Rosacea and related diseases

Abstract

Key Features: Rosacea is a chronic inflammatory condition of the central face. Its etiology is unknown. There are four acknowledged general stages of rosacea and respectively four clinical subtypes (erythematotelangiectatic, papulopustular, phy-matous and ocular, with granulomatous rosacea being a variant form). In rare cases, extrafacial rosacea may occur. Rosacea should be treated at its earliest manifestations to mitigate progression to the stages of edema and irreversible fibrosis. Currently, established therapies are vascular laser/IPL treatment or low-dose isotretinoin in erythematotelangiectatic; topical metronidazol, sodium sulfacetamide-sulfur, azelaic acid or systemic tetracyclines in papulopustular and granulomatous; oral isotretinoin and surgical correction in phymatous; and topical treatment in ocular subtype of rosacea. Rosacea is an enigmatic disease with multiple exacerbations and remissions, and treatment is directed toward symptomatic control rather than cure. © 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.