Rosacea is a common, chronic skin disorder that can present with a variety of cutaneous manifestations. Some people simply have rosy cheeks while others have pizza face acne-like pustules. Rosacea primarily affects the central face, but can be seen throughout the entire face. Characteristics of rosacea include persistent facial redness, inflammatory papules, pustules, flushing, telangiectasia, and phymatous skin changes (eg, rhinophyma, a lumpy beefy nose).
While there is no cure for rosacea at this time, there are ways you can improve its appearance and take control of your skin! Here at ZENA Medical, we offer a multipronged approach to fight rosacea from all angles. We combine topical, prescription and laser therapy to combat the multi-faceted nature of rosacea.
Topical Therapy
The gold standard for treating rosacea is wearing sunscreen! The sun and heat can cause rosacea to flare and wearing sunscreen and avoiding the sun is paramount to decreasing the occurrence of rosacea. Patients with mild to moderate rosacea can be managed with topical therapies such as metronidazole, azelaic acid, topical ivermectin, or sulfacetamide-sulfur. In addition, avoiding irritation topicals like retin-A, can help decrease inflammation and irritation which perpetuates rosacea.
Prescription Therapy
Oral prescription medications can also help treat resistant rosacea. Tetracycline, doxycycline, and minocycline have been used for many years for the management of rosacea. These agents are most useful for improving inflammatory papules and pustules, and may also reduce erythema. Oral medications are used when topical or laser treatments are ineffective.
Laser Therapy with Vbeam
The best laser treatment for rosacea is the VBeam laser. VBeam stands for ‘Vascular beam’ and is a laser that treats vascular skin conditions, such as broken capillaries, rosacea and port wine stains. The Vbeam is safe for all skin types and has no down time post-treatment. The laser itself feels like a rubber band snap, but the pain dissipates immediately once the pulse is complete. While it may sound aggressive, the treatment is tolerable to most patients without prior numbing.
Since rosacea is a chronic skin condition, it requires at least 2-3 Vbeam treatments to see results. While you may see significant results after one treatment, it is essential to complete the series of 2-3 treatments to keep your rosacea at bay.
After the treatment, you are free to resume work and your daily activities right away as this is a completely non-invasive treatment that comes with no downtime.
Take the Next Step
If you’d like to learn more about our rosacea treatments, we encourage you to schedule a private consultation with your personal assessment at ZENA Medical in Newport Beach, California today. Call us at (949) 200-8222 or fill out our convenient online contact form. We look forward to meeting you!
