Rosacea

What is rosacea?

Rosacea is a common chronic skin condition that presents as a facial redness and pimples. It usually affects individuals between the ages of 30-60 years and is more common in fair skin types. Women are affected more frequently than men, but men often have more severe disease.

What causes rosacea?

We do not know the exact cause of rosacea but it seems to develop due to a complex interplay between genetic, environmental, inflammatory and vascular factors. Trigger factors in a susceptible individual result in dilatation of blood vessels in the skin of the face. Common described trigger factors include alcohol, exercise, and change in temperature, hot drinks, spicy foods, stress, and ultraviolet light.

What are the visible features of Rosacea?

There are a number of clinical features associated with rosacea. Patients may display these common signs and symptoms to varying degrees:

•     Facial redness
•     Prominent blood vessels (telangiectasia)
•     Papules and pustules on nose, forehead, cheeks and chin
•     Facial flushing
•     Skin sensitivity
•     Enlargement of the nose (rhinophyma)

 There may be ocular (eye) involvement. A skin biopsy may be required to diagnose rosacea. This shows chronic inflammation and vascular changes on histology. Rosacea cannot be cured but there are effective long-term measures that can get the condition under control.

Recommendations:

1. Wear a sunscreen SPF 50 throughout the year. UV light is a major trigger for most rosacea clients and this should be incorporated as part of your daily skincare routine. Protection is needed against both UVA and UVB light. Often mineral sunscreens are better than chemical sunscreens as they cause less skin sensitivity. Look for products containing titanium dioxide or zinc oxide.
2.     Use skincare products designed for sensitive skin and avoid products containing alcohol, witch hazel, fragrance, menthol and harsh exfoliating agents.
3. Mineral-based cosmetic products are often preferred as they will cause less skin sensitivity.
4.     Avoid known triggers, e.g. alcohol or certain foods; and engage in activities that may reduce stress (e.g. exercise, meditation) if this is known to trigger flare-ups.
5.   Avoid using a topical steroid to rosacea. Although short-term it will cause an improvement due to anti-inflammatory effects, over time it is likely to cause worsening of the condition.

Specific treatment measures

Successful control of rosacea relies firstly on understanding what aspects of the disease need treatment. Someone that has predominantly papules and redness is likely to need different treatment than another who is mainly troubled by prominent blood vessels and flushing. Careful history and examination by your doctor are vital to pick out the correct treatment plan. This is not a case of “one-size fits all”.

Redness

Common topical treatments include:

• Metronidazole gel or cream
• Azelaic acid cream

Papules/pustules

Often oral antibiotics are combined with topical therapies to treat papulopustular rosacea. These are usually prescribed for 6-12 weeks in the first instance. Tetracyclines helps by reducing inflammation.
A dermatologist will advise as to what suits best as treatment needs to be adjusted to suit the skin.

Flushing
LED light has proven effective for reducing redness associated with Rosacea.

Telangiectasia
Prominent blood vessels and background redness respond well to light and laser therapies and can be life changing for clients.IPL and vascular lasers provide good results.

Rhinophyma
This affects men more often than women. The best treatment is either by reshaping the nose surgically or resurfacing via laser therapy with a carbon dioxide laser. This needs to be done by a skilled dermatologist or plastic surgeon.

If you have tried topical therapy combined with an oral antibiotic for 6-12 weeks with no benefit, then consider going to a dermatologist .

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Matchless Light-Emitting Diodes Phototherapy Equipment: the Most Powerful Light-Therapy Equipment - Antyage

Medical Device – EC certified* with a variety of different LED colours we are able to treat a wider range of skin conditions.

- Unique Technology: Cutting-edge RGB LEDS

- Incredible Power: 319mW/cm²

- The Widest Range of Wavelengths: from 400nm up to 850nm

LED treatments came from research on NASA astronauts. NASA had started using lights from LEDs to help plants grow in space and then wondered if it might aid cell renewal in astronauts too (they wanted to help preserve bone and muscle mass and trigger wounds to heal faster). Trials found that as well as doing this, it raised levels of collagen and elastin in the skin.

An LED treatment is painless, the wands are simply held over the skin and the light naturally passes into the skin just like sunlight- all the UV has been screened out. Vitamin C serums are applied to the skin that help the light penetrate and in a beauty-based example of symbiosis the light also helps these serums penetrate deeper too. You will see some benefits straight away from an LED treatment but we generally recommend five or six in a row.

The LED treatment system may assist with the following conditions:

Blue light – 415nm

Acne

Treatment of mild to moderate acne reduces the need for antibiotics and topical creams with their associated side effects. This treatment regime helps to reduce the bacteria count and inflammation associated with acne and therefore reduces the number of acne lesions when used in conjunction with our acne skin care range.

Treatments are recommended twice a week for 4 weeks, followed by once a week for 8 weeks.

