Rosacea is a long-term disease that causes reddened skin and pimples, usually on the face. It can also make skin thicker and cause eye problems. It is estimated to affect 16 million in the United States alone. If left untreated, the condition can worsen.

Who can get it?

Anyone can get rosacea, but it is more common among these groups:

• Adults ages 30 to 60.
• Women, especially during menopause.
• People with fair skin. Lighter skin also makes the disease more apparent

What are the symptoms?

Rosacea usually causes your face to become red or flushed. It may look like:

• Redness at the center of your face, including your forehead, nose, cheeks and chin.
• Small red blood vessels that become visible under your skin.
• Bumpy skin or pimples.

You might also have these other symptoms of rosacea:

• A swollen, bumpy nose (this usually happens to men).
• Skin that feels burning, swollen or warm.
• Thicker skin on your face, especially if you have an advanced case of the disease.

Many people who have rosacea can get eye problems. These may include:

• Eyes that are red, dry, itchy, burning or watery. You might feel like you have sand in your eye.
• Eyelids that are inflamed and swollen.
• Eyes that become sensitive to light.
• Blurred vision, or some other kind of vision problem.

What causes rosacea?

Doctors don’t know what causes rosacea, but your family history or genes might make you more likely to get the disease.

If you blush a lot, you may also be more likely to get rosacea. Some researchers think rosacea occurs when blood vessels expand too easily, causing you to blush.

How is it treated?

There is no cure for rosacea, but treatment can help make your skin look and feel better. Your doctor may suggest antibiotic medicines that you apply directly on your skin or take in a pill. It may take several weeks or months for your skin to start looking better.

Other skin treatments may include:

• Gels to help your skin look less red.
• Electrosurgery or laser surgery to reduce the appearance of small red lines on your skin. Laser treatments include Excel V, which is available at the DeSilva Dermatology office.
• If your nose is bumpy and swollen, you may be able to have some extra skin tissue taken off to make it smaller.

Treatments for eye problems may include:

• Medicines, such as steroid eye drops.
• Cleaning your eyelids to reduce infections. Your doctor may recommend scrubbing your eyelids gently with watered-down baby shampoo or an eyelid cleaner and then applying a warm (but not hot) compress a few times a day.

What can I do about the condition?

You can take an active part in treating your rosacea. Besides going to your doctor regularly, you can also try these things to reduce your symptoms:

• Keep a written record of what seems to make your rosacea worse. This may help you figure out what irritates your skin.
• Use a sunscreen every day. Get one with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher that protects against UVA and UVB rays (two kinds of ultraviolet rays that can damage your skin).
• Use a mild lubricant on your face if it helps, but try to avoid products that irritate your skin.
• You might try a green-tinted makeup to make your skin look less red.
• Talk to your doctor if you feel sad or have other signs of depression. Some people with rosacea feel bad because of the way their skin looks.

Some things can make your rosacea become worse or flare. What causes a flare in one person might not cause a flare in another person. Although these factors have not been well-researched, some people say these things make their rosacea worse:

• Heat, including hot baths
• Exercise
• Sunlight
• Wind
• Very cold temperatures
• Hot or spicy foods and drinks
• Alcohol
• Menopause
• Emotional stress
• Long-term use of steroids on the skin
• Bacteria

“Rosacea treatment is twofold,” says Dr. DeSilva.  “One is medical/laser treatment, but more importantly is behavior modification, including avoiding triggers and using sunscreen.”

If you have the symptoms of rosacea, contact us for an appointment today.

The post Facts About Rosacea appeared first on San Antonio & Boerne Dermatologist.

Excel V is a laser system for providing treatment of a variety of vascular skin conditions. Many skin conditions manifest in the form of broken or abnormal blood vessels in the skin. Such is the case with rosacea, in which the facial blood vessels dilate excessively, causing redness and flushing. Excel V treats these conditions by administering a unique high-power green laser that is absorbed by the abnormal blood vessels in the skin. The laser heats the abnormal vessels until they are removed. At the end of treatment, the patient’s natural skin tone and color are restored.

What specific conditions does Excel V treat?

Excel V has been shown effective at treating a number of conditions, including rosacea, telangiectasias, leg veins, port wine stains, and cherry angiomas. Excel V treats mild and severe forms of these conditions. The system may also have a cosmetic benefit for patients who have skin lesions or scars from past injuries or surgeries.

What are the benefits of Excel V compared with other treatment options?

