Rosacea is a skin condition that is unsightly, and at times rather uncomfortable. It was quite bothersome. It is not fatal and there is no known cure.
The symtoms include redness, inflamation on certain parts of face or the whole face. Cheeks, nose, forehead, eyelids most usually affected. There's face flushing, blushing. There can be spider veins. Med term telangiectasia. It's a vascularity. Vascularity refers to blood vessels.
It is not uncommon to present with a reddish bulbous nose. Some dermatologist think the grandfather in the painting "Portrait of an Old Man and a Boy" by Italian Renaissance painter Domenico Ghirlandeo is suffering from Rosacea. The reason for their belief is his nose strongly resembles s omeone with this skin disease. There are many unsightly bumps.
There may be pimples that ooze and or crust too. What could be most bothersome in terms of discomfort are the stinging sensation in the face irritated, bloodshot, watery eyes. People most likely to get Rosacea are fair skinned, women and middle aged and blushes as easily as slipping on ice. For the record, men can get Rosacea too.
There are ways of protecting yourself from this condition. One of the most important things to do is to not stay in the sun too long. Too long depends on how sensitive one is to solar rays. When going outside, wear sun screen of at least 15 SPF. Do your best to reduce stress. Doing Yoga exercises, meditation, relaxation techniques may help.
In early January, 2003 Berlex Labs, US affilate of pharmeceutical company Shering AG, Germany made the announcment the US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved Finacea (azelaic acid ). Specifically the prescription drug topically treats the inflamed papules and postules of mild to moderate rosacea.
The medication was given the green light from the FDA because a two multi-center, randomized, double blind phase three clinical studies with 664 patients proved Finacea was definitely more efficient than placebo.
Randomized means the people were chosen at random. Double blind means neither the testers or the ones tested knows whose getting the real pill and whose receiving the placebo. (sugar pill) This is done so the testing can not be influenced by biases.
Improvements in skin symptoms were seen as early as four weeks. Continued improvement was seen weekly in two 12-week studies. These findings were written in the New Drug Application (NDA) It was filed with the FDA March 2002. Both protocols were exactly the same.
Finacea contains azelaic acid, a natural saturated dicarboxylic acid. Dicarboxylic acid means two carbons combined with oxygen. Azelaic acid is a white, odorless crystalline solid poorly soluble in water, but very soluble in alcohol. The composition of Finacea means improved drug penetration compared with cream formulation. Although the exact mechanism of Finacea is not fully understood, clinical studies show it interferes with the skin manifestations in rosacea. An anti-inflammatory effect was found in vitro. In vitro means in a glass tube.
Thirteen million American adults between the ages of 30 and 50 suffer from Rosacea. However, doctors estimate this number may be higher. In many cases, people who suffer from rosacea are unaware of having Rosacea.
Finacea can't be used by individuals with a history of hypersensitivity to propylene glycol or any other component of the formulation. The most frequently reported side effects pertaining to Finacea includes burning/tingling, and itching. These occurred in more than 10 percent of patients. Events occurring in 1 to 10 percent of patients included dry skin and rash. The majority of adverse events were mild in severity.
