Rosacea - You Might Not Be Aware of This Skin Disease!

There are rare chances that you know about the skin disorder, rosacea. Unlike other popular diseases like eczema, acne, dermatitis, etc. this might not be so popular. But that doesn’t affect its transmission. Yes, you might be suffering from rosacea. Read on to know more about it.

While this may sound bit different to you that you are infected with a skin disease and you don’t know it. But yes, there are greater chances for the same. Do you know that around 14 million people have rosacea and 78% of them are unaware of it? Hence, you can be one among them. Thus, it is important for you to learn a little about this skin disorder.

What is rosacea?

It is a chronic, inflammatory skin condition which is generally related to acne. It majorly affects the face with symptoms such as those small, red, pus-filled pustules (bumps) or facial redness. This is the major reason, why it is mistaken for acne, sunburn, eczema, windburn, chapped skin, etc. If not treated on time, the problem worsens.  

Although both men and women are affected by it, yet more number of women are found infested as compared to men.

What are the symptoms of rosacea?

There are number of signs and symptoms associated with rosacea. But they greatly vary from person to person. Examine your face closely in a mirror and check for them:

• Redness on your face, including your cheeks, chin, nose, and forehead
• Watery and itchy eyes
• Dry and red eyes
• Tiny blood vessels appear around the nose
• Blemishes

Well, if you see any of the mentioned symptoms, you can be suspected of rosacea. And it can spread to your ears, neck and head too. Make sure you keep it under control to avoid further complication.

What are the major myths about rosacea?

There are number of myths associated with this skin infestation. Some of them are listed below:

Myth #1: The diet you consume can cause rosacea

A number of people believe that sweets, fried and junk food are the major cause of rosacea in humans. But the fact is far away. The studies show that the diet has no direct effect. Hence, you can now have your favorite chocolate, french fries, peanuts, etc. as per you need. Though excess of such food stuff is not good for your health, yet it doesn’t cause rosacea.   

Myth #2: It is acne in teenage and turns to rosacea in adulthood

This is just half the thing! Will you believe that in some regions of the world it is also called as adult acne? However, there is no direct link found between rosacea and teenage acne. Basically, it is a condition of the vascular system. While teenage acne is acknowledged by skin pores and bacterial conditions, on the other hand in case of rosacea, the blood rushes to the face.

Myth #3: Too much alcohol intake causes rosacea

The main reason behind this myth is that alcohol affects the flow of blood. But there are no evidences yet. Hence, having rosacea never mean that the person is an alcoholic or heavy drinking (daily basis), will not cause rosacea. However, being a vascular condition, drinking alcohol can cause flare-ups in the rosacea sufferer. It can somehow complicate the condition. Thus, it is advisable to avoid alcohol.

Myth #4: Rosacea is contagious

There are number of skin disorders like scabies, which are highly contagious. They easily spread from human to human. But this is not the case with rosacea. No matter how severe the problem is, it will not transmit from one individual to the other. Moreover, some people believe that rosacea occur due to presence of dirt or germs on the skin, which is not true. As stated it is just a vascular condition and there is no such thing than it will transfer through any mode.

Therefore, next time red rashes appear on the nose, cheeks, chin or on your forehead, don’t take it lightly. It can be rosacea. Along this, you will also find redness growing accompanied with these symptoms like pimples, bumps and blemishes. Considering it as acne can be a big mistake. Be careful next time!

What is difference between Norwegian Scabies and Scabies?

No! Scabies and Norwegian Scabies are entirely different from each other. In general, Norwegian scabies is a more critical type of scabies. But, they differ in all the aspects. Let’s learn more about scabies and Norwegian scabies.

Scabies v/s Norwegian Scabies – General Information

Scabies is a human skin infestation caused by the microscopic mite Sarcoptes scabiei. It is caused by infection with the female mite Sarcoptes scabiei. The female mites burrow into the skin to live for a few days and lay eggs. The eggs grow into the mites again and the entire cycle is repeated. The allergic reaction to these mites causes the symptoms of scabies. Only ten to fifteen mites are involved in an initial infection.

Norwegian scabies, also known as Crusted scabies, is a more severe form of scabies. People with low immune system are vulnerable to crusted scabies. Crusted scabies are highly contagious because of the large number of mites present under the skin.

Scabies v/s Norwegian Scabies – Who gets them?

Anybody can contract scabies. Since, it is highly contagious, even a normal handshake with an affectant can cause scabies in you. If you are in an area which is infected by scabies, you can get scabies. Crowded areas are more susceptible to causing scabies.

Scabies is transmitted through direct contacts like sitting near the patient, having sexual contact with an infected partner, and sometimes handshakes too.

Crusted scabies are even more contagious than regular scabies, the presence of thousands of mites being the prime reason. A patient with crusted scabies develops crusts that scrap off easily. If those scraps contain live mites and you come in contact with them, you’re likely to get scabies.

Other than the direct transmission just like with the regular scabies, indirect transmission is also possible in crusted scabies. If you use the infected properties of the patient like towels, linens, napkins, etc., there are chances that you too contract scabies soon.

Scabies v/s Norwegian Scabies – Symptoms

It takes time to develop signs and symptoms, after the mite burrows into the skin. A common symptom of scabies is severe itching during night. The itch can be so powerful that it keeps a person awake all night. Itching is followed by the rashes, generally due to the scratching of skin on itching. This rash causes little bumps that can look like hives, tiny bites, or pimples. Also, some people develop scaly patches that look like eczema. These rashes further can turn into soars that are highly infectious.

The symptoms of scabies usually occur on the moist skin areas like armpits, between the fingers, genitals, and back.

In case of Crusted scabies, thick crusts develop on the skin.  These crusts seem to be thick, crush easily when touched, and look grayish in color. These crusts offer home to 100s to 1,000s of mites and their eggs. The rash and itch become severe due to numerous mites burrowing in the skin.

The common body areas where crust occurs include blisters on the hands, feet, scalp, torso, and pressure-bearing areas such as the elbows.

Scabies v/s Norwegian Scabies – Treatment and Cure

If scabies is diagnosed on time, it is easy to cure it! To treat scabies, doctors recommend topical solutions like Permithrin, Dr. Scabies, to be applied all over the body two to three times a day.  However, the use of Permithrin has greatly reduced today as the mites can easily resist it, still doctors sometime recommend it for mild cases of scabies. Other than these topical cases, natural remedies like aloevera gel, tea oil, edible oil and neem oil can also be applied over the skin to get instant relief from itching and killing the mites.

In case of Crusted scabies, applying topical creams are not completely sufficient to get rid of myriads of mites under the skin. Earlier, a topical agent Lindane was most commonly preferred for treatment of crusted scabies in Western nations. But, due to the potential neurotoxicity in Lindane, it has now been banned in Australia and much of Europe. As such, oral medication of Ivermectin is also prescribed by the doctors, along with the topical creams to treat the patient of crusted scabies.

A similarity between scabies and Crusted Scabies

Besides all these contradictions, both of these infestations have one thing in common – Contact with the affectant and its belongings should be avoided strictly. In addition to this, the entire household things including clothes, furniture, linens, curtains, mattresses, etc. should either be washed and/or vacuumed twice a week to avoid further infestation.