Rosacea Health Video

Video Transcript

DR. LORETTA CIRALDO: Hi, I'm Dr. Loretta Ciraldo, a board-certified dermatologist and author of "6 Weeks to Sensational Skin." When we talk about rosacea, rosacea is actually a form of acne. So we, dermatologists, call it acne rosacea. And basically, this has three different components to it. One, our acne lesions or pimples that occur in the central third of our face; the second component to rosacea is a redness that almost looks like a flush that can happen all over our face, and it's especially worsened by sunlight; and the third component of rosacea, which is a little bit less common, is a bulbous dilatation or swelling of the nose, a little bit like what W.C. Fields had, which is called "rhinophyma." Now, many people who have rosacea have only one or two of the three components. And as far as how to prevent rosacea, there are very, very good approaches including the use of sunscreen, taking dietary precautions like avoiding red wine and alcohol and other things that might make you red. Niacin is a B vitamin which can make you red, so you may want to check your multivitamins. So there is good prevention for rosacea, and secondly what everyone needs to know is that there is a very good therapy for rosacea. The FDA recently approved a pill called Oracea which is a very low-dose form of tetracycline that can be taken just once a day. It's believed to be very safe and highly effective for rosacea. Plus if you have rosacea, use your sunscreen.