The deep dive
With diagnoses on the rise, we investigate why the skin condition is only now having its long-overdue moment on social media
B lush may be hot right now but when I was growing up, I spent all my pocket money on tubs of Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse trying to camouflage my naturally ruddy cheeks. I’ve always been frustrated by my skin flushing and it took me until I was in my late teens to officially get to the bottom of why: I had rosacea. Despite not knowing much about the condition, the relief I felt being able to understand a little more about my skin was unparalleled.
Acne advice was being preached everywhere I turned, yet it seemed rosacea was only spoken about in hushed tones at pricey dermatologists’ offices. Considering rosacea affects one in 20 people in the UK – with diagnoses only rising – the lack of information available is shocking. ‘Rosacea is a common chronic inflammatory disorder. I think of it as our skin’s overzealous defence mechanism in response to the environment,’ says dermatologist Sam Bunting. ‘And it’s something many people have a genetic susceptibility to.’
A survey conducted by the National Rosacea Society found that almost 90% of people with rosacea said the condition had lowered their self-confidence and selfesteem, with 41% reporting that it had caused them to avoid public contact or cancel social engagements. The conversation around self-esteem is still being regularly discussed with acne, but is only now being thought of with rosacea. Even the skinpositivity movement in all its glory appeared to leave those with rosacea off its radar for far too long, despite good intentions.
Bigger than blush
There’s no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to rosacea. In fact, there are now four different recognised versions of the condition. First up is type 1, also known as erythematotelangiectatic rosacea (talk about a tongue-twister), which ‘is characterised by a prolonged flush and is often the first sign of the condition’, says Dr Bunting. Type 2 is the most common, papulopustular rosacea. ‘This form gets mixed up with acne because you see red spots (papules) and white-headed spots (pustules), typically in the centre of the face, over the cheeks, nose and chin,’ explains Dr Bunting. Coming in at type 3 is phymatous rosacea. Most common in men, this involves a thickening of the skin, as well as the signature redness. Finally, type 4 is occour rosacea; ‘gritty, sore and red eyes are a common symptom in as many as 40% of patients and may be associated with skin changes, or may occur in isolation’, Dr Bunting tells me. I was diagnosed just shy of a decade ago and this type of classification for the condition was never mentioned, proving that rosacea is a lot more complex than we may have first imagine
