Triggers Affecting the Occurence of Rosacea

Several factors have been identified that may be related to the development of rosacea:
~A disorder of the blood vessels that causes them to swell, leading to flushing may be a factor in rosacea.

~A genetic predisposition combined with certain environmental factors that may irritate the skin causing rosacea symptoms to occur.

~Clogging of the sebaceous gland openings with skin mites called Demodex folliculorum, which live in facial-hair follicles are thought by some to be a factor in the presence of rosacea.

~Rosacea appears to affect fair-skinned people more often, though it can affect any skin type. Often several people in a family have rosacea, so researchers think it may be at least partly genetic.

~Rosacea by the numbers may be more common in women, but is often more severe in men -- perhaps because men tend to delay seeking medical help until rosacea reaches advanced stages.

~Other factors that may be involved include vitamin-B deficiency, local infection, hydrochloric-acid (stomach acid) deficiency, infection with Helicobacter pylori, and/or digestive disorders.

~In some cases, rosacea may be associated with migraine headache, other skin disorders, and certain eye disorders, including blepharitis and keretitis.

Diagnosing Rosacea

There are no standard diagnostic tests to definitively diagnose rosacea. A diagnosis of rosacea generally determined based on clinical symptoms and after ruling out other similar conditions such as sunburn, acne, psoriasis, eczema, seborrheic dermatitis, lupus or medication induced skin reactions.

Rosacea occurs primarily on the face but may be found to spread to the neck or ears in more extreme cases.  The symptoms include flushing that may come and go eventually becoming more permanent, redness and skin irritation, swelling of the reddened areas of skin, itching, burning, pain, skin tightness, bumps and possibly acne-like pimples. Factors such as medications, sun exposure, heat, environmental conditions, exercise, sweating, exercise, stress, spicy food and dehydration can cause the symptoms to worsen or flare .