🔴 What Is Rosacea? A Complete Guide to This Common Skin Condition

If you’ve ever noticed persistent facial redness, flushing, or visible blood vessels on your cheeks, nose, or chin—you may be dealing with rosacea.

Rosacea is more than just blushing or occasional redness. It’s a chronic inflammatory skin condition that affects over 16 million Americans and often goes undiagnosed.

The condition can significantly impact self-esteem and quality of life, especially when flares are frequent or severe. The good news? With the right understanding and care, rosacea can be managed and calmed effectively.

In this blog, we’ll cover:

• What rosacea is
• Common signs and symptoms
• What causes or triggers rosacea
• The four subtypes of rosacea
• How to manage it—from medical to natural approaches

🧬 What Is Rosacea?

Rosacea is a chronic, inflammatory skin disorder that primarily affects the face—especially the central cheeks, nose, forehead, and chin. It typically starts with redness or flushing and may progress to visible blood vessels (telangiectasia), breakouts, thickened skin, and eye irritation.

Rosacea is not contagious or caused by poor hygiene. It often develops between ages 30 and 50 and tends to be more common in fair-skinned individuals, but it can affect all skin types and tones.

🔍 Common Symptoms of Rosacea

Rosacea symptoms can vary from person to person, but typically include:

• Persistent redness or flushing
• Visible blood vessels (broken capillaries)
• Bumps or acne-like breakouts
• Burning, stinging, or sensitive skin
• Swollen or thickened skin, especially around the nose (rhinophyma)
• Dry, red, or irritated eyes (ocular rosacea)

Early signs often resemble blushing that doesn’t go away, especially after heat, alcohol, or spicy food exposure.

🧠 What Causes Rosacea?

The exact cause of rosacea isn’t fully understood, but it’s believed to be a combination of:

1. Immune System Overactivation

Many people with rosacea have an overactive innate immune response, leading to excess inflammation in the skin.

2. Demodex Mite Overgrowth

These microscopic mites naturally live on the skin, but in rosacea, their numbers may be higher, leading to irritation.

3. Vascular Dysfunction

Rosacea patients often have hyper-reactive blood vessels, which dilate easily and contribute to redness and visible capillaries.

4. Gut-Skin Axis Imbalance

Recent research shows a link between rosacea and gut imbalances, such as SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth) or H. pylori infection. Dysbiosis in the gut may trigger inflammation in the skin.

5. Genetics

Rosacea tends to run in families, suggesting a genetic predisposition.

🔥 Common Rosacea Triggers

Certain lifestyle and environmental factors often make rosacea worse or trigger flares. These include:

• Sun exposure ☀️
• Hot drinks or spicy foods 🌶️
• Alcohol (especially red wine) 🍷
• Stress or anxiety 😰
• Heat or cold extremes 🌡️
• Exercise 🏃
• Skincare products with alcohol, fragrance, or exfoliants
• Hormonal fluctuations (PMS, menopause)

Identifying and avoiding your personal triggers is key to managing flare-ups.

🧪 Types of Rosacea

There are four subtypes of rosacea. Many patients have features of more than one.

1. Erythematotelangiectatic Rosacea (ETR)

• Persistent redness
• Flushing
• Visible blood vessels
• Skin sensitivity

2. Papulopustular Rosacea

• Red bumps or acne-like pustules
• Often mistaken for adult acne
• May also include background redness

3. Phymatous Rosacea

• Thickened, bumpy skin
• Often affects the nose (rhinophyma)
• More common in men

4. Ocular Rosacea

• Red, irritated eyes
• Dryness, burning, or gritty sensation
• Eyelid inflammation (blepharitis)

🩺 How Is Rosacea Diagnosed?

Rosacea is usually diagnosed based on:

• Skin appearance
• Symptom history
• Trigger patterns

There’s no specific test for rosacea, but your provider may rule out acne, lupus, seborrheic dermatitis, or other skin conditions that mimic rosacea.

A skin evaluation with a trained provider (ideally in dermatology or aesthetic medicine) is the best first step.

✅ Treatment Options for Rosacea

Rosacea is chronic, but with the right plan, flares can be reduced, and skin can become more balanced and clear.

🔹 1. Topical Medications

• Metronidazole gel/cream – anti-inflammatory
• Azelaic acid – reduces redness and bumps
• Ivermectin – targets Demodex mites
• Brimonidine/oxymetazoline – constricts blood vessels to reduce redness

🔹 2. Oral Medications

• Low-dose doxycycline – reduces inflammation (not for acne)
• Isotretinoin (rare cases) – for severe, resistant rosacea
• Gut-targeted antibiotics – if linked to SIBO or H. pylori

🔹 3. Laser and Light Therapies

• IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) – reduces redness and broken vessels
• VBeam or other vascular lasers – targets persistent flushing
• Regular sessions can significantly improve skin tone over time

🔹 4. Functional Medicine Support

• Identify and remove food triggers (gluten, dairy, sugar, spicy foods)
• Heal the gut using probiotics, antimicrobials, and anti-inflammatory nutrients
• Reduce inflammation with omega-3s, zinc, vitamin D, and quercetin

🌿 Natural and Lifestyle Strategies for Rosacea

In addition to medical therapy, these holistic steps can help:

• Use gentle, fragrance-free skincare
• Avoid hot water and rough exfoliation
• Moisturize daily to support the skin barrier
• Manage stress with meditation, breathwork, or therapy
• Track flares in a journal to identify patterns
• Wear SPF 30+ daily (physical sunscreens like zinc oxide work best)

🧠 The Bottom Line

Rosacea is a chronic but manageable condition. With the right diagnosis, skincare, nutrition, and lifestyle adjustments, many people see dramatic improvements.

If you're dealing with redness, burning, bumps, or visible blood vessels—it’s not just sensitive skin. It may be rosacea, and you deserve answers.

🩺 Get Personalized Rosacea Relief at Sheen Vein & Cosmetics

We specialize in identifying the root causes of chronic skin inflammation using advanced diagnostics and aesthetic therapies like:

• IPL laser for redness and vessels
• Customized skincare protocols
• Functional medicine evaluations for gut-skin connection
• Red light therapy to calm inflammation and support skin healing

📞 Call today to schedule your rosacea evaluation, or
🌐 Visit our website to learn how we help patients calm their skin, naturally and effectively.

‍