Description

Rosacea is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that occurs in episodes and varies in severity. It affects the face (forehead, cheek, nose and chin), rarely other parts of the body. The typical symptoms of rosacea are based on a permanent dilatation of the blood vessels and a chronic inflammation of the skin: reddening of the skin (erythema), inflammatory blisters and nodules as well as new tissue formations (phyma) and burning, itchy skin with stabbing pain.

Causes

Strong, long-lasting UV radiation (sunbathing, solarium), heat, hot baths and showers, certain cosmetics, washing lotions with an alkaline pH value (>7), certain medications, coffee and tea, alcohol and nicotine as well as stress can trigger rosacea. Hormonal changes, such as during pregnancy, can also trigger a flare-up of the disease. It is currently assumed that the basis for developing rosacea is a genetic predisposition in interaction with various immunological, micro-bacterial and neurological factors.

Possible effects on your biomarkers

The skin of rosacea sufferers is often more heavily colonised with so-called hair follicle mites (Demodex folliculorum). Although these microscopic animals are found on everyone’s skin, they seem to be more prevalent in rosacea patients and trigger an immune response that leads to inflammation. There is evidence that in rosacea, immune system receptors overreact when they recognise foreign organisms and produce certain substances to fight them.

In addition, inflamed nerves in the face also seem to play a role in the development of rosacea. The nerves control the blood vessels by dilating them in hot weather and contracting them in cold weather. In rosacea patients, however, the communication between nerves and blood vessels in the face does not work properly because the nerves are permanently inflamed. This leads to malfunctions: even weak stimuli such as spicy food cause the blood vessels to dilate without then contracting again completely.