Acne Rosacea:
Misleading Terminology Continues to Confuse Rosaceans

Topics Discussed Below

• Misconception: Rosacea is caused by sebaceous gland abnormalities - thus the term Acne Rosacea
  
• Main problem with this misconception
  
• References

I. Misconception: Rosacea is caused by Abnormalities in Sebaceous Glands and Skin Micro-Organisms -- thus Leading to the Erroneous Term 'Acne Rosacea

This is a common misconception. General physicians often ‘see’ superficial symptoms such as facial papules and pustules, and automatically assume that rosacea is a disorder of facial microorganisms and/or sebaceous glands (e.g. Acne Rosacea). This assumption is incorrect. In the average rosacea sufferer, facial microorganisms and sebaceous glands are completely normal.

Rosacea specialists have performed in-depth studies on both facial bacteria and mites, and have conclusively demonstrated that these microorganisms do not play a significant role in the development or progression of rosacea. (1-15) For specific details on these studies, I refer the reader to the sections, “Facial Bacteria”, and, “Facial Demodex Mites”, in Chapter 5 .

Rosacea experts have also performed exhaustive studies on facial sebaceous glands and hair follicles (pores), and have concluded that neither of these play a significant role in the development or progression of rosacea in the average sufferer. (1, 3, 11, 19, 16-24) For more details on these studies, I refer the reader to the above reference, “Sebaceous Gland, Skin Lipid and Hair Follicle Disorders”.

II. Main Problem with this Misconception

General physicians who believe that rosacea is primarily a skin disease often treat their rosacea patients with harsh topical medications designed to clear bacteria, sebaceous glands, and pores. These physicians do not realize that these treatments are generally too harsh for rosacea skin, and may worsen the underlying vascular disease. These physicians must understand that rosacea is first and foremost a disorder of the facial blood vessels -- rosacea is not a skin disorder of facial microorganisms or sebaceous glands.