Someone in your personal life may have already told you a bit about 'rosacea' if you are a middle-aged person showing signs of facial redness. It is difficult to answer the question 'what is rosacea?' due to the fact that symptoms vary case to case. The following information will provide insight regarding how to recognize rosacea's signs and symptoms.

For starters, it is much more common for rosacea to occur in fair-skinned people of Celtic and other European genes. Some scientists suggest that this could be due to the fact that lighter skinned people are more vulnerable to the sun, though most cite the high genetic predisposition to developing rosacea in Caucasians. Studies confirm that rosacea develops most frequently in people between the ages of 30 and 50, more often in women than in men.

Rosacea was commonly confused with acne vulgaris or seborrhoeic dermatitis until recently and was consequently mistreated. Misconceptions about the concrete symptoms of rosacea were caused by the fact that most patients failed to develop every stage of the disease and had varied reactions to rosacea skin products. In 2002, scientists were finally able to classify the spectrum of symptoms and signs, dividing the disease into four sub-groups: the Erythematotelangiectatic type, Papulopustular rosacea, Phymatous rosacea and Ocular rosacea.

How can I recognize the symptoms of rosacea?

Rosacea usually starts as an erythema on the middle of the face and the upper part of the cheeks, as well as on the nose or forehead. Eythema refers to the development of an abnormal redness in the skin resulting from an increased dilation of blood vessels. Redness can also less commonly extend to the neck, chest, ears and scalp in people with certain types of rosacea.

The first signs of rosacea are said to be a persisting redness due to exercise, changes in temperature, and cleansing. If you are experiencing facial redness that continues long after what seems to be a reasonable, you may have developed the disease and should seek out a treatment for rosacea in order to reduce redness and avoid advancing symptoms. While scientists still don't know what causes rosacea, they are now able to properly treat it.