Rosacea awareness is the first step to understanding this largely unknown facial disorder. Rosacea (pronounced row-ZAY-sha) is a disorder of the skin of the face. It can be confused as sunburn for many people, as it appears as a reddening of the skin of the face. It generally appears on the cheeks, nose, chin, or forehead. For many people, awareness of rosacea doesn’t occur because the disorder is confused with more common ailments. However, rosacea differs from other disorders in that it generally starts appearing in adults older than 30 who have fair skin. The disorder affects more women than men, however men seem to have more severe cases of rosacea.

Rosacea is characterized by periods of flare-ups (when the reddening gets worse), followed by periods of remission. The disorder can even get worse over time, starting with just a reddening of the skin to the development of pimple-like bumps. (There are no whiteheads or blackheads with rosacea. The fact that rosacea can look like acne has caused many to call it acne rosacea or rosacea acne. There is no acne involved at all. This confusion adds to the lack of rosacea awareness among its sufferers.)

More severe cases of rosacea can develop into thickened skin or enlargement. This typically happens around the nose. This is the most distinguishing characteristic of rosacea, as both W. C. Fields and Bill Clinton have suffered from this stage of rosacea. However, even Princess Diana suffered from rosacea with her reddened cheeks.

So how is rosacea treated? Generally, in mild cases, dermatologists will prescribe topical creams or gels. Applied once or twice a day, these can be effective. In more severe cases, antibiotics are prescribed. Rosacea is not an infection (it cannot be spread to others). The antibiotic’s anti-inflammatory properties are used to treat the flare-ups. Laser treatments have also been used as an effective treatment of the symptoms.

The cause of rosacea is unknown. Consequently, the cure for rosacea is unknown as well. It is important for a rosacea sufferer to know as much as possible about the disorder in order to use all of the tools available in handling this disorder. For more information, go to http://www.squidoo.com/rosacea-awareness

If you have seen a physician or a dermatologist and have been using their treatments without much success, I would recommend that you visit http://www.rosacea-cure.com to learn more about a treatment plan that is natural and attacks the cause of rosacea and not just the symptoms.