No actual cure for the skin condition called Rosacea is yet available to us; but there are ways to control the disease and stop it from getting worse. The symptoms vary from patient to patient and from a period to another of their life. In order to prescribe an efficient treatment, physicians must be aware of the physical and psychological condition of the person, of the disease subtype and the severity of Rosacea.
The current technology allows different methods for treating Rosacea beginning with topic and oral antibiotics and concluding with laser therapy and plastic surgery.
The main targets of the cure are improving the esthetic aspect of the skin and prevent the progression of the symptoms. An actual result will only be observed after a few weeks of careful treatment and the surgical methods of removing the thickened skin or improving the image of the blood vessels might also cause an inflammation in the first days.
A Rosacea episode requires a topical drug as well as an orally administered antibiotic both meant to decrease swelling and kill the bacteria causing a possible infection. If flare-ups get better, no further oral antibiotics are necessary; topical preparations though should be administered continuously.
Local drugs for controlling Rosacea can be gels, crèmes, solutions and ointments containing Metronidazole, sulfur, Azelaic acid and Sulfacetamide, all approved substances. Topical antibiotics used as well in treating Rosacea are Clyndamicin and Erythromycin. All drugs with local administration are mainly prescribed for the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.
A non-antibiotic product used to reduce papules and pustules caused by infection is the vitamin A derivate called Trentinoin. For its antibacterial and exfoliating effects Benzoyl peroxide is also helpful; it enables dead cells to desquamate and fall of. Almost all topical products cause dryness and irritation of the skin but this can be reduced by avoiding sunlight, using a water-based moisturizer and not applying the substance more than two tomes a day.
Flare-ups of Rosacea can be controlled by a short period treatment with an oral antibiotic such as Azythromicin, Doxycycline, Minocycline or Erythromycin. These can however produce many side-effects and should only be administered for long periods in severe cases of Rosacea or in Eye problems caused by Rosacea. Oral antibiotics are the most adequate for annihilating micro organism causing pustules and papules.
An oral drug used in treating teen acne can have benefic results when applied in Rosacea cases to clear the anesthetic eruptions. Isotrentinoin takes several weeks to make its action visible and has multiple side-effects. Benefic effects in Rosacea also have the oral contraceptives as well as certain blood pressure medications.
By: Groshan Fabiola