There Is Help…Learn About Effective Rosacea Treatments
The National Rosacea Society (NRS) designates April as Rosacea Awareness Month to educate the public on the impact of this chronic and widespread facial disorder that is estimated to affect more than 16 million Americans.
At BAXT CosMedical®, we have been treating patients with rosacea for over 30 years. Dr. Rebecca Baxt typically sees rosacea patients who have been struggling with this chronic condition for many years. Unfortunately, many patients have not been to a dermatologist for rosacea or been adequately treated. If you are a newly diagnosed rosacea patient or have moderate to severe physical symptoms, Dr. Rebecca Baxt, a board-certified dermatologist, will provide you with a customized program based on your specific rosacea symptoms.
Rosacea often starts between the ages of 20 to 30 with excessive facial flushing that is worsened by vasoactive substances including, but not limited to caffeine and alcohol. Prolonged time in the sun and emotional stress are triggers. The symptoms come and go but never completely go away. The exact reason some people do develop this chronic skin condition and others do not develop rosacea is not clearly understood.
Dr. Baxt is often asked if rosacea can be cured? Unfortunately, the answer is NO. Rosacea cannot be cured. Your number one goal is to get it under control so that it does not interfere with your life causing redness, pimples, papules, and even rhinophyma where the skin on the nose thickens and becomes red and bumpy.
What Is Rosacea?
Rosacea is a long-term inflammatory skin condition that commonly causes reddened skin and a rash.
These patients are exhibiting the varying degrees of symptoms from mild or moderate to severe rosacea. As seen with these patients, the reddened skin, pimples, and pustules are most apparent on the nose and cheeks.
Dr. Baxt explains to her patients that rosacea comes in four main subtypes:
- Subtype 1 – Rosacea symptoms are generally mild with persistent redness, flushing, and broken blood vessels.
- Subtype 2 – Rosacea symptoms are moderate with papules, pustules, pimples, and sometimes more severe cyst formations.
- Subtype 3 – Rosacea symptoms are rare (rhinophyma) but far more severe where a rosacea sufferer’s skin gets very thick, oily, and sebaceous. This is the most severe type where the nose grows larger, longer, and becomes red, bumpy, and bulbous. This is a rare variant and more prominent in men.
- Subtype 4 – Rosacea symptoms mainly affect the eyes which are watery or bloodshot, with complaints of itching, dryness, and blurred vision. This subtype is known as ocular rosacea.
The first step to treatment is to have an accurate diagnosis on the type of rosacea you have, a skin examination, and the history of your flare-ups.
What Type Of Treatments Are Available For Rosacea?
Intense Pulsed Light Treatment for Rosacea
Subtype 1
There are many cases where the laser and light helps reduce the visible symptoms of rosacea. Effective rosacea treatment options offered at BAXT CosMedical® are IPL (Photofacial®) or the V-Beam Perfecta Laser.
Using the Intense Pulsed Light system, Dr. Baxt dramatically improve the look of sun-damaged skin and patients with persistent redness and flushing of rosacea.
Actual BAXT CosMedical® patient. Results may vary and are not guaranteed.
The V-Beam Perfecta system is a pulsed dye laser/ This laser treatment is effective in treating bigger thicker vessels to remove or reduce blood vessels and redness on the face, neck and body* V-Beam Perfecta works very well to reduce the redness and excess blood vessels caused by rosacea. The procedure is done in a quick and easy office visit. The V-Beam treatment can causes redness and swelling for a few days. See before and after V-Beam patients*.
For many rosacea patients, Dr. Baxt may initially recommend a topical prescription that works as a vasoconstrictor to the blood vessels. These recommended topical prescriptions are Mirvaso® and Rhofade®. Mirvaso® (brimonidine) is a selective alpha-2 adrenergic agonist that shrinks your blood vessels to help decrease redness of your face. Rhofade® (oxymetazoline HCI) cream is a prescription medicine used on the skin (topical) to treat ongoing facial redness due to rosacea in adults.
Topical Antibiotics & Photofacial Results
Subtype 2 rosacea symptoms that include papules, pustules, and pimples are best treated with topical or oral antibiotics. The papules and pustules respond very well to prescription antibiotics. Medications that are prescribed by Dr. Baxt include Metronidazole, Azelaic Acid, topical Ivermectin, topical sulfur lotions, as well as oral antibiotic Doxycycline.
Dr. Baxt will discuss which option is best to treat your rosacea symptoms.
What Can You Do To Lessen Rosacea Outbreaks?
Rosacea patients are advised to avoid the foods and activities that can trigger the outbreaks including saunas, hot tubs, hot foods, spicy foods, red shade foods (tomatoes, peppers, etc.), caffeine, alcohol, and prolonged direct sun exposure. It doesn’t necessarily apply to everybody, but if there are triggers it’s best to avoid them.
This 56-year-old male was bothered by redness on his face and rosacea flare ups. He found that when he would have certain foods, such as pizza or tomatoes, it would trigger a flare up. Dr. Baxt recommended a customized combination of topical and oral medications to help treat the patient’s rosacea. The after photo reflects 6 weeks after the patient started Dr. Baxt’s rosacea regiment.
Want To Learn More About Rosacea?
Blogs: Rosacea Patients Respond Well to Intense Pulsed Light IPL Treatments
Dr. Saida Baxt and Dr. Rebecca Baxt discuss the use of IPL treatment for the flushing, blushing, and telangiectatic components of rosacea. Read clinical article
Consult An Expert
If you are frustrated with your rosacea symptoms, call to schedule a consultation with Dr. Rebecca Baxt. It all begins with an expert diagnosis!
