Clarence Halpny's wife Marilyn suspects that he had rosacea most of his adult life because his nose was almost continually red and swollen with excess tissue, a hallmark of subtype 3 (phymatous) rosacea, when the two first met while he was in his early 60s. Although they were soon married, it wasn't until Clarence began experiencing frequent outbreaks of pimples that she convinced him to seek diagnosis and treatment.

Teresa Davisson, like many rosacea patients, never even considered the possibility that she might have rosacea when she experienced her first flare-up as she approached her fortieth birthday.

"I thought it was just an allergic reaction to the lotion I was using, so I switched to another lotion, and my skin cleared up," said the 51-year-old medical biller from Indiana. "Unfortunately, six months later the pimples were back, and I had a blush that wouldn't fade."

Rosacea has a formidable opponent in Beverly Kuykendall. The 53-year-old computer assistant from Texas was diagnosed with the disorder more than 20 years ago, but she has never let her guard down in the battle against rosacea's signs and symptoms. She arms herself with as much knowledge about the condition as possible, so much that friends refer to her as a "cornucopia of information."

Theresa Pignotti jokes that she was born in a dermatologist's office and saw her dermatologist more often than her own father while growing up. Although she had impetigo as a newborn and acne as an adolescent, she was still taken aback by her first rosacea flare-up. In fact, the 54-year-old respiratory therapist from Rhode Island vividly recalls that very day in 2000.

"I thought I would treat myself to a facial for my birthday," Theresa said, "but it just made my face go crazy. I looked like I was sunburned, and I had pimples and pustules all over."

The signs and symptoms of rosacea can vary greatly from one patient to another, and sometimes the symptoms can be so unexpected that diagnosis is delayed. Such was the case for Terri Flynn, a 63-year-old part-time receptionist from Texas. Lacking the telltale facial signs of rosacea, Terri suffered through years of red, watery eyes before she finally learned she had rosacea.

"About 10 years ago, I started getting styes. I wore contacts, and my physician blamed it on that," Terri said. However, her doctor said he didn't normally treat styes.

J. Peter Brinker Uys is eager to talk of his success managing his rosacea, but he quickly acknowledges his doctor's role in the story. The 56-year-old investment portfolio manager from Atlanta credits his dermatologist with helping him to find the right combination of products to keep his condition under control.

"I have seen dermatologists since I was 13 and had a severe case of acne," he explained. "When I was about 40, I was diagnosed with rosacea, and over time the acne became less prominent and the rosacea more prominent."

Despite her background as a registered nurse, Judy Heimann was stumped when her first signs of rosacea appeared about 12 years ago.

"I had redness and stinging, but I also had small fluid-filled sacs hanging from my cheeks," said Judy, who is now in her mid-50s and works in the insurance industry in New York. "I thought I had herpes zoster or some contagious disease."

Andrea considered herself somewhat fortunate when she was diagnosed with rosacea about 15 years ago because her doctor worked closely with her to find just the right combination of medications and skin care products for her sensitive skin. The 46-year-old Russian translator from Maryland often stood in front of large crowds when she performed simultaneous interpretations, and she was grateful that she was able to keep her condition under control with oral and topical therapy.

For years, Heidi Nunnally was treated for what her doctor said was acne, but her skin never seemed to get better.

"I felt like a leper. I was embarrassed to go out in public," said the 44-year-old legal secretary. It was only after she was correctly diagnosed with rosacea seven years ago that she finally was able to regain a clear complexion and her self-confidence.

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.