Papulopustular rosacea is a chronic and recurrent inflammatory skin disorder that affects nearly 5 million Americans. The condition is common, especially in fair-skinned people of Celtic and northern European heritage.

Onset is usually after age 30 and typically begins as flushing and subtle redness on the cheeks, nose, chin or forehead. If left untreated, rosacea can slowly worsen over time. As the condition progresses the redness becomes more persistent, blood vessels become visible and pimples often appear. Other symptoms may include burning, stinging, dry skin, plaques and skin thickening.

There are four subtypes of Rosacea:

• Erythematotelangiectatic: Persistent facial redness, visible blood vessels.
• Papulopustular: Facial redness accompanied by pimples and bumps.
• Phymatous: Thickening of facial skin and swelling of the nose.
• Ocular: Conditions such as dry eye, stinging, tearing, styes, and bloodshot eyes. A rosacea patient may experience symptoms of several subtypes at the same time.

Apart from physical symptoms, rosacea patients may suffer from low self-esteem, low self-confidence, frustration and embarrassment as a result of their appearance and swollen eyelids.

The cause of rosacea is not known, but there are plenty of factors that can trigger the disease, such as sun exposure, stress, hot/cold weather, wind, heavy exercise, alcohol, spicy foods and many others.