Red light – 635nm

•           Wound healing

•           Scars

•           Rosacea

•           Burns

•           Rejuvenation

•           Wound healing, scars and burns would require treatment twice a week for 4 weeks.

Conditions such as Rosacea may require maintenance treatment after the initial treatment regime.

Infrared light – 830nm

• ·        General skin rejuvenation, reducing deeper fine lines and wrinkles
• ·        Skin tightening
• ·        Acne Scarring
• ·        Accelerates wound healing, post laser and post-surgery
• ·        Reduction of pain, bruising, swelling and inflammation
• ·        Reduction of post-inflammatory pigmentation
• ·        Prophylaxis against scar formation
• ·        Relief of muscle and joint pain
• ·        Rejuvenation treatments can be done from 1 to 2 weeks apart and the more treatments that are performed, the better the results.

 Book your appointment directly on line - use the link below.

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Acne

Cameron Diaz has battled with acne.

If you have ever suffered from acne, you are not alone. Treatments for acne have improved significantly. At home treatments like Skinceutical Blemish and Age range, depending on the grade / type of acne you have this may require the addition of a topical antibiotic and or medication.

All acne is not created equal.
A single pimple or a face (or back) full of them, most people can relate.  Acne is the most common skin condition . 80 % of people in the world will suffer from acne at some point in their lifetime.  The first step is to make the right diagnosis. Not all bumps on the face or back are acne. You could have rosacea (Along with spots, rosacea can cause facial flushing and persistent redness of the skin, particularly across the cheeks, nose and chin. Possible triggers are thought to include extremes of weather, sunlight, spicy food and alcohol.), or  folliculitis  - blocked hair follicle. However, if you  have acne, there is still a diagnosis to be made.

You have to figure out what kind of acne you have so you can treat it appropriately!

When that follicle is obstructed (usually by dead skin cells), the oil doesn’t have a way to get out. This creates a comedone, otherwise known as a whitehead or blackhead.  There is a bacteria that lives on our skin called P. acnes.  When you have a blocked pore, these bacteria begin feeding off the oil and skin cells and give off toxic free fatty acids that perforate the base of the follicle and release toxins into the dermis.  The body reacts with an inflammatory response and a part of this response results in the formation of a pustule.  Acne can be triggered by hormonal changes. The sebaceous glands that are attached to the follicles secrete more oil in response to certain hormonal triggers.  This is why women may notice more breakouts at certain time of the month.  This is also why teen males may have worse acne than teenage females. This is because it is actual the male hormones known as androgens that trigger sebaceous glands.  Lastly, acne can also be influenced by a few other things, including genetics, certain food choices, and stress.  Physical irritation can also generate an inflammatory response resulting in pimples.

Types of Acne 

Type 1: Comedonal

This type of acne appears as a small bump but generally is not red and swollen.  Often you will hear these referred to blackheads and whiteheads and your case can be mild or severe.  Comedonal acne is typically found on the chin and forehead but can form anywhere there is a pore (including face, neck, shoulders, chest, thighs and back). Especially common during the preteen and teen years (but can happen at any age), comedonal acne tends to run in families (if your parents or siblings had it, you’re more likely to have it too) and people with oily skin are more prone to it.

Type 2:  Inflammatory

Inflammatory acne is a response by your body to the clogged follicle.   Inflammatory acne occurs when acne blemishes become inflamed, forming papules and pustules (pimples and zits).  In more severe cases, deeper and larger pus filled lesions called nodules may form.  While it may be tempting to pop these new spots, it’s important not to as this can result in scarring. Inflammatory acne tends to be more common in men due to higher testosterone levels leading to more oil production. A bacteria on the skin called P.Acnes loves to eat those dead skin cells covered with all the oil from your sebaceous glands.If the bacteria really go to town on those blocked pores you get pustules, white pus filled bumps on your face, or large inflamed bumps on your face.  This type of acne is called inflammatory acne

Type 3:  Cystic

Cystic acne is the most severe form of acne vulgaris.  Breakouts become deep and inflamed and blemishes form cysts that become very large and painful. Cystic acne can affect anyone but is much more common in teenage boys and young men and it does seem to run in families.  This type of acne is severe and needs to be treated by a  Specialist Doctor or Dermatologist.

Type  4:  Hormonal acne

Hormones called androgens stimulate sebaceous glands to produce more oil-- the more active the sebaceous glands, the happier the P,.acnes bacteria.  If you go through hormonal fluctuations related to menstruation,  pregnancy,menopause, or possibly because you have a condition called Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, you may have times when the androgens are stimulating your skin to make inflammatory acne.  This acne usually has a specific pattern, and  presents normally  as painful bumps around the chin and jaw line.

Image source:  American Academy of Dermatology.

Treatments

Treatment of mild forms of acne can usually be accomplished with over the counter products.  Once you can understand the type of acne that you have, you can identify the best treatment option for you. Each type of acne will require a different treatment option.
Book a free consultation if you need advice on 012300244/012300255
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