First, if hot flashes are left untreated for a long time, they can progress to chronic inflammatory diseases.
According to data from the Korean Academy of Dermatology, the number of patients with hot flashes increased by about 20% from 2015 to 2017. However, less than half of patients recognized hot flashes as a condition (45%). Patients mainly rely on home remedies or functional cosmetics to manage hot flashes, and it takes an average of 13 months to visit a dermatologist for diagnosis and treatment. However, hot flashes have a variety of causes and patterns, so it's important to have a dermatologist diagnose them.
In addition, patients with hot flashes are also at a very high risk of developing chronic inflammatory diseases due to lack of accurate awareness of the disease. Many people only know hot flashes as a symptom of redness, but when the hot flashes are accompanied by other vascular-related symptoms (persistent erythema of the face, dilated capillaries, thickening of the nose, etc.), it is diagnosed as rosacea.
Most hot flashes are often early or partial symptoms of 'rosacea'. Rosacea is a disease in which redness, erythema, telangiectasia, and inflammatory papules and pustules appear in the center of the face, such as the nose, cheeks, chin, and forehead. When there are symptoms related to hot flashes, it is important to first get an accurate diagnosis from a dermatologist and then treat them step by step according to the patient's symptoms to prevent the disease from worsening and prevent its progression.
Second, prolonged use of steroids can cause hot flashes.
Indiscriminate use of high-intensity steroids can cause side effects such as telangiectasia, skin atrophy, and hot flashes. Frequent redness of the facial area after long-term use of steroid ointment is called 'steroid-induced rosacea dermatitis'.
Steroid ointments can have a strong anti-inflammatory effect when used in moderate amounts, but long-term use of strong ointments that do not suit the area can cause various side effects. Steroid ointments have levels from 1 to 7, the strongest. In the case of the palms of the hands and soles of the feet, the skin is thicker and the steroids are not well absorbed, so stronger steroids are used than in other areas. However, long-term application of strong steroids to facial areas with thin skin can cause various side effects such as redness.
Steroid-induced injections are a difficult process to treat, but they can definitely get better, so it's important to treat them consistently. The duration of treatment is longer with the stronger the steroid ointment used, and on average it has been reported to vary from several weeks to several months.
Treatment involves the use of moisturizers to restore the skin's protective barrier, reducing or eliminating the use of steroids as much as possible, and topical immunomodulators (e.g., Elydel, Protopic) to control inflammation. As much as possible, you should avoid exposure to UV rays, irritating foods, and temperature fluctuations, which can make your face red.
For prevention, it is recommended to apply a suitable steroid ointment to the application area and apply a moisturizer containing ceramides 2~3 times a day to protect the skin. If long-term use is required, the use of topical immunomodulators with anti-inflammatory activity, Elydel and Protopic, which do not contain steroids, may be considered. The most important thing is to beware of repeated and indiscriminate use of steroid ointments.
Third, if the symptoms of redness persist for a long time, or if there is telangiectasia or persistent erythema, laser treatment is necessary.
Laser treatment is one of the most effective treatments for rosacea, which regenerates stretched and damaged blood vessels and restores elasticity. One of the most important aspects of laser treatment is when treatment begins. It is important to understand the condition of the skin barrier and the degree of inflammation, and to start at the right time after improvement.
If treatment is carried out hastily, the redness may become worse and the effect may decrease. In order to treat vascular lesions, it is not necessary to use a single laser, but a variety of treatments are required depending on the depth and extent. It's important to treat the damaged blood vessels on the outside of the skin first, followed by the deeper ones. The effect of laser treatment has the advantage of quickly relieving the patient's symptoms and significantly reducing the recurrence rate.
Lasers for redness and rosacea are mainly used as vascular lasers (Synergy, V-beam, Regenlight, etc.), IPL (Lumenis M22, Max G, etc.), and KTP lasers (Excel V, V laser). If you have oily skin with a lot of sebum secretion or redness with pores, you may be treated with micro-insulated acupuncture radiofrequency to improve the dermis environment. Different lasers are required depending on the symptoms of redness or rosacea, so it is recommended to take a therapeutic approach that is necessary for the current state according to the opinion of the expert by combining various factors such as the patient's skin type and the timing of treatment.
Fourth, it's a good idea to keep a Rosacea diary.
Just like the meal diary you keep when you are on a diet, you can record what kind of situation you are blushing in every day for 2~3 weeks, as if someone else were observing it. At this time, if you observe and record what triggers the redness, you can find your own redness or injection aggravating factors, which will be used as important data in treatment.
When writing, it's helpful to be specific about exercise, temperature changes, foods (types of alcohol, spicy foods, etc.), and specific emotions that often trigger hot flashes. In addition, if you are taking any medications, it is important to check with your dermatologist if they are any medications that cause redness. Medications commonly known to cause hot flashes include high blood pressure medications (some calcium channel inhibitors), some arrhythmic medications, hormone suppressants, erectile dysfunction medications, and some nasal sprays.
Comments (0)
There are no comments for this article. Be the first one to leave a message!