Our Mission

The International Rosacea Foundation is a non-profit organization whose primary mission is to make available easy readable rosacea symptom and the best rosacea treatment information on one web site. This information has been chosen from medical books, medical journal articles, and on the web and with available credits to those rosacea writers. Information provided by the International Rosacea Foundation about products and the best rosacea treatments, medical conditions, and symptoms, has been obtained from the manufacturer's prescription product information inserts and from their web sites sponsoring these products. Rosacea conditions and treatments may vary from one patient to another, and treatment must be tailored for each individual case. Therefore, we do not answer individual questions about your skin condition. The secondary mission is to provide research for the best rosacea treatments for rosacea sufferers.

International Rosacea Foundation Projection & Overview

The International Rosacea Foundation provides the most informed and accurate rosacea treatment information that is easy to read and concise with the rosacea treatment information from manufacturer's prescription medication labels, the latest rosacea research studies and from the newest Rosacea Teratology textbooks. Some feel that the the many skin conditions with similar symptoms such as acne, seborrheic dermatitis, eczema, or lupus can make the diagnosis difficult. The primary problem is that medications used in the treatment of acne can be too harsh or aggressive leading to the onset of rosacea or acne rosacea. Aggressive acne treatments to reduce oiliness of the skin can result in the flaking associated with seborrheic dermatitis. The butterfly rash of lupus can lead to a mis-diagnosis of rosacea. Within this site you will learn the difference between rosacea, eczema, acne, lupus and psoriasis. Very often these skin conditions co-exist making successful rosacea treatment a very difficult endeavor. Within this web site, we offer skin care recommendations on healthy, basic ways in which you can change habits and in doing so, change the texture, redness and tone of your rosacea skin. Treating rosacea need not involve an endless round of laser treatments, oral or topical antibiotics or the worst of all, steroid use. It can be as simple as modifying your lifestyle to include positive rosacea health and skin care habits. Below you will find the traditional "What is Rosacea" that you have heard about for years, but below that is the new research of rosacea sufferers and medical scientist that will be most helpful to you entitled, "The Cause or Etiology of Rosacea".

The Cause or Etiology of Rosacea

It is easy to understand the cause or etiology of rosacea. While most dermatologist and many medical researchers are baffled, many rosacea sufferers have easily summarized their various "rosacea triggers" and now have learned the cause or etiology of their 'rosacea development' and can now more easily understand the cure or part of their 'new rosacea treatment plan'.

The cause, etiology or 'triggers' most often results from the intake of the acid foods and drinks and related stress that the rosacea sufferer has from the 'hyperness' of the acid consumption. Most rosacea sufferers have known many of their 'triggers' that cause the flushing and redness such as alcohol, coffee, exercise, stress, etc. that are all acidic in nature. The problem is "how to overcome" this obstacle as these foods and drinks have been a big part of their entire life. The intake of foods and drinks need to be more alkaline to 'offset' or neutralize or buffer the acids to return the body to a more alkaline condition. A secondary cause is the nature of not enough facial exercise so that the flow of arterial or red blood does not flow well enough through the facial area to evacuate the acidic blood containing more plaque or cholesterol that does not flow as smoothly as the more alkaline blood with a 7.42 pH.

Any one of the following warning signs can be a signal to seek help before the signs and symptoms become increasingly severe:

• Redness on the cheeks, nose, chin or forehead.
• Small visible blood vessels on the face.
• Bumps or pimples on the face.
• Watery or irritated eyes.

Therefore, the treatment of rosacea or any skin condition must involve treatment of the whole body. An excellent product for rosacea is Rosacea-Ltd III which has wonderful information and a product that provides great satisfaction for rosacea sufferers and can be purchased directly from the internet. Dermatologist continue to be baffled by this misunderstood skin disorder. Dr. Jonathan Wilkin, a prominent rosacea expert and former Chief of the FDA Division of Dermatologic and Dental Drug Products stated, "We know less about rosacea than any other skin disorder." Dermatologists are frustrated with this misunderstood disorder due to a lack of personal patient history of past rosacea medications and lifestyles as patients often migrated from one dermatologist to another in there desire to find a remedy for their rosacea papules, redness and seborrheic dermatitis.

