Rosacea and dermatitis are similar because they are both inflammatory skin disease. The symptoms are almost the same. In fact, facial dermatitis resembles rosacea. The difference of these two skin diseases is that rosacea involves facial inflammation while dermatitis causes inflammation of the skin anywhere in the body. In rosacea, the blood vessels near the skin’s surface which leads to the appearance of small red lines. There is a possibility for these two skin diseases to affect a person at the same time. They must be treated separately because they are not related.
Here are the common symptoms of rosacea:
• Red skin
• Noticeable veins
• Burning and stinging sensation
• Big red nose
• Pimple-like bumps on the face
People with advanced stage of rosacea may experience grittiness, itchiness, burning and sensitivity to the light in the eyes. To this day the cause of the disease remains unknown but experts are looking at environmental factors and heredity as possible cause. When flare ups occur, it could be because of stress, spicy foods, alcohol, certain medications and direct sunlight.
There are different kinds of dermatitis affecting people and the cause could also be environmental factors and heredity. The most common type of dermatitis is contact dermatitis which as the name suggests can be cause by getting in contact with allergens. Allergens include poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac. Some plants, soaps, metals, chlorine and other substances can also cause dermatitis. Manifestations of dermatitis include pain, itching, blisters or bumps, swelling and tenderness of the skin.
Seborrheic dermatitis is another kind which involves inflammation of the oil glands. This affects the forehead, inside the ear, scalp, around the nose and the eyebrows. The disease is called cradle cap when it affects an infant’s scalp.
Seborrheic dermatitis symptoms include:
- Oily and yellow patches on the skin
- Flaky dandruff
- Scaly patches
- Burning and itching sensation
Until now the real cause of the disease is not yet known and just like the other skin diseases, experts are looking into the possibility that genes and environmental factors are possible causes. Stress, hormonal fluctuations and extreme weather temperature can cause flare ups.
The medical professional authorized to treat dermatitis and rosacea is the dermatologist. There may be no cure for these two skin diseases but they can be managed through the use of medications. It will help if the patients can avoid being exposed to triggers.