Types of Rosacea Explained
Rosacea can be classified into four main subtypes, however there is a lot of overlap and you can suffer form more than one subtype at the same time. Nevertheless, ientifying your primary subtype can help in tailoring the most effective treatment plan.
How do I know which subtype I have?
The subtypes are identified by their primary symptoms.
- Erythematotelangiectatic Rosacea: Characterised by persistent facial redness, flushing, and visible tiny blood vessels.
- Papulopustular Rosacea: Involves red bumps (papules) and pus-filled spots (pustules), often mistaken for acne.
- Phymatous Rosacea: A less common subtype causing skin to thicken and enlarge, most commonly on the nose (rhinophyma) and/or the cheeks.
- Ocular Rosacea: Affects the eyes, causing redness, dryness, burning, stinging, and swollen eyelids. For more on this, see Blepharitis, Styes and Ocular Rosacea.
Does the type change which treatments work?
Yes, absolutely. Treatment is targeted to the specific symptoms of your subtype. For erythrotelangiectactic rosacea, lasers like VBeam or IPL are effective for redness and vessels. For papulopustular rosacea topical treatments (like ivermectin or azelaic acid) and oral antibiotics are the mainstay. Phymatous changes may require procedural intervention like laser resurfacing or surgery, while ocular rosacea is managed with eyelid hygiene, artificial tears, and sometimes oral antibiotics.
Related articles
- Do I Really Have Rosacea?
- Prescription Creams for Rosacea
- IPL vs VBeam (PDL) for Redness and Veins
- Blepharitis, Styes and Ocular Rosacea
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