What Are the Causes & Best Treatments for Rosacea?
Advanced Technologies Treat Rosacea & Eliminate Redness
Rosacea is a frustrating skin condition that causes redness, flushing and visible blood vessels on the face, and sometimes on the neck and chest. Patients with more severe rosacea can also experience pus-filled bumps or pimples – called pustules – that cause pain, burning and stinging.
In this article skin care and repair expert Dr. Ali discusses the symptoms, causes and treatments for this uncomfortable and often embarrassing condition.
Who Gets Rosacea?
Rosacea is actually a more common condition than most people realize. According to the American Academy of dermatology more than 14 million people are living with rosacea. Most people who get rosacea have fair skin and are between the age of 30 and 50 years. However, rosacea can affect people of all ethnicities and ages – even children.
People with blonde hair and blue eyes and/or who are of Celtic or Scandinavian ancestry are most likely to suffer from rosacea. Women are slightly more likely than men to get rosacea. However, men are more likely to get severe rosacea.
What Causes Rosacea?
Unfortunately, rosacea is still a bit of a mystery to the medical community. While the exact cause is still unknown, Rosacea tends to run in families – so it’s possible that people inherit genes for rosacea.
Scientists also believe that the immune system may play a role. Some studies have shown that people with acne-like rosacea react to a type of bacteria (bacillus oleronius) that may cause their immune system to overreact.
More recent theories postulate that the bacteria H pylori, which causes infections in the intestines, may play a role. Other scientists suspect that a mite that lives on everyone’s skin, demodex, may play a role.
Certain lifestyle factors – while they do not cause rosacea – may trigger flushing. These include sun exposure, alcohol consumption, certain foods (especially spicy food), and skin irritants, etc.
How is Rosacea Treated?
Rosacea, like almost any medical condition, effects every person differently. Doctors classify rosacea into subtypes that are categorized under complex phenotype groups. So, every rosacea patient’s treatment plan needs to be approached individually by an experienced doctor.
While there is no known “cure” for rosacea, there are several treatments Dr. Ali offers patients that can reduce – or even eliminate – the redness, flushing, visible veins, and pustules of rosacea. Dr. Ali has will conduct a thorough examination and consultation to determine if Morpheus8, IPL, medical-grade skincare products, or one of our other advanced rosacea treatments is right for you.
IPL Rosacea Treatment
IPL, which stands for Intense Pulsed Light, emits controlled pulses of specific wavelengths, to alleviate the inflammation and redness of Rosacea. The red hemoglobin in the blood absorbs the specific light frequency from the lasers which destroys the small blood vessels that are responsible for the appearance of rosacea.
But not all IPLs are created equal! At AMAE Med Spa in the Rochester Hills area, we used the advanced The Candela Nordlys IPL system to treat rosacea. Nordlys IPL uses a unique process called selective photothermolysis, which targets and destroys the hyperactive blood vessels responsible for facial redness. Unlike traditional, broad-spectrum Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) machines that release a wide range of light wavelengths, the Nordlys platform utilizes patented Selective Waveband Technology (SWT).
Why Nordlys IPL Is a Top Rosacea Treatment
This advanced dual-filter engineering strips away unnecessary or potentially harmful wavelengths on both sides of the light spectrum. By refining the light into a precise, narrowband channel, the energy specifically targets oxyhemoglobin—the protein inside your red blood cells—without overheating or burning the surrounding healthy skin tissue. The hemoglobin absorbs the energy from the IPL’s precise flashes of light, and converts it into heat. This causes the dilated, leaky capillaries and visible spider veins to collapse and close.
Over the following weeks, your body naturally reabsorbs and clears away these damaged vessels, which dramatically reduces both redness, flushing and persistent vascular lesions. Beyond directly closing down blood vessels, the light pulses also have an anti-inflammatory effect. They help stabilize skin mast cells and calm the underlying inflammatory pathways, which directly reduces the painful flare-ups and bumps associated with papulopustular rosacea.
Morpheus8 RF Microneedling Rosacea Treatment
Lighter skinned patients are the best candidates for IPL Rosacea Treatment. However, tanned or darker skinned patients may be better candidates for Morpheus8 radiofrequency microneedling rosacea treatment. Morpheus8 RF microneedling is typically also a better treatment option for rosacea patients with active pus-filled pimples (pustules).
Morpheus8 is a revolutionary medical device that combines the science of microneedling with radiofrequency technology to activate the body’s repair mechanisms on a subdermal cellular level. Microneedling involves piercing the epidermis (top layer of skin) with ultra-fine needles that penetrate the lower layers of the skin. The tiny needle “pricks” are perceived by the body as “micro-injuries” that stimulates the body’s natural healing mechanisms.
As the Morpheus8 needles penetrate the skin, gentle but powerful radiofrequency (RF) waves are delivered into the tissue. The RF thermal energy also stimulates the body’s repair response – healing inflammation and restoring skin to a healthy state. Learn more about Morpheus8 treatment for Rosacea HERE.
How Radiofrequency Microneedling Treats Rosacea
The Morpheus8 system treats rosacea by combining insulated microneedles with fractionated radiofrequency (RF) energy to remodel the skin’s underlying vascular and dermal structure. Unlike traditional treatments that only target surface-level redness, Morpheus8 penetrates deeper into the dermis to deliver controlled thermal energy. This specialized RF heat induces a process called neocollagenesis, building a dense, healthy matrix of new collagen and elastin that structurally thickens the skin barrier. By strengthening this dermal foundation, the treatment effectively blankets and compresses the hyperactive, dilated blood vessels responsible for rosacea flushing.
Additionally, the fractionated energy disrupts the faulty vascular networks and promotes healthier blood and lymphatic flow, while simultaneously down-regulating the localized inflammatory responses that trigger painful bumps, itching, and papulopustular flare-ups.
Cellular Rejuvenation Treatments for Rosacea
Combining RF microneedling with Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) or exosomes is highly effective for managing rosacea because it dramatically accelerates cellular repair and suppresses chronic inflammation. The micro-channels created by the Morpheus8 needles act as open pathways, allowing these topical biologics to penetrate deep into the dermis.
While PRP uses your own growth factors to rebuild thinning skin, exosomes are considered particularly superior for rosacea, because they contain highly concentrated signaling molecules that actively tell overactive immune cells to calm down. This potent anti-inflammatory action rapidly cools down the heat, swelling, and extreme redness typical after a treatment. By repairing a damaged skin barrier and cutting down overall recovery time, this combination therapy turns a potentially aggressive treatment into a highly controlled, soothing session that stabilizes vascular reactivity.
Rosacea Skin Care Products
For milder to moderate cases of rosacea, a daily skin care regimen that reduces the skin’s inflammatory response and strengthens the skin’s natural barrier function can help prevent rosacea flare-ups.
At AMAE on the Rochester Hills, MI area we offer patients a wide array of medical-strength skincare products that can help minimize the appearance of rosacea. These include: ZO Skin Health Exfoliating Polish, ZO Oil Control Pads, ZOSkin Health Ossential® Daily Power Defense, and the generous use of a non-irritating sunscreen such as ZO Oclipse® Sunscreen + Primer SPF 30.
Rosacea Treatment | Rochester Hills, MI area
Morheus8 radiofrequency microneedling and IPL Photofacials offer long-lasting solutions for many individuals suffering from the frustrating redness and visible blood vessels of rosacea.
Your appointment will start with a skin examination and analysis to determine the best rosacea treatment for your skin type and condition. Schedule an appointment today to discuss your rosacea treatment options at AMAE Med Spa in the Rochester Hills, MI area – and take the first step to getting smooth, clear, beautiful skin.