The benefit of Excel V is that the treatment can be highly adjusted to ensure that the level of treatment being delivered specifically matches the patient’s skin condition. The system contains various wavelength modes, allowing the delivery of both short pulses for superficial blemishes, such as small lesions and skin discoloration, and longer pulses for deeper vascular conditions, such as leg veins and nodular port wine stains. It also offers a wide range of laser spot sizes to ensure that small treatment areas can be targeted at greater precision and larger areas can be treated in a shorter period.

This high level of customization is what makes Excel V so effective at treating, often in one session, so many different conditions, which, in the past, would have required several different systems or procedures.

Comparison of Excel V With Alternative Vascular Skin Condition Treatments

[section background_image=”” text_color=”#000000″ background_color=”#eeeeee”]Electrosurgery

• Commonly used to treat superficial skin lesions
• Transfers electrical energy to skin tissue through an electrode needle to destroy lesions
• Generally requires local anesthesia to abate pain
• May cause scarring

Sclerotherapy

• Commonly used to treat spider veins
•  Involves injection of a solution, usually salt solution or detergent, into the veins
• May cause side effects: e.g., itching, bruising, allergic reactions, etc.
• Requires patients to wear a compression stocking after treatment

Surgery

• Can be rather painful, requiring local anesthesia
• Chance of complications (e.g. excessive bleeding, infection, etc.)
• Generally requires a few days of recovery
• Often requires dressings

Excel V

• Noninvasive method for treating a wide range of skin conditions
• Uses a unique cooling system to protect patient’s skin from secondary damage and mitigate discomfort during treatment
• No injections or anesthesia required
• Temporary erythema or edema may occur, but not a high risk of other side effects
• No downtime or disruption to daily lifestyle[/section]

Are there other laser treatment options available for these skin conditions?

Yes, there are other laser treatment options available for skin conditions. The challenge usually associated with laser treatment is tailoring the treatment to precisely match the patient’s unique skin condition. Some existing lasers may be effective for treating a condition at one size and depth, but may not work effectively on conditions that affect a larger area.

What is the level of demand for treatment of skin conditions?

The prevalence of vascular skin conditions varies greatly. Rosacea is one of the most common conditions, affecting about 14 million Americans. Many people with Rosacea may not even realize they have it even when common symptoms are present such as redness in the face and flushing after consumption of alcohol, caffeine or spicy foods.

Another fairly common condition is cherry angiomas, which are small red bumps that spontaneously appear on the skin. These kind of lesions are commonly found in middle‐aged populations—more than 85% of people over 45 years of age have several cherry angiomas.

Spider veins are also a fairly common condition, although the exact prevalence varies according to different sources. Port wine stains, another condition which Excel V treats, is a more rare condition, occurring in about three out of every 1,000 people. These are a type of birthmark often appearing on the face in which swollen blood vessels cause a reddish‐purplish discoloration of the skin.

Although these conditions represent some of the most common cases for which the Excel V laser system provide treatment, the robust customization of the system makes it ideal for also treating more general cosmetic problems such as superficial blemishes, discoloration and even scars. Given that the large majority of people have one or more of these conditions to varying degrees, almost anyone could potentially benefit from treatment with Excel V.

How is the procedure performed?

After an initial consultation with the patient, we will determine if treatment with the Excel V is appropriate.

Unlike other procedures, injections or topical anesthesia are not required throughout the duration of the 15-30 minute procedure. Depending on the condition, the Excel V hand piece is placed over the affected areas of the skin until the abnormal vessels diminish. To minimize discomfort and protect the patient’s skin, the Excel V uses a proprietary cooling mechanism

What skin types does Excel V treat?

All skin types identified in the Fitzpatrick skin type classification can be treated with the Excel V system. This classification denotes 6 different skin types, ranging from very light (type I) to very dark (type VI). The 532nm wavelength is ideal for treating skin types I-IV and the 1064nm mode can be used on all skin types I-VI.

How many treatments are needed?

The number of sessions depends on various parameters, including the size, thickness and color of the vascular lesion. Superficial vascular lesions such as small telangiectasia and diffused redness are easiest to treat; some patients might see significant improvement after just one treatment.

What are the costs of treatment?

As with any procedure, the costs depend on the specific condition for which treatment is being provided. For minor conditions only requiring a single cycle of treatment, the cost generally ranges between $250‐$1,000. For conditions that affect a large portion of the skin and require additional treatment sessions, the price increases proportionally.

To find out if Excel V is the right treatment for you, schedule a consultation with DeSilva Dermatology.

The post Excel V FAQ appeared first on San Antonio & Boerne Dermatologist.