
Rosacea is a common skin condition affecting more than 415 million worldwide. Persistent blushing, visible blood vessels, and skin sensitivity are some of the common symptoms associated with it.
If you’re wondering if you’re saying it right, we’re here to help and guide you on how to pronounce rosacea. The word is pronounced as roe-ZAY-she-uh. It comes from the Latin word rosaceus.
How to pronounce the word and words related to it isn’t the only thing you should learn about rosacea. Learning about its basics, symptoms, risks, and triggers could help you manage your skin condition better.
Below, we’ll go over how to pronounce rosacea and the known history of the word. We’ll also go over everything you need to know about this skin condition including the symptoms, types, causes, risks, and triggers.
How To Pronounce Rosacea
The word ‘rosacea’ is a noun and its correct pronunciation is rəʊˈzeɪʃə or roe-ZAY-she-uh in its phonetic spelling.
Its definition, according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder. It’s usually characterized by redness, flushing, and burning sensation on the nose, forehead, and chin.
You can also listen to the link above on its correct pronunciation if that will help. It’s generally pronounced the same across multiple accents, or whether you’re speaking American English or British English.
Word history
The word rosacea comes from the Latin word rosaceus, which means “rose-colored”. The word is the feminine form of its Latin language origins.
Its first known use was in 1843.
What is Rosacea?
Rosacea is a chronic skin condition that causes persistent blushing and flushing. There might also be visible and dilated blood vessels that contribute to the redness of the skin.
It usually affects the center of the face, cheeks, and nose. In some cases, it can also affect the forehead, chin, neck, and back.
Other common rosacea symptoms also include pus-filled and acne-like bumps, skin sensitivity, and watery and irritated eyes.
Rosacea symptoms can overlap with other skin conditions. That’s why it’s often mistaken for something else. Other times, it’s not diagnosed at all and simply dismissed as natural redness.
Rosacea patients experience flare-ups in a cycle. Symptoms show up and last for a few weeks. They can control and manage these symptoms so they go away for a while. But after some time, it may flare up again and the cycle repeats.
Certain environmental factors can cause these flare-ups.
Rosacea is a prevalent skin condition, with more than 16 million Americans affected by it, according to the National Rosacea Society (NRS). And worldwide, more than 415 million individuals deal with this skin condition. Even picture-perfect celebrities are no exception. Check out the list of our favorite celebrities with rosacea here.
What are the symptoms?
Rosacea symptoms vary from one patient to another but here are some typical symptoms:
- Persistent facial redness
Facial redness, blushing, and flushing is the most common symptom of rosacea. This is usually persistent and does not go away easily.
The persistent redness often appears on the center of the face, cheeks, and nose. Other areas of the face including the chin and forehead may also show some signs of flushing. It can also be accompanied by a burning or tingling sensation.
- Facial blood vessels enlarge and are visible
Another common rosacea symptom is when certain facial blood vessels are visible. When blood vessels dilate and enlarge, they look visible on the skin’s surface and appear as thin red lines across the face. They might also contribute to persistent flushed appearance.
- Pus-filled, acne-like, and swollen bumps
Visible facial redness may be difficult to diagnose in patients with darker skin tones. A symptom you can keep an eye out for is pus-filled bumps and rashes. These often develop on the red and inflamed areas. These look like acne and are swollen and painful. These develop deep within the skin’s surface.
When these symptoms are more prevalent, rosacea can often be misdiagnosed as acne.
- Skin thickening
Some cases of skin inflammation can lead to the thickening of the skin. These areas look raised over the rest of the skin. They can also appear dry and scaly.
Skin thickening often occurs on the nose area. This gives the nose an enlarged and bulbous appearance. It’s worth noting that this is most common in men than in women.
- Burning and sensitivity
Rosacea skin is mostly painful and sensitive with a burning or stinging sensation. The skin may feel warm, hot, and tender.
- Watery and irritated eyes
More severe symptom of rosacea causes water and irritated eyes. The eyes may seem red or bloodshot. The water in the eyes may also cause blurry vision. Bumps or cysts on the eyelids also often accompany this symptom.
Types of Rosacea
To understand rosacea better, it’s best to understand its different types as well. There are four subtypes of rosacea:
Subtype 1: Erythematotelangiectatic rosacea (ETR)
This is the most common and mildest form of rosacea.
This is characterized by persistent redness and flushing across the face – from the cheeks, nose, forehead, and chin. There may also be some burning, stinging, and warming sensations. The skin can also be rough, flaky, or dry.
If left untreated, ETR can be more persistent, can last longer, and can cover more skin.
Subtype 2: Papulopustular (acne) rosacea
Subtype 2 has most of ETR’s general symptoms but with the addition of acne-like bumps. These are pus-filled and are usually red and very painful. Because they resemble acne, they’re often mistaken for that.
There may be visible blood vessels and the skin can be sensitive and painful too.
Subtype 3: Phymatous rosacea
Subtype 3 is characterized by thickening skin. Affected areas appear bumpy, raised, thick, and scaly.
When left untreated, this can lead to rhinophyma, the thickening of the skin of the nose. This leads to a bulbous nose appearance. Rhinophyma is most likely to occur in men than in women.
Subtype 4: Ocular rosacea
The final type of rosacea affects the eyes. This causes red, irritated, and bloodshot eyes. Eyes can also be watery and cause blurry vision.
The eyelids may develop bumps, cysts, and visible blood vessels.
For more details on these four rosacea types, check out our post here.
What Causes Rosacea?
Doctors can’t point out yet what exactly causes rosacea. However, it’s long been believed that it can be a combination of both genetic predispositions and environmental factors.
Who are at risk?
Anyone can develop rosacea but the groups below are more at risk of developing this skin condition:
- People with fair or light skin, hair, and eyes
- People within the 30 to 50 age bracket
- Women – though men are more prone to develop more severe cases
- Individuals with other family members who have rosacea too
- People with Celtic or Scandinavian ancestry
What triggers flare-ups?
Rosacea flare-ups can be due to a variety of external factors.
Environmental factors are a huge trigger for many. This includes sun exposure, hot or cold temperatures, humidity, dryness, and strong winds.
Food and diet are both huge triggers as well. Spicy foods, alcohol, caffeine, and hot beverages are some of the more common culprits.
Other rosacea flare-up triggers also include emotional responses like stress, anxiety, and embarrassment. Excessive sweating and allergies may also play a role in symptom flare-ups.
Rosacea Treatment and Medication
Currently, there is no definitive cure for rosacea. It’s also a long-term condition, which means once a patient is diagnosed, they would have to deal with it for the rest of their lives.
The good news is, rosacea symptoms can be managed and controlled through various treatment plans. Your dermatologist can help you find the right treatment for your symptoms.
There are various topical and oral medications prescribed to patients to cope with their symptoms.
While some choose the simple way of modifying their skincare routines to a rosacea-friendly regimen, some choose the professional facial treatment path. These facial treatments include chemical peels, microdermabrasion, and laser and light therapy to name a few.
You can find out more information about laser treatment for rosacea here.
Some patients make lifestyle changes to manage their symptoms. This includes dietary changes. Read more about the correlation between diet and rosacea in our detailed guide here.
Conclusion
Rosacea is a chronic skin condition usually associated with persistent blushing and redness. This typically affects the center of the face, cheeks, nose, forehead, and chin.
Though a very common skin condition affecting more than 415 million worldwide, many are still confused about how to pronounce the word. Rosacea is pronounced as roe-ZAY-she-uh.
And that has been our guide on how to pronounce rosacea and everything you need to know about this skin condition. For more questions you have for us, reach out to us below!