include in particular UV light, hot drinks, spicy foods, alcohol, stress, hormonal influences and sudden temperature changes (e.g. sauna). Therapy is aimed at the clinical appearance and stage of the disease. In men, the disease can progress to a bulbous nose, the so-called “rhinophyma”, which can be surgically resected or treated with laser therapy.