Rosacea Review - Newsletter of the National Rosacea SocietyQ. Although I have rosacea, the symptoms only appear in the winter, not during the summer. Is it possible to have "winter rosacea"?
A. While many rosacea patients are affected by environmental factors that change with the seasons, what affects one person may not affect another. It may be that you are particularly sensitive to wind or frigid weather and these winter elements aggravate your rosacea.
Although rosacea rarely appears in children, its potential occurrence should be considered during medical examinations because of the possible severity of ocular (eye) involvement, according to a report in the Archives of Dermatology.1
Robert Angsten, an Arizona retiree, had symptoms of rosacea for about six years when his wife first noticed some redness in the area of his cheekbones. A dermatologist diagnosed the condition as rosacea. Typical of older men, however, he was unconcerned about his complexion and viewed the rosacea as little more than a nuisance until it began to affect his vision.
Special care may be needed for rosacea patients with severe forms of ocular rosacea, according to Dr. Sandra Cremers, instructor of ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School. As part of a National Rosacea Society (NRS) research grant, she recently developed a scoring system to identify severe cases of this rosacea subtype, which may affect half of all rosacea patients.
Most rosacea patients who exhibit signs and symptoms of ocular rosacea can still safely wear contact lenses, according to a recent article in Review of Ophthalmology by Dr. Mark Mannis, chairman of ophthalmology at the University of California-Davis.1 He emphasized that if eye doctors take steps to minimize inflammation of the eyelid and the eye itself and to stabilize the tear film prior to fitting the lenses, ocular rosacea patients should not suffer any discomfort or damage to the eye surface.
If you're bothered by irritation, burning or a gritty feeling and redness in your eyes, you're not alone. Winter can bring a host of special challenges for rosacea patients, and the effects of dry eye head the list for many.
"Millions of people suffer from dry eye, and it accounts for 17 percent of all ophthalmologic visits," said Dr. Marian Macsai, chairman of ophthalmology at Northwestern University. "We definitely see more of it during the winter months because of the dryness of the environment, and it often accompanies rosacea."
In a study funded by a grant from the National Rosacea Society (NRS), researchers may have uncovered clues that may lead to a diagnostic marker for subtype 4 (ocular) rosacea, a chronic condition that may have severe consequences if left untreated -- including reduced vision. In publishing the final study results in the medical Journal of Proteome Research,1 the researchers noted that ocular rosacea often may be difficult to diagnose, especially in the absence of signs of rosacea on the skin.
The National Rosacea Society (NRS) has awarded funding for six new studies as part of its research grants program to advance scientific knowledge of potential causes and other key aspects of this chronic and often life-disruptive disorder that affects an estimated 14 million Americans.
Whether you live in the north woods of Wisconsin or the milder weather states of the South, the winter months can be especially challenging for people with rosacea. Various factors -- from wind and cold to sun exposure, indoor heat and low humidity -- all rank high on the list of common triggers for rosacea flare-ups.
