What is Rosacea in Kids: The Effect of Skin Conditions on Children
Rosacea is a lifelong skin problem with no cure. It is often unpleasant to look at, which is why many people try everything to prevent a flare up.
The good thing is that the condition is not hard to control. It is more common in adults and they can manage it easily. However, it might be a different case when it happens in children.
“What is rosacea in kids?” is a common question from parents fearing their child has the condition. It is important to know what the rosacea is like in children for you to know what to expect.
Getting To Know Rosacea
Even today, experts still cannot find a cure for the condition. What makes it worse is that people who have the condition will have to deal with it for the rest of their lives. However, the symptoms can come and go, and they only come back due to some triggers.
Experts are also not sure what causes rosacea. Because it looks like acne, many believe that bacteria causes it. The closest cause experts can think of is that there is a problem in the body’s immune system itself, which causes the symptoms to show up.
The main symptom of rosacea is redness in the face with visible webs of blood vessels. This also comes with swelling and acne. The symptoms show up more on the nose, and it is more common on women.
However, men often get the worst symptoms, which are harder to deal with. Every person with rosacea has different triggers for a flare up to happen. This is when the symptoms show up all of a sudden.
The most common reason is eating trigger foods like spicy foods and fatty foods. Drinking alcohol and taking some drugs could trigger it, as well. The number one trigger for a flare up, however, is direct sunlight and gusts of winds, in which they can trigger it almost instantly.
So, What Is Rosacea In Kids?
This condition runs in the family, which means you could get it if your parents or grandparents had it. It is more common on people in their 30’s to 50’s, but it can happen in any age. However, it is extremely rare to happen in children, and it is a major concern if it does.
Rosacea in children is a major concern because of its complications. One symptom of this condition is swelling around the eyes, which result in poor vision and infection in the eyes. Thirty percent of children with this condition already have poor vision, which is why you need to bring your child to a doctor when you see a problem with his or her eyesight.
Knowing rosacea in children is only possible when they reach a certain age years after the child first showed signs.
This is because children are prone to many skin problems, and doctors might mistake the symptoms for another skin condition.
The most common age for children to show signs is at six years old, but most of the time, doctors only rule it out after three or four years. The symptoms in children are not different from adults.
They will still have the iconic flushed face, as well as rough and red patches. They are also not safe from acne-like bumps even for their age. Unlike ordinary acne, the acne in rosacea will not disappear no matter how old a person gets.
Controlling Children’s Rosacea
There is still no way to prevent rosacea. The best thing that people can do to control it for all ages is avoiding the things that can trigger a flare up. Number one would be changing the diet. If you already know what foods trigger the symptoms, you must get rid of them from your diet. Of course, you need to find an alternative to the foods you removed to get the right nutrition.
For children, keeping them away from direct sunlight would be a great course of action.
When you bring your child outdoors, be sure that they are wearing the proper outfit for the weather or climate.
Most of all, you should promote proper hygiene for your children, so that any wounds on their face will not be infected.
In some cases where rosacea in children causes a severe flare up, using drugs would be a good call. You should ask for prescription meds from your doctor to apply to the skin. Most meds that you will use are those that reduce swelling, as well as kill bacteria.
If your child feels pain, it would be good to do warm compresses with a damp cloth, especially in the area around the eyes. If you are wondering, “What is rosacea in kids,” it is not that different from an adult. However, considering that they are children, it might be too much for them to handle.
In that case, you need to provide proper care for them, so that they will also be able to deal with it as they grow up.
Rosacea does not have to be a difficult case; you only need to teach them on how to handle it in the years to come.
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