Rosacea is a chronic inflammatory skin condition that primarily affects the face but can also appear on the neck, head, ears, and chest. There’s no cure for it, but there are treatments that can reduce the symptoms and make it less noticeable.
At Eterna Vein & Medical Aesthetics, our expert team of aestheticians offers a wide variety of facial treatments that can address your rosacea and reduce its severity. If you’re embarrassed to even look in the mirror, we can help you face yourself and others with greater confidence. Here’s how.
What is rosacea?
Rosacea is a common inflammatory condition that’s often mistaken for acne, eczema, or even an allergic skin reaction. It affects up to 20% of the population, especially women over 30 with fair skin and blue eyes, though it can also be found in darker-skinned people. Symptoms may come and go, and they can change over time.
Rosacea comes in three primary types, categorized by symptoms:
Erythematotelangiectatic rosacea: causes skin redness, flushing, and visible clusters of blood vessels (telangiectasia)
Papulopustular rosacea: causes skin redness, swelling, and pustules (pus-filled bumps)
Phymatous rosacea: causes thickened facial skin and an enlarged, bulbous nose
Symptoms of all three include itching, stinging, or burning sensations in affected areas. In addition, rosacea can affect the eyes, causing inflammation of the eyelids and eyes that leads to dryness, redness, and irritation, and it may affect vision.
What causes rosacea?
It’s unclear exactly what causes rosacea, but doctors believe both genetic and environmental factors are to blame, though many of the individual factors haven’t yet been identified.
Studies suggest that rosacea is associated with blood vessel abnormalities and problems with the immune system. For people who have rosacea, their blood vessels dilate too easily, which causes the characteristic facial redness and skin flushing. And while inflammation is a normal immune system response to injury, pathogens, and environmental toxins, inflammation associated with rosacea is abnormal, impairing the skin's ability to act as a protective barrier for the body.
Environmental factors can increase the risk of developing rosacea and trigger its symptoms. Well-studied factors include:
Ultraviolet light: causes oxidative stress that damages skin cells
Microorganisms: overgrowth of skin mites known as Demodex folliculorum stimulates abnormal immune response
Helicobacter pylori: gut bacterium stimulates the production of bradykinin, which causes blood vessels to dilate
Heat exposure
Spicy foods
Smoking
Alcohol
Most factors cause blood vessels in the skin to dilate, leading to redness and flushing.
What facial treatments can help rosacea?
While Eterna Vein & Medical Aesthetics offers a wide variety of facial treatments to help all manner of skin conditions, the following are the most appropriate for treating rosacea.
HydraFacial
This 60-minute treatment can be used on all skin types. It removes dead cells, extracts impurities such as mites and environmental toxins, and cleanses and moisturizes the skin to reduce the redness and the appearance of dilated veins characteristic of rosacea.
Chemical peels
We use an acid solution to peel away layers of dead skin cells; any imperfections contained in those layers, like pustules, vanish along with the cells. This treatment can also reduce inflammation and skin discoloration.
Microdermabrasion
This treatment uses fine crystals to gently exfoliate your skin’s top layer, removing thickened patches.
Dermaplaning (aka microplaning or blading)
This treatment uses a blade to scrape away dry and dead skin cells, as well as thickened skin, revealing healthy skin below.
Antibiotic and anti-inflammatory creams may help complement your facial treatments, addressing any bacterial or inflammatory causes of your condition.
If you have rosacea, it’s time to come into Eterna Vein & Medical Aesthetics in Puyallup, Washington for facial treatments that can help resolve your condition and make you happy to show your face again. Give our office a call at 253-268-3400 to set up a consultation with one of our aestheticians.