Rosacea is aggravated by many factors, including sunlight, physical and mental stress, sinus and allergy conditions, hot liquids, spicy foods, extremes in temperature, alcohol (either topically applied or orally consumed) and stress (Drs. McKoewn, Wilkin, Wilkin, Wilkin). But it is important to note that what aggravates one person's rosacea may have no effect on another person's condition (Dr. Wilkin)

The following other conditions can have symptoms similar to rosacea: Acne, psoriasis, eczema atopic dermatitis and has caused some confusion to both dermatologist and patients.

What is Rosacea?

Most rosacea suffers have gained much knowledge and most often, most of the gained knowledge is erroneous thus they continue in a vicious cycle. Sadly most information available is about things that do not work and this results in years of frustration for the rosacea sufferer. So the rosacea sufferer continue seeking information and migrate from their past dermatologist to a new dermatologist for years in their seeking the best rosacea treatment. Knowledge of the symptoms is interesting to know as most all rosacea sufferers have most of the same symptoms. However, knowledge of symptoms does not solve the 'cause or etiology' of rosacea. In understanding the 'cause of rosacea' well, then the best rosacea treatment can be used.

The rosacea classic symptoms are patchy flushing (redness) and inflammation, particularly on the cheeks, nose, forehead, and around the mouth. Rosacea typically appears between the ages of 30 and 50 and affects more women than men. As the rosacea sufferer becomes older, acid accumulates with the body organs, bones, in the face and in the brain. We all have known for years that the largest blood supply is to the head with the brain, and thus the face always having a larger blood supply. As symptoms emerge slowly, rosacea may initially be mistaken for sunburn, leading to a delay in best rosacea treatment. Rosacea treatment delayed is 'rosacea treatment denied'.

Rosacea is 'not' a hereditary condition as many medical doctors believe as hereditary denotes a genetic condition that is inherited. Yes, rosacea is a chronic (long term) skin disorder that most often affects the nose, cheeks, and forehead, but you will hopefully have noticed that these areas have the largest arteries and veins blood supply. And thus have the larger accumulations of acids over the years. If it were an inherited skin disorder, rosacea would start from a very early age of two weeks or several years after birth when most other inherited genetic disorders are noticed. Rosacea sufferers accumulate rosacea symptoms from foods, drinks, sun exposure, poor skin products and very believably poor medical treatment that causes the condition to be long term and thus a migration from one dermatologist to another and from one or two rosacea medications to several other rosacea medications.

Although it may first appear as early as the teen years, rosacea symptoms most frequently begin s when rosacea sufferers enter their 30s, 40s or 50s as a flushing or transient redness on the cheeks or nose, and in some cases the chin or forehead. In this earliest stage, some patients may report stinging or burning sensations, including the feeling of dry or tight skin.

"While the incidence of rosacea appears to be rising sharply as more people enter the most susceptible age, many mistakenly think it's just a complexion problem that will go away by itself -- it usually keeps growing worse if left unchecked," said Dr. Joseph Bikowski, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at the University of Pittsburgh. "Of greatest concern is that only a small percentage of rosacea sufferers realize that medical help is available from dermatologists to halt its progression and reverse its symptoms."

As the condition progresses, flushing becomes more persistent and noticeable. Small, red, solid bumps (called papules) and pus-filled pimples (called pustules) may appear on the skin. Because these appear similar to acne, it is sometimes called acne rosacea or adult acne. However, unlike acne, there are no blackheads. Though rosacea is sometimes referred to as "adult acne," it is a distinctly different and often more serious condition than acne vulgaris, which most commonly occurs during adolescence. While both conditions can cause pimples, rosacea requires different therapy -- acne treatments can actually make it worse -- and rosacea rarely goes away by itself.

What is Ocular Rosacea

Up to 85% of rosacea patients may experience symptoms related to their eyes. Ocular rosacea, as it is called, frequently precedes the other manifestations on the skin. Most of these ocular symptoms do not threaten sight,unless the ocular treatment of a 1/3 steroid and 2/'3 antibiotic is used.