Rosacea, pronounced as “row-zay-shuh,” is a skin condition that affects at least 14 million adults, teenagers and children in the US alone. In this article, we will get to know more about what this condition is and how to treat rosacea on the face.
What is Rosacea?
Rosacea is a skin condition that is oftentimes misdiagnosed and misunderstood. It is because rosacea can resemble other more common skin conditions such as acne and rashes. Rosacea happens when the blood vessels dilate, leading to redness in certain areas on the face, such as the cheekbones, the nose and the forehead.
Causes and Symptoms
The causes of Rosacea on the face is not fully understood. It seems to affect more women in their 30’s and 40’s than men. As mentioned earlier, there seems to be a link between blood vessel dilation (such as in blushing) and the onset of Rosacea. Stress and embarrassment are some of the known common triggering factors for this condition.
The symptoms of this skin condition can be minor – the face can become blotchy or reddish, with the effect more pronounced in fair-skinned people. Rosacea can progress to form pimples on the skin. They can even worsen to form acne, and at advanced stages, the areas of the skin can appear sun burned or discolored.
How to Treat It
If you want to treat rosacea (or at least avoid it) you might want to stay out of triggering factors. Since it is mostly an inflammation, you would also want to stay out of foods that can cause inflammatory reaction or blushing – such as foods that are extremely spicy.
It would also be a good idea to avoid cosmetics and skin care products that have ingredients that may pose as irritant to the facial skin.
For more serious cases of this skin condition, you might want to see a medical practitioner. Your doctor might give you some topical creams or prescription antibiotics to clear out the inflammation. Anti-inflammatory drugs may also be prescribed. Some doctors will prescribe more invasive methods such as laser surgery. Laser surgery can reduce the visibility of redness and blood vessels on the face.
EFA Supplementation for Treating Rosacea
It has been found that essential fatty acids, especially those in omega 3, are effective in reducing inflammation of the skin. Essential fatty acids help in the formation of anti-inflammatory prostaglandins that can effectively ward off inflammation.
Rosacea is essentially an inflammatory condition, so omega 3 supplementation can be an effective way to way rosacea goodbye. Some excellent sources of omega 3 include fish oil. Taking fish oil capsules every day seems to be a good thing to try in your quest to clear up rosacea on the face and keep the condition at bay.