The term “acne rosacea” is often used to describe… well, what IS it used to describe?

And therein lies the problem with the term “acne rosacea”! In and of itself, this description is misleading. How so? Because the skin condition known as acne and a skin condition known diagnosed as rosacea are TWO separate things, two separate skin problems, with different causes and symptoms.

However, it is easy to see how the two are grouped together and misconstrued as the same thing. The papules and pustules – which are two fancy words meaning red bumps and pus filled red bumps, respectively – found on the surface of the face of individuals with the form of rosacea known as  “Papulopustular Rosacea“  is commonly misconstrued as plain old acne. This is an easy mistake for someono untrained to make – such as the person with the red bumps looking in the mirror at themselves0 , especially since not only are there red bumps to be found that look like pimples, but some of them even countain pus, much like the pimples and zits found on someone with acne.

At the same time, many medications out there are used by people with rosacea and by people with acne to target both the symptoms of both. This is true not only of over the counter skin cleansing and skin care medications, but also even prescription antibiotics. The first line of defense doctors tend to use when beginning rosacea treatment for a new patient is the use of prescription antibiotics. The ones used are the same ones commonly used to treat acne as well!

Additionally, many good skin care practices translate well for someone with acne and with someone who has rosacea, the papulopustular version or otherwise. This means things such as using non-abrasive skin cleansers, skin care products without alcohol, and so on.

The fact is that so many things cross reference between both acne and roseacea: the visibility of bumps and redness on the skin, pus filled bumps, facial redness, the use of shared prescription antibiotic treatments, and the use of shared over the counter medicines, as well as skin care practices. Taken all together, this creates the illusion of some kind of joint condition that can be referred to “acne rosacea.”

The truth is though, no matter how much this term is used, “acne rosacea” is NOT a type of rosacea, nor is it a type of acne. It’s a term that incorrectly points to the similarities between the two, when in fact, they are two separate skin conditions.

If an individual is unsure if what they believe to be acne is in fact, a type of rosacea, he or she should see a doctor as soon as possible to get a proper diagnosis and begin receiving treatments for their skin.