The annual appointment with the international month of rosacea returns in April, a chronic skin disease that affects around 415 million people worldwide and over 3 million in Italy, or 7-8% of the country’s adult population. It presents with more or less persistent redness of the skin, together with other clinical manifestations clearly visible on the face, such as slight swelling, papules / pustules. For this, the disease is a concern not only clinically but also aesthetically, causing, consequently, feelings of anxiety and embarrassment in those who suffer from it. The emotional load associated with the onset of rosacea and its most evident symptoms also brings negative implications on the social life of the affected people, up to the point of undermining their self-confidence.
In fact – according to data from an online survey recently conducted by Galderma among people with rosacea in different countries – up to 69% of respondents reported a negative impact on their mental health and psychophysical well-being due to the stigma associated with the diseasebut, despite this, only one in five has addressed the matter with their doctor or dermatologist. In addition, almost half (48%) felt diminished by their peers, because the disease is considered by them to be a simple flush of emotion or shame and not a serious skin condition. Especially in the early stages, in fact, symptoms such as tingling and burning of the face are traced back to situations of emotional stress and therefore underestimated during a medical consultation, so much so that about 63% of survey participants reported having come across an incorrect diagnosis. .
“Like many other skin and face pathologies, rosacea causes embarrassment and discomfort, due to the clinical manifestations that affect the person’s image”, he declares Giuseppe Micali, Director of the section of Dermatology and Venereology, Department of Medical-Surgical Specialties of the University of Catania. “It is essential that the person with rosacea – he continues – not only explains his symptoms in detail to the referring doctor, but also that he talks about the psychological discomfort deriving from the disease. Attention to the patient’s psychophysical well-being, in fact, is part of the process of identifying a personalized therapeutic path, and consequently, more effective“.
On the occasion of the international month of rosacea – a note reports – a directory was launched on the Larosacea.it site, accessible to all users to facilitate the request for a medical consultation in case of symptoms, even mild ones.
Galderma has also made available an online space completely dedicated to the disease, Rosaceaspace, to provide information within everyone’s reach and to create a community to break down the stigma of the disease. In this space, it will be possible to see and hear the experiences of those with rosacea around the world. Everyone will be able to tell their relationship with rosacea and see their contribution published, according to their sensitivity, with photographs, selfies and videos, but also poems, letters and music: anything that for the user is linked to their experience with the rosacea.
Causes of Rosacea – remember the note again – are still debated, but several triggers are known, including consumption of spicy foods or alcoholic beverages, emotional stress, sun exposure, hot baths. On the skin of people with rosacea, mites of the genus Demodex, generally harmless, can also be detected in high quantities. Rosacea can worsen if left untreated, and people who suspect they have it should see their dermatologist for early diagnosis and to discuss treatment, the note concludes.