Have you heard about rosacea? What is rosacea? Who are usually affected by it?
Rosacea, nicknamed the “curse of the Celts”, is a chronic skin condition characterized by facial erythema or redness on the face. The Caucasians of northwestern European descent are primarily affected by this skin disorder, but can also affect other ethnicity. Rosacea affects both sexes, but is three times more common in women. People of all ages can get rosacea, but its peak age of onset is at 30 to 60.
Rosacea, though hereditary, is hypothesized to be a neurological disorder resulting from the hypersensitization of the sensory neuron called bradykinin. This hypersensitivity, triggered by the activation of kallikrein-kinin system when exposed to intestinal bacteria in the digestive tract, produces neurogenic inflammation upon dermal stimulation causing flushing symptoms and vasodilations that are characteristics of this skin disorder.
Other factors that trigger episodes of flushing and blushing such as extreme temperature, sunburn, stress, anxiety, strenuous exercise, cold wind, and moving from cold to hot environment, caffeine, especially hot tea and coffee, alcohol, spices and foods high in histamines can also play a part in the the development of rosacea.
Rosacea, unless it affects the eyes, is a harmless condition. Treatment usually involves topical medications to reduce inflammation.