DIAGNOSING ROSACEA ON DARK SKIN

In the past, it was thought that Rosacea did not exist in dark skin tones which, unfortunately, led to lack of research and available information the way skin of color represents Rosacea.  Thankfully dermatologists and other medical professionals are becoming more and more aware and educated on the signs of Rosacea in skin of color and therefore how to treat it.  According to the Black Skin Directory, symptoms appear as such:

• Your face feels warm all the time

• Your face appears flushed all the time

• Burning and/or stinging in the face or a warm sensation

• You have unidentified discoloration of the face

• You have dry patches of skin that appear swollen

• Acne type spots and breakouts that don’t clear up with treatment

• The skin on your forehead, nose, cheeks and chin is rough, swollen, thickened and malformed.

• Yellow or brown hardened bumps around your mouth and/or eyes

• Your skin is sensitized to your skincare products -burning or stinging when you apply

• Depending on your skin complexion you may be able to see dilated blood vessels

• Feeling as if there is something in your eyes, a gritty feeling or sensitivity to sunlight

• Noticing that there are triggers for warm sensation, redness, bumps in the skin (e.g. sunlight, spicy food, stress, alcohol)

There is no cure for Rosacea at this time; however, there are ways to manage it. First, the most important piece is to strengthen and fortify the skin barrier so that it develops some kind of resilience.  Use gentle skincare made for sensitive skin and look for ingredients such as ceramides, cholesterol, gluconolactone, lactobionic acid and maltobionic acid.  Lactobionic acid, for example, is a derivative of lactic acid (a chemical exfoliant) but less irritable.  Laser treatments and chemical peels can also be helpful as well in strengthening the skin barrier and reducing dilated blood vessels. Because rosacea is a poorly understood condition in black skin, it is important to remain consistent and persistent in your requests for medical attention and make the time and financial investment.