Definition of rosacea
The clinical picture of rosacea is a chronic inflammation of the facial skin. The middle third of the face is particularly affected by this disease. As a rule, this harmless disease occurs in middle adulthood.
About 0.5 to 2 percent of patients in a dermatological practice are affected. Women are affected slightly more frequently than men. It is noticeable that especially fair-skinned people are affected.
Rosacea usually proceeds in phases. Some patients, especially men, develop a bulbous nose (rhinophyma). In about half of the patients, the eyes become involved in the course of this disease. Irrespective of the severity of rosacea, patients often suffer from conjunctivitis and inflammation of the eyelids. Dry eye can also become a problem.
Causes of rosacea
Many different factors play together in the development of rosacea. Each of these factors increases the probability of developing the disease. However, there is no single trigger that leads to rosacea in any case.
On the one hand, a regulatory disorder of the vessels in the facial area is suspected. Especially at the beginning of the disease, heat, rapid temperature changes or emotional stress often lead to a flush, which is caused by an unnatural dilatation of the vessels. The skin of rosacea patients often reacts strongly to cosmetic products such as make-up, lotions, soaps and the like.
It is also suspected that inflammation of the nerves in the facial area leads to an increased reaction of the vessels and the skin to external stimuli. Another factor seems to be a colonization of the skin with microorganisms. More precisely, these are hair follicle mites.
At first this sounds repulsive, but hair follicle mites are found on the skin of practically all people. In rosacea patients, however, there are many more of these mites. In addition, the natural immune system of some people suffering from rosacea seems to react particularly strongly to these hair follicle mites.
This explains why there is no inflammation in healthy people, but in rosacea patients. Many patients also report certain factors that cause the symptoms to worsen. For example, if these factors have been identified as triggers, they can be avoided as much as possible.
- Solar radiation
- Heat
- Cold wind
- Alcohol
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