Are there different types of Rosacea?

This is a good question because there are conditions that are similar to rosacea but must be treated in different ways or with a combination of modalities. Oftentimes, we have patients that present with visible, well-defined spider veins (aka: telangiectasias) to their face, and they self-diagnose themselves with rosacea. Unless there are other factors involved - this condition is not rosacea. Spider veins can be easily treated with lasers. We also see patients with acne rosacea. This is a condition wherein patients present with small, red, papular acne lesions as well as facial redness. Although there are different theories as to what causes this condition, most agree that the acne and the rosacea component exacerbate each other. By using a combination of pulsed dye lasers with our Erbium Glass laser, we can achieve good outcomes. We also use Aminolevulinic Acid with Photodynamic Therapy with good, predictable results for both conditions.

There are all different parts and pieces to rosacea and some people have all the parts and some people have one, two, or three pieces to it. For a condition like rosacea there can be someone who simply has a lot of redness in their cheeks and flushing that is triggered by heat or something they eat, something they drink or has started newly, and they usually have someone else in their family that has the same thing. It can have some pimply bumps, breakouts, but not generally with blackheads or anything that tends to be more like acne. But they can have these small little bumps that pop up on their nose and then go down. They can have, well not usually in women, but sometimes in men that big, giant, subaceous or oily kind of nose, which thank God women don’t get. And sometimes they can even get this gritty, sandy kind of feeling in their eyes and around the edges of their eyes.