Rosacea
Rosacea is a condition where there is chronic inflammation of the skin of the cheeks, around the mouth and the nose, though sometimes the whole face can be affected. Besides the chronic inflammation there can be flushing attacks associated with burning pain, often brought on by specific foods, by alcohol, or by anxiety - particularly the anxiety that you might have a flushing attack. Sufferers are often thought (usually wrongly) to be abusers of alcohol, particularly if there is the development of a complication called rhinophyma, which is thickening of the subcutaneous tissues of the nose, making it large, bulbous and red. The cause of rosacea is unknown but the condition is familial. Occasionally there may be the development of pustules, and it may respond to treatment with topical antibiotics, suggesting that there is an infective element. Rhinophyma requires treatment if it is causing social embarrassment: laser surgery may be effective.
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