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What is Rosacea?

What causes Rosacea?

What are the different types?

Is there a cure for Rosacea?

Can it get worse without
treatment?

What factors can cause a
'flare up'?

Is Rosacea a form of Acne?

How can you prevent it?

Does Insurance Cover This?

Laser Rosacea Treatment

	What does laser treatment cost?
	Does laser treatment hurt?
	What are the recovery times?

Oral and Topical Medications

	Are topical solutions safe?
	Why are antibiotics prescribed?
	How effective are they over time?
	Fluconazole & Diflucan

Diet Recommendations

Choosing your Doctor

U.S. Clinical Trials

American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery

American Society for Dermatologic Surgery

National Rosacea Society

What Causes Rosacea?


	Two major causes, the sun and genetic predisposition
	Veins develop which are highly reactive to certain stimuli
	Flushing, blushing and acne can result
	Highly Treatable with Lasers & Medication

Two Major Causes - Genetics & The Sun

There are two major causes of rosacea, in my opinion. The first is a genetic predisposition to develop veins and redness from the sun. The second is the SUN, which I believe is the biggest factor. Why
do I believe this? People with rosacea acquire facial veins very easily from sun exposure. These veins occur from sun exposure, but not the sun exposure you think of when you think of the sun. I'm not talking about the sun we get on a beach or an amusement park. It's the sun exposure we get every single day when we aren't paying attention. We are exposed to the sun while driving in our car, while walking around, going to and from our homes.

If you look at patients with rosacea who drive in their cars their symptoms are usually much worse on the left side of their face. This tells us that UVA, the non-burning rays of the sun, are probably a big contributor to rosacea. Car window glass blocks UVB but not UVA.

So we acquire these veins from the sun, and people with rosacea have a predisposition to developing them, but once we acquire these veins they tend to be much more reactive than other veins in our body.

Facial Veins Become Highly Reactive

All veins have arterials that allow blood to come in and keep the blood from coming out. Those arterials are much more reactive in the veins we acquire from the sun, so when we drink coffee, drink hot liquids or alcohol, and exercise we're much more likely to flush and blush in those facial veins acquired from the sun. That's really what rosacea is.

In addition to flushing and blushing, once we acquire all these veins in our face, it changes the characteristics of our facial skin. So we are much more likely to get pimples that also are a part of rosacea. So now not only do we get spider veins in our face and diffused generalized redness, but we can also get acne-type pimples.

Rosacea can even affect our eyes, a condition known as ocular rosacea, which has symptoms like itching and burning of the eyes. An eye doctor can tell you if you have eye rosacea or ocular rosacea.

Failure to treat rosacea will result in an increase in symptoms and flare-ups over time.

For Ways to Treat Rosacea, See: Laser Rosacea Treatment, Choosing Your Doctor, Is there a Cure for Rosacea?

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Last Modified: October 19, 2007

Frequently Asked Questions
		What is Rosacea?		What is Ultraviolet Light?
		What Causes Rosacea?		What are arterials?
		What are the types of Rosacea?		What is the long duration pulsed-dye laser?
		Is there a Cure for Rosacea?		What is the 532nm KTP Nd:YAG laser?
		Can it Worse without Treatment?		What are telangiectasias?
		What Factors can Cause a Flare-Up?		What are demodex mites?
		Is Rosacea a Form of Acne?		What is vascularity?
		How Can you Prevent Rosacea?

The information contained in the above article is purely for educational purposes and is not intended to provide any medical advice. Always consult with your physician before having any medical procedure performed.