The Skin Problem You Won't Have This Summer

Red alert! The flush and bumps on your face could be signs of a sneaky complexion condition. Learn how to keep it under control for good.

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During my 20s, I saved a lot of money onmakeup: I never needed blush, because I had a perma-rosy flush. But a few weeks after I turned 30, I noticed a squiggle on my left cheek that looked like a red pen mark yet turned out, upon closer inspection, to be a capillary. Soon, more joined it. I visited a dermatologist. That flushing wasn't a gift from nature; it wasrosacea.

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An estimated 16 million Americans have this condition, though they may not know it. "Rosacea is one of the most undiagnosed medical disorders—people mistake it for acne, eczema or sensitive skin," notes Whitney Bowe, MD, clinical assistant professor of dermatology at the Icahn school of medicine at mount Sinai in New York City. It typically starts in your 30s, is more common among women and is peskiest now; in a poll of 852 rosacea patients by the national Rosacea society, 58 percent said their symptoms are at their worst during the summer. Here's the scoop on those flare-ups.

What rosacea looks like

Redness that won't go away
It usually appears on your cheeks, nose, chin and forehead. Sometimes rosy patches also show up on the neck, chest, scalp and ears.

Visible blood vessels
They tend to crop up on the cheeks, chin and nose.

Dry skin
"One of the main issues with rosacea is a breakdown in skin barrier function," Dr. Bowe says. "Skin may no longer be able to trap moisture, leading todryness and itchiness."

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Bumps
Along with redness, pus-filled pimples and little red bumps are an issue for folks with papulopustular rosacea—the second most common kind. "With acne, breakouts occur on the jaw and hairline, but rosacea occurs in the middle third of the face," says Anne Chapas, MD, a dermatological surgeon in New York City. Plus, there are usually no accompanying blackheads or whiteheads.

Why you're caught red-faced
Light-skinned ladies, like me, of Eastern or Northern European descent are most at risk of rosacea. There's also a genetic link, concludes a new study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.

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Sufferers tend to have blood vessels that dilate easily, increasing the rush of blood to the skin's surface—particularly when spicy foods, red wine, exercise,stress, warm temperatures and sun are involved. The one-two whammy: You're more prone to rosacea if you blush easily—and having the condition can make you even redder.

Not only can sun exposure trigger redness, but sunburns from your teens and early 20s (before you knew better, of course) can haunt you, making capillaries rear their heads. "Over time, sun damage breaks down healthy tissue that acts as a barrier between your blood vessels and the surface of the skin, and they become more visible," Dr. Bowe says.

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Scientists have pinpointed one icky culprit for papulopustular rosacea: Demodex, a microscopic mite that lives on all our faces but can be found in 10 times greater number on those with rosacea. "When they die, they release bacteria, leading to skin inflammation and pustules," says Kevin Kavanagh, PhD, a microbiologist at Maynooth university in Ireland, who researches Demodex. The little buggers proliferate on weathered skin, according to a review of studies published in the Journal of Medical Microbiology—thanks again, sun!

Next Page: Your best treatment plan

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Ellen Seidman

Last Updated: July 02, 2015