Is rosacea contagious? | Rosacea

Is rosacea contagious?

No! Although it is an inflammation, there is no danger of becoming infected. Neither coughing nor skin contact can transmit rosacea.

Yes and no! Although rosacea is not directly hereditary, some families have an increased incidence of precursors of rosacea. It is unclear whether this is due to a still unknown factor. However, whether the disease breaks out and whether the children often get relapses depends on the factors mentioned above.

Prognosis – Is rosacea curable?

Since the cause is unknown, rosacea cannot be completely cured. Rosacea is one of the chronic inflammatory skin diseases. Only symptomatic treatment and delaying the progression of the disease is possible.

The course of the disease can therefore only be influenced to a limited extent. One speaks of a recurrent course. However, an early and adequate start of treatment can easily contain the symptoms.

An effective treatment consists of several components. These may consist of individual consultation and instructions regarding UV protection, skin cleansing and care, local and systemic drug treatment and surgical or laser-surgical measures. Rosacea can be well controlled by individual measures that are applied as needed.

Even in the advanced stages, there are possibilities, so that the disease limits the daily routine. In about 20 percent of patients, the eyes are affected first – before the skin symptoms appear. Since this involvement of the eyes can also lead to blindness in rare cases, an eye specialist should be consulted in addition to the dermatologist.

Prophylaxis

It is important to avoid the risk factors and triggers. These include, for example: direct sunlight that irritates the skin with UV light. If the sensitivity is known, sun protection can help.

In summer, the sun should also be avoided completely around noon. Irritations of cosmetics are quite common. Therefore, aggressive agents should be avoided.

Alcohol also seems to irritate the blood vessels in the face. Therefore, alcohol should only be consumed in moderation. The same applies to spicy food and hot drinks. Food that is too spicy stimulates the temperature regulation of the skin and dilates the blood vessels, which can cause a flush. Less avoidable is psychological stress, also known as the trigger for rosacea.