Skin Problems Aren’t Just for Kids
Christopher Putney, MD
Strasburg Family Health Center

"Reprinted From Lancaster County Woman Newspaper."

Everyone hopes for better skin after the trials of teenage acne, however, some people begin to have problems later in life in the form of Rosacea, a disease that affects the skin on the face.  It often begins as redness that looks like a blush across the nose, cheeks, chin, or forehead.  As time goes on, red pimples and pus-filled bumps may appear.  Some people notice small blood vessels across their nose and cheeks.  In some people, the skin of the nose becomes red and thick.  The nose problem is called rhinophyma. Rosacea can also affect the eyes and irritate and inflame the eyelids and the white part of the eye.

No one knows what causes rosacea. It tends to run in fair-skinned families, and tends to occur in people who blush easily.  Symptoms usually begin in adults between 30 and 50 years of age. Women are more likely to get rosacea on the cheeks and chin, but men are more likely to get rhinophyma.

While rosacea cannot be cured, it can be treated.  Rosacea is a condition that lasts for a long time. In most people, it tends to get better for awhile and then get worse again.  Treatment controls the symptoms and makes your skin look better.

The kind of medicine your doctor wants you to use depends on how the skin looks.  Treatment generally works best for the pimples and bumps of rosacea.  The redness of the skin is harder to treat. Medicines used to treat rosacea include antibiotics, either in pill form to take orally or in gel form that you put directly on your skin.  These medications   may take up to two months of treatment before the skin looks better.  If your skin gets better, you can use less of the oral antibiotic or maybe even stop taking it.  You can keep using the gel, however.   It is hard to know how long you will need treatment for rosacea since each person’s skin is different. Surgery can fix rhinophyma by removing enlarged blood vessels on your face with a fine electric needle or laser surgery.

Certain things seem to make rosacea worse such as sun exposure, hot drinks, alcohol, spicy foods, strenuous exercise, stress and very hot and cold temperatures.  If these things make your rosacea worse, you may want to avoid them as much as possible.  Gentle skin care is best. Using a mild soap and moisturizer and sunscreen with an SPF 15 or higher on a regular basis will help.

So, if your skin problems sound like rosacea, call today for an appointment with your family doctor.  Treatments are available and you can be on your way to healthier looking skin.