Did you know that an estimated over 16 million Americans have this skin condition? * April is Rosacea Awareness Month, let’s take action and contribute to understanding this difficult-to-treat skin condition.
You’re in front of the mirror discovering some blushing around the cheeks and nose, you guess it’s probably the summer, you let it pass by because you know that sometimes you forget your SPF. Other than your partner, nobody seems to notice this small redness, so you carry on. The season changes, so does your skincare routine but the color has not faded a bit, it can’t be the sun now, you think, and conclude it’s probably best to put more make-up on and stop eating so much candy because it kind of looks like acne now.
You haven’t even considered going to the doctor or googling these… symptoms? … it was not after years of fighting “adult acne” and “sensitive skin” with various treatments that a friend of yours pointed out that it might be rosacea. Wait. What?
According to the National Rosacea Society, 95% of the people who are diagnosed with rosacea claim to know little or nothing about the condition*, and this is in part, the difficulty that researchers and doctors have found when trying to determine the causes and formulating a healing treatment. Also, the existence of other erythematous diseases and origins of flushing makes it hard to diagnose, or even to assume that one needs to get checked by a doctor, given that the symptoms are often mild, patients overlook them for prolonged periods in hope that they will disappear.
On Rosacea
The “Standard
classification of rosacea” was the first paper to offer a classification for rosacea, published in 2002,
just 20 years ago, and aside from recognizing rosacea as a syndrome, it postulated four clinical subtypes to help
diagnose and treat better this condition: erythematotelangiectatic, papulopustular, phymatous, and ocular rosacea;
back then, this classification helped to understand the progression of the illness.
In 2005, 2017, and 2019 updates were
published focusing on the patient’s specific characteristics and needs, they have helped reach new levels of
comprehension around it. The most recent and complete one was published just last year. Research has been done
trying to determine how the disease progresses and originates, but every answer is still very ambiguous, that is why
health professionals hold the responsibility to be alert of signs of rosacea and inform their
patients about it.
Still, research during the last decades has not been able to find concrete facts
about this illness because there are numerous factors related to it like DNA, environmental threats such as
pollution and UV rays; and Demodex mites, which are a mite that naturally inhabits our skin. Many factors might
initiate, trigger, or aggravate it, but experience has only proven that each skin tells a different story,
that is why the essential pillar of rosacea therapy is the individual
identification of those factors. It is a chronic but treatable condition.
The How-To
Although rosacea has somewhat distinct symptomatology, mainly related to recurrent episodes of flushing, persistent erythema, inflammatory papules/pustules, telangiectasia, and sometimes stinging or burning pain usually at the center of the face; the skin composition of this area distinguishes itself because of a higher sebaceous glands’ concentration as well as dense nerval and vascular networks, some conditions vary from person to person according to -almost- infinite combinations of factors, therefore, it’s very important to get the right diagnosis and hopefully in an early stage so the best treatment can be tailored.
For
instance, facial redness is likely linked to neurovascular dysregulation, and it might scale into
inflammation, if treatment is compatible, the Redness Peel can be a great asset to restore the
proper conditions of the skin barrier and reduce swelling by shrinking blood vessels.
Part of the lifestyle of someone living with rosacea is identifying which factors increase the symptoms, among these
are counted some dairy-based foods, high-temperature environments, alcohol-based skin products, but one of the most
recurrent ones is emotional stress with 79% of people with rosacea being affected from it*.
One-on-one advice is a wonderful way to start treating a patient that might not be understanding the
depth of their situation. Mental health is one of the dimensions of rosacea patients that is increasing in
importance, it is key to help restore a person’s self-value and self-esteem through the tools we have on hand, 41%
of rosacea patients reported that they started to avoid public contact* due to self-consciousness.
Even
though it is crucial to discuss each case with your physician, at XTETIC we are committed to delivering superior choices for every skin
out there, we embrace the fact that everyone deserves the best care and the newest technology, that is why our
Redness
Line was developed by European experts to alleviate these symptoms and motivate rosacea
patients to start living life at its fullest.
Sidenote
The National
Rosacea Society has made significant efforts to strengthen the dialogue about rosacea and has established April as
Rosacea Awareness Month, you can be part of the conversation by using the hashtag #RosaceaAwareness
and check more information or join the Society by visiting their website Rosacea.org
*all the statistics were taken from studies carried out and published by the National Rosacea Society and can be found on their website
