What is the Difference Between Acne and Rosacea

The key difference between acne and rosacea is that acne is a skin condition that occurs when the pores of the skin are blocked by oil, bacteria, dead skin cells, or dirt, causing whitehead, blackhead, and pimples on the face, while rosacea is a skin condition that occurs due to an overactive immune system, causing blushing or flushing, pus-filled bumps, and blood vessels in the face.

Acne and rosacea are two common skin diseases. Acne most commonly affects teenagers, while rosacea most commonly affects mid-aged white women.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Acne 
3. What is Rosacea
4. Similarities – Acne and Rosacea
5. Acne vs Rosacea in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Acne vs Rosacea

What is Acne?

Acne is a skin disease that occurs when hair follicles become plugged with oil, bacteria, and dead skin cells. This causes whiteheads, blackheads, or pimples. This is one of the major problems that affect teenagers though it can also affect people of all ages. Acne can affect any part of the body. It is more common on the face, neck, back, shoulders and chest. The signs and symptoms of acne include whiteheads, blackheads, small red render bumps, pimples or pustules, which are papules with pus at their tips, large, solid, painful lumps under the skin called nodules, painful, pus-filled lumps under the skin called cystic lesions, skin discolouration including dark patches or spots (hyperpigmentation), redness, swelling and inflammation, pain, and tenderness when touched or not, and skin scarring. Moreover, acne occurs when pores of the skin become blocked with oil, dead skin, or bacteria.

Acnes can be diagnosed by examining the face, chest, or back for different types of spots such as blackheads or red nodules. Mild acne conditions can be treated through over-the-counter medicated creams, cleansers, and spot treatment. Common ingredients of acne creams include benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid. For moderate acne cases, dermatologists may give prescriptions like benzoyl peroxide, antibiotics like erythromycin or clindamycin, and retinoids such as retinol. For severe acne, a dermatologist may recommend combined treatment of the following oral antibiotics, benzoyl peroxide, topical antibiotics, topical retinoids, and hormonal birth control or oral isotretinoin. The other treatments include light therapy, chemical peel, drainage and extraction, and steroid injection.

What is Rosacea?

Rosacea is a skin condition that occurs due to an overactive immune system, which causes blushing or flushing, pus-filled bumps, and blood vessels in the face. These signs and symptoms may flare up for weeks to months and then go away for a while. Rosacea can be mistaken for other skin diseases like acne or natural ruddiness. Rosacea can affect anyone, but it is most common in middle-aged white women. The signs and symptoms of rosacea include facial blushing or flushing, visible veins, swollen bumps, burning sensation, eye problems, and an enlarged nose. The exact cause of rosacea is not known. But it could be caused due to an overactive immune system, heredity, environmental factors, or a combination of these.

Rosacea can be diagnosed through medical history, physical examination, allergic test, and eye evaluation. Furthermore, treatments for rosacea include medications such as topical drugs that reduce flushing (brimonidine, oxymetazoline), oral antibiotics, oral acne drug (isotretinoin), laser therapy, lifestyle, and home remedies (identify and avoid triggers, protect the face, treat the skin gently, reduce visible flushing with the makeup), and alternative medicine (gentle facial massage).

What are the Similarities Between Acne and Rosacea?

• Acne and rosacea are two common skin diseases.
• Both skin diseases are not contagious.
• Both skin diseases can cause similar symptoms such as redness, bumps, swelling, and inflammation.
• They affect people of all ages.
• They are treated through specific medicines.

What is the Difference Between Acne and Rosacea?

Acne is a skin condition that occurs when pores of the skin are blocked by oil, bacteria, dead skin, cells, or dirt, which causes whitehead, blackhead, and pimples on the face, while rosacea is a skin condition that occurs due to overactive immune system, causing blushing or flushing, pus-filled bumps and blood vessels in the face. This is the key difference between acne and rosacea. Furthermore, acne most commonly affects teenagers, while rosacea most commonly affects mid-aged white women.

The following table summarizes the difference between acne and rosacea.

Summary – Acne vs Rosacea

Acne and rosacea are two common skin diseases. Acne occurs when pores of the skin are blocked by oil, bacteria, dead skin cells, or dirt and causes whiteheads, blackheads, and pimples on the face. Rosacea occurs due to an overactive immune system, causing blushing or flushing, pus-filled bumps, and blood vessels in the face. This summarizes the difference between acne and rosacea.

Reference:

1. Burke, Darla. “What Causes Acne and How Can I Prevent It?” Healthline, Healthline Media.
2. “Rosacea: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment & Prevention.” Cleveland Clinic.

Image Courtesy:

1. “OSC Microbio 21 02 acne” By CNX OpenStax – (CC BY 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Steroid Rosacea” By Corinna Kennedy – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia