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What causes rosacea?

What causes rosacea

Rosacea is a chronic, inflammatory skin condition that mainly affects the face. It causes redness and visible blood vessels and it may also result in small, red bumps. It’s more common in women and fair-skinned people but usually symptoms are more severe in men. It’s often mistaken for acne, eczema or allergy. Rosacea makes the skin extremely sensitive. If left untreated, rosacea worsens with time and might become permanent.

The exact causes for this skin condition are unknown but there are a number of factors that can trigger symptoms.

The major symptom people with rosacea notice is redness on the cheeks, chin, nose and forehead although it may also appear on the neck, ears or chest. Other symptoms include stinging and burning of the skin, swollen skin, patches of dry and rough skin, larger pores, broken blood vessels on the eyelids and problems with seeing. Rosacea symptoms usually flare up for a few weeks, then they calm and come back again.

The precise cause of rosacea hasn’t been determined yet but it’s believed it’s a combination of hereditary and environmental factors. There are known triggers that can worsen rosacea and cause a flare-up. These include drinking alcohol or hot beverages, eating cheese or spicy food, having intestinal bacteria called Helicobacter pylori or a skin mite called demodex that releases bacteria which trigger an immune reaction that causes redness and inflammation of the skin.

Anyone can suffer from rosacea but people who have family history of this skin condition are more likely to develop rosacea at one point in their life. Other factors that make you more prone to this skin condition are if you are a female, if you’re over age 30, have light skin (particularly if it has been damaged by the sun) and if you smoke.

Rosacea can’t be cured but treatments prescribed by specialists can help control the symptoms. They usually feature antibiotic creams and oral antibiotics. There are also lifestyle changes that need to be made in order to reduce the symptoms. It’s important to try and manage stress, to avoid heat and sunlight, to always wear sunscreen in the day and to use gentle skincare products that are appropriate for sensitive skin types. Science Skincare suggests ingredients like Octadecenedioic AcidSqualene and Chamomile Flower Extract to calm and soothe the skin, as well as their physical sunscreens for an everyday protection.

People with rosacea can benefit from keeping a journal of their activities, the food they consume and the cosmetics they use. Often excessive exercising, humidity and too strong exfoliation can cause an outbreak.

If in doubt we encourage you to seek an expert opinion as rosacea whilst being a chronic skin condition, can be managed and controlled.