How can you distinguish rosacea from allergies?
Rosacea can look like allergies, but there is a fairly specific group of causes. Causes include heat, spicy food, alcohol, sexual excitement, exposure to cold air, exposure to dry air or windy weather on a bare face. Normally, Rosacea is seen as flushing on the cheeks, nose and/or chin. For me, I can sometimes get what looks like hives on my face that is caused by the rosacea — I can usually tell it’s rosacea because the red bumps are pusless. Since I seem to have facial “allergic dermatitis” as well, I’m not always certain what causes the hives. I do know that if I drink alcohol, I usually get flushed and sometimes very hot in my face — that is rosacea, not an allergy. Consult a dermatologist, I use a topical antibiotic called Metrogel that usually will alleviate the rosacea symptoms. I also use another topical cream for the allergies.
