Living with rosacea

Dermatology Nursing, June, 2007

National Rosacea Society

Ramona was perplexed. Her facial skin seemed to be reacting to everything. "It started with a flush that became more frequent," Ramona said. "Then, the redness began lasting longer and longer each time, and I couldn't figure out what it was. I was losing my sanity."

She tried to connect her facial problems to something concrete. "Everything was suspect," she said. "I thought it might be my makeup, allergies, or foods."

But her search resulted in no improvements. In fact, the redness got worse, spreading across her face and leading to small breakouts of pimples.

Finally, Ramona couldn't stand it any longer and went to see a dermatologist, where she learned she suffered from rosacea (see Figure 1). She was prescribed medication and briefed on the many potential triggers that could cause rosacea to flare up. From that moment, she hungered for more information. "I read everything I could get my hands on, and what I discovered was surprising," she said.

[FIGURE 1 OMITTED]

Ramona learned that her fair skin and Polish heritage put her at a higher risk of developing rosacea, and that many of the activities she loved could be aggravating to her face without taking special precautions.

"I love to bake and garden," Ramona said. "But these turned out to be some of my triggers."

In her quest to educate herself on rosacea, Ramona learned to control her condition. In addition to medical therapy, she now avoids oven heat in the kitchen and wears sunscreen during gardening or other outdoor activities. "The more I know, the better I feel about myself and the more control I feel I have," she said.

'My Eyes Were Extremely Sensitive'

Mark had no idea why his eyes were suddenly bothering him. They were constantly red and irritated. He never suspected that the irritation was in any way related to the mysterious redness that had also developed on his face.

"I just woke up one morning and my eyes were sore," Mark said. "I felt like I had something in them that I couldn't get out."

Mark ignored the eye irritation and went to work as normal. During the day, however, the soreness persisted. "I thought I simply had dust in my eye," he said. "But it got so bad, my boss sent me to the clinic to have my eyes flushed out" (see Figure 1).

The next day, Mark's eyes were worse. "I couldn't tolerate any light at all," he said. "I had to sit in a dark room all day. My eyes were extremely sensitive."

Mark's vision started to blur and his eyes became so painful he could barely keep them open. He missed several days of work and finally went to see an ophthalmologist.

The physician diagnosed Mark's problem as ocular rosacea and prescribed oral antibiotics and medicated eye drops. The doctor recommended Mark massage his eyelids daily in a warm shower and also suggested he see a dermatologist for his facial symptoms. "The doctor told me that rosacea affected not just my eyes, but that my face was affected by it too," Mark said. "I knew my cheeks were red, but I never thought much about it."

Mark added a topical therapy to his treatment regimen to control his facial symptoms. His facial redness is now under control and his eyes have returned to normal. "Now I know what I'm up against and I can see clearly again," Mark said.

Note: For information and educational materials on rosacea, write the National Rosacea Society, 800 S. Northwest Highway, Suite 200, Barrington, Illinois 60010, or call its toll-flee number at 1-888-NO-BLUSH. Information and materials are also available on the society's Web site at www.rosacea.org, or via e-mail at rosaceas@aol.com.