Acne breakout is a chronic skin condition affecting millions of people across the globe.
The development of acne flare-ups on your face or elsewhere can have a rather depressing effect on the person concerned both socially and psychologically.
This article shall discuss a particular kind of acne developed during the onset of a skin condition known as rosacea and shall further elaborate ways of treating it as well as suggest preventive measures to avoid its occurrence.
What is rosacea?
Rosacea is a skin condition generally affecting people over the age of 30.
Its characteristic symptoms are extreme redness of the nose, cheek and forehead, accompanied by pimples on the face.
Very often it also affects the eyes causing soreness and swelling of the eyes. Rosacea is generally divided into subtypes because they can affect in various ways.
The type with which we are concerned here is the acne-like breakouts in rosacea which is characterized by breakouts on the red skin, sensitivity and burning sensation of the skin along with stinging feeling and broken blood vessels that are visible on the surface of the skin.
The major cause underlying the breakout of rosacea is the expansion of blood vessels in the face which gets triggered under several conditions.
Some of these conditions are exercising, exposure to extreme weather conditions of sun and wind, excessive consumption of spicy food and alcohol, stress and changing weather conditions in extremity along with several other reasons.
Next, we will discuss the treatment of rosacea under two sections, firstly, the prescribed medicines that are given by doctors and dermatologists and secondly the home remedies that are most time tested and pretty easy to follow.
Prescription medicines for the treatment of rosacea
Most of the medications used in this condition are similar to those medicines that are usually prescribed for acne eruptions, both topical and oral medicines. Given below is a list of medications usually prescribed by dermatologists:
Topical medications for rosacea :
It has usually been that practise that to deal with rosacea at the initial stages, topical medications are prescribed first. Some of these topical medicines, which come in form of a gel, lotion, pad or cream, are as follows:
Azeliac acid : This works in numerous ways to prevent breakouts and reduce its impact. Not only does this inhibit the growth of acne-causing bacteria but also reduce inflammation.
It may, however, cause skin irritation, dryness, and lightening. It can be used on the affected area once or twice a day, depending on the severity of the breakout and must be applied on clean and dry skin.
Any visible change can be seen only after a few weeks of your use.
Benzoyl peroxide: This also works by killing the acne-causing bacteria. It is available in different strengths of 2.5%, 5%, and 10% and comes in the form of a gel, lotion, cleanser, cream and wash.
It is most commonly used in combination with clindamycin or erythromycin. It, however, can have allergic and bleaching reactions.
Tretinoin: Tretinoin is a natural retinoid. This works by unclogging the skin pores. The quantity to be applied must be discussed by the doctor, depending on the skin type. It may cause irritation and dryness of the skin.
Metronidazole: This works mostly as an antiseptic and an anti-inflammatory.
It helps in healing the damage caused to your skin and further facilitates in reducing inflammation and its resultant swelling and redness.
Oral prescriptive medications for rosacea are as follows:
Oral medications are used mostly in cases when topical ones do not fulfill the purpose in entirety. As such it for cases that are more severe. Some of the oral medications that are usually prescribed for rosacea are as follows:
Oral antibiotic: They are mostly used to control the inflammation that rosacea acne causes and helps in reducing the resultant swelling and redness and even repairing the damaged skin. Some of the oral antibiotics are as follows:
- Tetracycline and doxycycline: In the treatment of rosacea acne, it helps in various ways. Firstly, it is an anti-inflammatory medicine and thus helps in fighting the resultant inflammation. Secondly, it defies the formation of metalloproteinases, which is responsible for the inhibition of collagen fibre formation. Collagen fibre is important for maintaining the health of the skin.
- Erythromycin: It works as both an anti-bacterial and an anti-inflammatory medication. It may make your skin sensitive to the sun and therefore you must make sure to avoid your skin from the sun’s rays as much as possible and to use either sun’s screen or protective clothing when going out in the sun.
Isotretinoin: This medicine is used in mostly extreme cases where other medicines do not work out. It tends o inhibit the production of sebum by the sebaceous glands but might also have severe side effects which the patient must be informed about it before using it.
Belphamide: This is a steroid that is used mostly in cases of ocular rosacea and comes in the form of an eye drop.
Home remedies for the treatment of rosacea
In present times, most diseases have an alternative treatment that includes home and herbal remedies. Such home remedies are easy to prepare and quick to heal, with minimum side effects.
Some of the home techniques to heal and cure rosacea have been mentioned in this section:
White vinegar soak: This simply requires mixing vinegar and water in the ratio of one is to six and then using a cotton dab to apply it on your face. It is considered a natural anti-bacterial and helps in fighting the bacteria concerned.
You must, however, make sure to use diluted vinegar as in high concentrations it may burn your skin.
Green tea: Green tea can also be used in the form of a soak in the same way as white vinegar. It exhibits antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that help in dealing with rosacea acne.
Regulating diet: One of the major causes behind is the release of chemicals that tend to cause a dilation of the blood vessels.
These chemicals may be provided to your body through the food that you are taking. It is therefore important that you regulate your diet.
You need to consult your dietician to check for what kind of food causes allergic reactions in your body. An anti-inflammatory diet is usually recommended.
Stress management: Since stress is a major cause of rosacea acne flare-ups, managing your stress in daily life will generally contribute towards a reduction in its occurrences.
Lavender oil: With its antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties, lavender oil can go a long way in healing your skin from rosacea acne.
Using it is pretty simple. You just need to dab a cotton ball with a few drops of lavender oil and apply it on the affected area directly.
Oatmeal: Apart from acting as an anti-inflammatory product, oatmeal also contributes to enhancing the quality and health of the skin. It tends to bind the skin to provide protection and can be directly applied on the affected area in the form of a paste.
Tea tree oil: This too contains antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties which help in repairing the damage caused due to rosacea acne.
Summary
Though not as widespread as acne vulgaris, rosacea has been known to affect many people’s life both socially and psychologically in the same way as the former.
It might at times make the situation worse than acne vulgaris and become more painful and disturbing along with being difficult to cure.
It is therefore important that you maintain all the precautions mentioned above and in case of a breakout that may otherwise happen, contact a dermatologist as soon as possible.
The medicines and home remedies mentioned in this article have been known to work in various ways to affect a quick and smooth healing process.