Early Signs of Rosacea You Shouldn’t Ignore

Many medical conditions fare better when you recognize them during the early stages and take action, which can certainly be said of rosacea. 

This inflammatory skin condition is incredibly common — it affects at least 5% of the global population. Even more importantly, rosacea is also chronic and progressive, which is why early intervention can make a big difference. 

As a board-certified dermatologist, Dr. Bruce Saal has a good deal of experience in the world of rosacea, and he and our team here at Los Gatos Dermatology routinely help people to successfully manage this skin condition.

And the earlier we can address your rosacea, the better, which is why we’re reviewing some of the more common early signs here.

Blushing and flushing

Most of our patients report that the earliest sign of their rosacea was a tendency to flush and blush easily, meaning your face can suddenly turn red.

At first, these bouts of redness typically appear and disappear just as quickly. Over time, the redness associated with rosacea becomes more persistent and lingers.

Facial tingling

Alongside the increasing redness in your face, you might also experience facial tingling, which can turn the corner into a burning sensation, too.

Visible blood vessels

Another common side effect of rosacea is facial veins that typically develop across your nose and cheeks. The facial veins may look like spindly blood vessels that have migrated toward the surface of your skin.

Rash 

More advanced rosacea or a rosacea flare-up can lead to a rash on your skin that features bumps and pus-filled cysts that look like acne.

Irritated eyes

Rosacea can affect your eyes, as well, and you may feel irritation in your eyes, like there's something scratching your eyeball. As a result, your eyes might be red, watery, itchy, and feel generally irritated.

How we treat rosacea

If you have any of the signs we outlined above, please come see us so we can confirm whether you have rosacea. 

As we mentioned, rosacea is a chronic and progressive skin condition, so we want to start addressing the issue as soon as possible. This type of early intervention won’t cure the condition, but it will help you control and lessen flareups, and also protect against more serious, and irreversible, side effects.

One such side effect is rhinophyma — enlargement of your nose — which affects men twice as much as women.

But if we get the opportunity to work quickly and early, we can set you up with a comprehensive rosacea treatment plan that might include:

• Trigger management
• Topical and oral prescription medications
• Intense pulsed light (IPL) treatments for flareups

So, if you suspect that you might be joining the millions of people with rosacea, it’s time to get an experienced dermatology team in your corner.

For expert diagnosis and treatment of rosacea, we invite you to contact our office in Los Gatos, California, today to set up a consultation.