Treating Rosacea with Laser Cosmetic Surgery

Rosacea is a common condition that affects approximately 14 million Americans. Yet, the majority of those dealing with rosacea are not even aware they have the condition. Rosacea affects both men and women and is most common in those who are 30 to 50 years old that have fair skin and blush easily.

Recognizing Rosacea

Rosacea can be recognized by the redness on the cheeks, forehead, nose, and chin. It can also be bumpy or result in swelling, which makes it look similar to acne. Those with rosacea, however, do not get blackheads as with acne. Instead, they get dilated blood vessels. A chronic condition, rosacea generally does not resolve itself without treatment.

For those suffering from mild rosacea, the appearance may be limited to just a mild amount of redness on the cheeks. Those with severe rosacea, however, may find the skin that overlies the nose becomes permanently swollen and red. This condition is called rhonophyma. This is caused by the dilated blood vessels as well as abnormally enlarged oil glands. Some individuals coping with rosacea may also experience eye irritation, such as stinging, burning, dryness, grittiness, and styes.

If left untreated, mild cases of rosacea can progress from the early stages of pronounced flushing on the cheeks, forehead, chin, and nose, to red bumps all over the face. This can ultimately lead to scarring caused by the skin thickening and overproducing collagen. This is how rhynophyma occurs, which is sometimes referred to as “W.C. Field’s nose” because of the famous actor’s nose that was the result of his bought with rosacea. Rhynophyma is more common in men, though it can occur in women as well.

Preventing Rosacea

Researchers are not sure what causes rosacea. What is known, however, is that there are certain factors that can exacerbate the problem and cause flair ups. These triggers include wind, sunlight, cold temperatures, hot temperatures, spicy foods, alcohol, skin care products, hot drinks, scrubbing or rubbing the face, and exercise. To help prevent rosacea outbreaks from occurring, those with the problem should avoid these triggers and be sure to wear SPF 15 sunblock and hats when out in the sun.

 

 

Treating Rosacea

Treatment of rosacea can vary depending upon the symptoms. Those with mile facial redness or lesions similar to acne may be able to alleviate the problem with oral antibiotics and topical medications. If the problem is more severe, however, laser cosmetic surgery may be the best option for treating the problem.

When treating rosacea with a laser, a pulse dye laser or flash-pumped dye laser are generally the best options. These lasers pass harmlessly through your skin and reduce the size of the blood vessels that have become enlarged. If your skin has become scarred from the rosacea, a CO2 laser may be used to shave away the layers of tough, scarred tissue in order to give your skin a smoother appearance.

Treating rosacea with lasers generally results in no downtime, though it may take a series of five or more treatments to get the desired results. These treatments are generally spaced out in three week intervals.

Deciding if Rosacea Cosmetic Surgery is Right For You

If your rosacea is still in its early stages, you might not be ready to consider laser cosmetic surgery. At this stage, it might be possible to treat your problem with antibiotics and topical creams while avoiding those things that trigger rosacea outbreaks. If your rosacea has advanced further, however, you might want to seriously consider laser surgery – particularly if it is causing your problems with your eyes.

In most cases, rosacea laser cosmetic surgery is not covered by insurance because it is considered an optional surgery. If the problem is causing you physical discomfort or problems with your vision, however, be sure to discuss this with your doctor and ask him or her to report this to your insurance company. In this way, you might be able to receive insurance coverage for the procedure.

Once the rosacea has been treated with laser cosmetic surgery, you will need to be sure to avoid those things that trigger outbreaks in order to keep it from reoccurring. In extreme cases where scarring has occurred, you will not need to worry about the scarring returning unless you allow your rosacea to get out of control once more.