If you have rosacea on your face, you know how painful this can be. It also may affect the way you think about yourself due to the redness, dilated blood vessels, and swelling. Fortunately, there are treatment options available from a dermatologist to help you with this, two of which are listed below.
Topical Medication
A dermatologist may first prescribe a topical medication, which generally comes in gel or cream, that you rub on your face once or twice a day. A common type is known as brimonidine. You do need to be careful that you do not get the ointment close to your nostrils, mouth, lips, and eyes. You will place a small amount of gel or cream on each cheek, on your forehead, and on your chin.
When you first start taking the topical medication the doctor may start you out with a smaller amount to give your skin time to adjust to it. They then move you up to the maximum amount slowly. Once your skin absorbs the gel and becomes dry, cosmetics and other creams may be used on your skin. How long it takes for the gel or cream to work depends on the severity of your rosacea. The doctor may give you a separate pimple cream to use if you have severe pimples on your face due to the rosacea. If any of the sores are infected the doctor will prescribe an antibiotic.
Laser Treatment
If topical medication does not work or your rosacea is more extensive, the dermatologist may choose laser treatment. A special laser is used that emits pulses of lights on the damaged skin areas. The light uses heat to collapse the blood vessels so they are not visible. You should check with your insurance company as they may not cover laser treatment.
This can be a little painful so the dermatologist can put cooling gel on your skin to help with this. Some side effects you may have with laser treatment include swelling, blisters, redness, and scabs. These are only temporary, and you should start seeing results in a few days. You may have to have the laser treatment done more than one time depending on the severity of your rosacea. The dermatologist can give you more information about this.
Your dermatologist can give you much more information about using topical and laser treatments. There are also other treatment options available they will go over with you.
For more info, visit a site like https://eastcarolinadermatology.com.
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